I have always been a person who reads biographies, authorized or not, just stories of success about other real people. I was reading books like this when I was 8 years old and have done it my whole life, they give me hope and inspiration. I always figured, if they could do it, then I can do it!
I was just made aware of a new book that will be coming out that could be just as inspirational and motivating to anyone who is thinking about being their own boss, breaking free from the “chains” of their life or who just want to be free and live the life they have imagined, for themselves. The new book is called “Influencer: The Power to Change Anything” and is scheduled for nationwide release to book stores on October 1, 2007. This is the newest book from the authors of the New York Times bestseller, “Crucial Conversations” (Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler of the company VitalSmarts.
I had the opportunity to read an excerpt from this book and found it to be very to the point. Everyone needs positive forces in their life or they become serene and relaxed about where they are. They lose motivation to change and many people are afraid of change and shy away from it. This book reminds us what needs to be done in order to have the life we want. We cannot sit around and wait for this life to come to us, the only way your life will be the way you want it is if you take action and make changes. It is truly up to you and your actions. This book can guide you on what you need to do and help you have the skills to do it and do it successfully.
Most of us are influencers without even realizing it, if you have children or younger siblings, you are an influencer. If you are a teacher, doctor, professional of any kind, own your own business, deal with the public or have pets, you are an influencer. When you are an influencer and you really think about that, there are things you can do to be a better influencer and therefore be more successful. This book will help you realize what those things are and what you can do to be a better influencer, for yourself and the people around you.
This book is the culmination of a 20-year long project to document the best and most powerful ideas social science has accumulated in the past 5 decades. Joseph Grenny said, “We believe this book will be very impactful and inspirational--it discusses scores of amazing people from all walks of life, business, and nationality, who have made real changes in this world, who have answered the question "How can one person change the world?"
As a reader of my blog, you can take advantage of a 34% discount by pre-ordering the book online before Oct 1 through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. Please come back to my blog and leave your comments on the book once you have read it. I am very interested in your opinion of how this book can help people change habits and change how they influence the people around them and themselves.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks so much for paying attention to our book.
In Influencer we’re trying to bring a whole lot of very solid research in psychological and organizational behavior to bear onto a class of problems we describe as “profound, persistent, and resistant.
Profound – important personal, family, business, or societal problems.
Persistent – longstanding self-perpetuating situations—the kinds of problems that require more than a sincere commitment to change. For example, your son is addicted to drugs or your business has a chronically poor safety record. With these kinds of problems a sincere commitment to change is just the starting point. Then the hard work begins.
Resistant – people have already tried a variety of solutions, but the problem has just bounced back. These problems require a lot more hard work than people realize—but they can be solved and the benefits are enormous.
This focus on profound, persistent, and resistant problems makes this book different from many of the psychology and influence books you may have read—books that focus on getting someone else to say “YES!” You might say our book picks up where they leave off. After the person has said, “yes” we show how to turn that commitment into positive results.
People make a big mistake when trying to influence these kinds of persistent and resistant behaviors. They ask themselves, “What’s the least I can do to influence change?” Instead ask, “What’s the most I can do to guarantee change?” Don’t look for a single crucial barrier to change—even though there may be one that stands out. Instead, act on every single barrier, to over-determine and guarantee success.
Using these influence tools, you can solve any problem that can be affected through improved behavior—that of yourself or that of others. From the simplest aggravations to the most persistent, resistant, and profound problems you can imagine.
I hope you enjoy your reading!
David Maxfield
Posted by: David Maxfield | September 7, 2007 8:25 AM | Permalink to Comment