Summary: “’Dealing with people is probably the biggest problem you face.’ This is the foundation of How to Win Friends & Influence People and it is still true today.” How to Win (Digital), Preface ix In 1936 Dale Carnegie said, “Dealing with people is probably the biggest problem you face.” In 2012 it’s still true - because people are people. In fact it’s likely now that knowing how to effectively interact with people is an even bigger problem. Since the speed of communication is instantaneous, continuous and global we can interact with and affect more people a lot faster than we could in 1936 or even 10 years ago. And we have more formats in which to communicate than the 1936 face-to-face, telephone, letter, newspaper/magazine article. In fact, the new formats, far from making Carnegie’s principles obsolete, make them more relevant than ever. The basis of winning friends and of influencing people is – people are people. If we don’t remember that we’ll think there’s something different about how we should communicate to win friends and influence people in the many new types of media (texting, email, chat/IM, social media). Interestingly (particularly in light of technological advances since 1936) Carnegie said in the original book that, “…the person who has technical knowledge plus the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership and to arouse enthusiasm among people – that person is headed for higher earning power.” Believe it or not, I’ve somehow made it through grad school, 3 leadership jobs, numerous board presidencies and 23 years as a trainer in a customized training company without reading Carnegie’s original book! What was I waiting for? This book is so easy to learn from with examples of how historical figures (Jesus to Lao-tse to Franklin D Roosevelt) implemented Carnegie’s principles and how ordinary folk like me can, too. Golden Egg The Right Foundation Will Save You “If you don’t begin with the right foundation, it is easy to send the wrong message, to offend, ….” How to Win (Digital), Preface ix The same timeless, straightforward principles that keep the original book on the bestseller’s lists are viewed in this book through the lens of today’s mediums. Just a few of the Foundational Principles: Don’t criticize, condemn or complain Talk about others’ interests If you’re wrong, admit it quickly and empathetically Let others save face Acknowledge your baggage Connect with core desires Magnify improvement and 20 more Amazingly the things Carnegie helped us learn almost 80 years ago are, for the most part, not only still true today but actually even more so. Now people have access to us all day and night. Now the new formats/mediums are more informal than ever and we can get a little sloppy causing people to take things differently than what we meant. Now the hyper-frequency with which we interact means way more communications per day, per hour than ever before. If you’re bad at people skills it’s now multiplied! Look at just the Foundational Principles listed above. What’s the same about each of them? They, like the rest of the principles, are conveyed through communication. So, this book is actually about how to communicate with others in order to win them as friends and influence them. Carnegie says that the two highest levels of influence are achieved when: 1) People follow you because of what you’ve done for them and 2) Because of who you are. To make these two things happen you have to begin with the right foundation - that every communication (no matter if via new fangled digital or old school in-person/phone/letter) you use is filled with messages that build trust, convey gratitude and add value to the recipients. GEM #1 Small opportunities can make the biggest difference “Always leave people a little better and you might be surprised how big it makes you and how far it takes you.” How to Win (Digital),
