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How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

By Josh Kaufman

It has been said that Dale Carnegie knew more about human nature than anyone before or since. After reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, I completely agree.

Based on the core idea that people have a fundamental psychological need to feel important, How to Win Friends and Influence People details “three fundamental techniques for handling people, six ways to make people like you, twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.”

Each of the principles Carnegie discusses is presented in a clear and memorable way, accompanied by examples that illustrate the principle in action. You’ll learn about the importance of remembering names, asking questions instead of giving orders, speaking with others about their interests, emphasizing areas of agreement, giving people a reputation to live up to, and allowing people to come to your conclusions on their own. Beneath all of the stories and anecdotes is a simple, valuable lesson: if you choose to be genuinely interested in the people you work with and you let them know it, they will always be happy to work with you.

Many of Carnegie’s tips on working with people seem to be common sense, but they’re often challenging to put into practice when you’re angry or upset, so consistent mindful practice of these principles is very important. To that end, I’ve taken (and highly recommend) the Dale Carnegie Institute’s 12-week course on Effective Communications and Human Relations – you’ll be amazed at how much you grow in such a short period of time.

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