HOW TO

INFLUENCE PEOPLE
From a man who has sold more than 19 million books, he certainly knows how to

week for another free download of an award-winning book. Just another way

MAKING SOUTH AFRICA

MORE EFFICIENT
 How to Influence People
Make a Difference in Your World
John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan
Nelson Publishers © 2013
208 pages
[@] getab.li/19566
Book:

Rating Take-Aways

7
8 Applicability • Influential people have and are known to have integrity.
5 Innovation • They form close connections with the people around them.
8 Style
• They respect and nurture others.

• They demonstrate faith and trust.

Focus • They are good listeners.

• They work hard to understand what motivates other people.

Leadership & Management
Strategy • They mentor others to help them reach their complete potential.
Sales & Marketing
• They empower the individuals in their lives.
Finance
Human Resources • They help people successfully navigate through life to attain their goals.
IT, Production & Logistics
• They develop their team members into leaders, who, in turn, can develop others.
Career & Self-Development
Small Business
Economics & Politics
Industries
Global Business
Concepts & Trends

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getabstract

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Relevance
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What You Will Learn
In this summary, you will learn:r1) How to use four levels of influence and 2) What primary characteristics leaders
need to have in order to influence others.
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Review
John C. Maxwell has sold more than 19 million books. Jim Dornan has mentored hundreds of thousands of people.
This leadership tome, co-authored by Maxwell and Dornan, reflects their larger-than-life perspective. As one reviewer
said, it functions as a “coach’s playbook, a pastor’s guide and a parent’s lifeline.” Any Maxwell book is a trove of
inspiring anecdotes, and he and Dornan pepper this easy-to-read, sincere volume with memorable, uplifting stories.
getAbstract recommends their warm, old-fashioned advice. While neither new nor controversial in any way, it offers
pleasant reading that will inspire you as it teaches you how to exert a positive influence.
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Summary
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All People Are Influential
Everyone influences someone else. Success depends on influence. Parents must influence
their children; salespeople must influence their customers; and managers must influence
their employees. Personal influence works at four ascending levels:

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• “Modeling” – People base how they act on the behavior they see in others, just as
“Helping people children copy their parents. The closer you are to people, the more influence you develop
enlarge themselves and
develop their potential
with them.
makes it possible for • “Motivating” – You influence others when you connect with them emotionally and
them to go to a whole encourage them. The more positive your relationship is with someone, and the better he
new level of living.”
getabstract or she feels about it, the more influence you can have.
• “Mentoring” – At this level, you actively guide people and help them lead better lives.
• “Multiplying” – You are such a positive influence that the people you influence go on
to influence other people beneficially. This is the pinnacle of successful influencing.

“A Person of Influence...Has Integrity with People”

You cannot influence others if they don’t trust you. Earning trust takes integrity. Character
is internal and manifests in your actions. Integrity is not the same as reputation, which relies
on other people’s opinions. Strive to become a person of strong character. Make “truth,
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“Once people learn reliability, honesty and confidentiality” the building blocks of your life. Treat others as you
to become effective want to be treated. Establish a moral line in your life that you never cross. As Josh Weston,
problem solvers and
can navigate for chairman and CEO of Automatic Data Processing, says, “I’ve always tried to live with the
themselves, their following simple rule: Don’t do what you wouldn’t feel comfortable reading about in the
lives begin to change
dramatically.” newspapers the next day.”
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“...Nurtures Other People”
People’s emotional needs are as important as their physical needs. Just as human begins
need food and water, they also need “encouragement, recognition, security and hope.”
Nurturing others begins with respect and love and progresses into supporting their
emotional needs, caring about them, helping them and wishing them well.

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 When you fail to acknowledge people’s individuality, they feel diminished. Lack of
recognition is the main reason employees feel dissatisfied at work. Encouragement – or
as blogger George M. Adams describes it, “oxygen for the soul” – is equally vital. People
find it difficult to be productive without encouragement. To bolster your staffers, be “other-
getabstract minded” – try to see life as other people see it and “put yourself in their place.”
“If you desire to
become an influence in
others’ lives, start by “...Has Faith in People”
nurturing them.” Niagara Falls is one of the world’s great natural wonders: More than 3,100 feet wide and
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180 feet high, the three falls drop a torrent of “more than 12 million cubic feet of water”
every minute over a magnificent ledge. During the 19th century, daredevil Charles Blondin
walked on a tightrope over the Falls many times, including once on stilts, once while
blindfolded and once with a man on his shoulders. The French acrobat was an amazing
showman. Equally amazing is the degree of trust the person on Blondin’s shoulders had
in him.

Gaining influence over others begins with trusting them. Sadly, today, many individuals
don’t have other people who believe in them. Due to negative parenting, some children
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“As you empower start out with two strikes against them. For example, according to evangelist Bill Glass,
others, you will find more than “90% of prison inmates were told by parents while growing up, ‘They’re going
that most aspects of
your life will change for to put you in jail’.” Instead, build up the people around you. Demonstrate to them, that you
the better.” believe in them.
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“...Listens to People”
When you listen to others, you demonstrate respect for them and you can influence them
to be on your team and on your side. As Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends
in two weeks by becoming a good listener than you can in two years trying to get other
people interested in you.”

People who do all the talking without listening are too self-focused to build strong
getabstract relationships. They make the common mistake of thinking that by talking more and listening
“Faith in people is
an essential quality less they will impress others as “smart, witty or entertaining.” As a result, they find it
of an influencer when difficult to develop significant influence. Such busy talkers have things backward. They
working with others, yet
it’s a scarce commodity
should “be impressed and interested, not impressive and interesting.” Great listeners give
today.” their undivided attention and never interrupt. Robert L. Montgomery, author of Listening
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Made Easy, explains, “It’s just as rude to step on people’s ideas as it is to step on their
toes.” Smart listeners keep their emotions in check. They say, “That’s interesting” or
“That’s obviously very important to you” to encourage the other person. They ask questions
respectfully to be sure they understand the speaker’s ideas.

Smart companies like 3M listen to their staff and customers. Making a policy of listening
helped 3M become a singular force for innovation. The US restaurant chain Chili’s “is
known for that quality too.” Nearly 80% of its menu came from suggestions from individual
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“Any time you influence
people who either
do not or cannot “...Understands People”
exercise influence with
others, you limit your When you try to understand people, you will be much more able to communicate with
influence.”
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them and influence them positively. “Few things will pay you bigger dividends than the
time and trouble you take to understand people,” writes the author duo George Kienzle and
Edward Dare in Climbing the Executive Ladder. “Almost nothing will add more to your
stature as an executive and a person. Nothing will give you greater satisfaction or bring
you more happiness.”

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 William Penn, an American colonist, counseled, “Neither despise nor oppose what thou
dost not understand.” Unfortunately, many people fail to follow that advice. The conflicts
separating people arise because they don’t understand one another due to preconceptions,
suspicion and fear.
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“The whole listening
process begins with Self-centeredness causes misunderstandings. Avoid such problems by recognizing the
giving the other worth and value of the people around you. Be aware of the similarities that bind people
person your undivided
attention.” together. Everyone shares the same “hopes and fears, joy and sorrows, victories and
getabstract problems.” To understand other people better, recognize their needs, including the primary
motivation that everyone wants to feel important. Recognizing this will make it easier to
treat other people as special.

“...Enlarges People”
To influence others in the most meaningful way, invest in them. Be selective about the
people you decide to mentor; choose those who share your philosophy. Helping people
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“For active realize their full potential touches on four basic areas: “attitude, relationships, leadership,”
listening...sum up what and “personal and professional skills.” To give your staff members a career boost, teach
the other person says
at major intervals. As them to network and develop their leadership abilities.
the speaker finishes one
subject, paraphrase his
or her main points or People need help to achieve as much as they can. That’s the role of a wise, supportive
ideas before going on mentor. Composer Gian Carlo Menotti said, “Hell begins on that day when God grants us
to the next and verify
that you have gotten the
a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts we wasted, of all that we
right message.” might have done that we did not do.” You can affect the rest of someone’s life by lending
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a hand as a mentor.

“...Navigates for Other People”

When the people you lead run into obstacles that block their progress, help them navigate the
roadblocks. Don’t make it a one-time event. Assist others when they need your help and you
can render it. Life’s journey can be perilous. Help the person you mentor develop a game
plan that leads to the right destination, whether that’s a new job, a tough accomplishment or
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“Even a little bit of another long-desired goal. Reaching a worthwhile destination takes time, so adopt a step-
recognition can go an by-step approach. Conquer a series of small attainable goals that add up to achieving the
incredibly long way in a
person’s life.”
long-term objective.
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“...Connects with People”
To help people, you must connect with them in a meaningful way. Never take anyone
for granted. Recognize that each person has singular value. When you treat people as
special, that’s how they will treat you in return. Have faith that you can make a positive
difference in someone’s life. Don’t wait for the other person – say, an employee – to ask
for help. Reaching out and initiating guidance is smart leadership. Start the conversation
with common ground or shared experiences.

getabstract Be aware of the other person’s individuality and personality. Personality Plus by Florence
“The ability to
empower others is one
Littaur outlines four common personality types and connection tips:
of the keys to personal
and professional 1. “Sanguine” – The best way to connect with these outgoing, optimistic people is to show
success.”
getabstract your excitement.
2. “Melancholy” – To reach these introverted perfectionists, focus on their interests.
3. “Phlegmatic” – These strong-willed, pessimistic people respond to assurance.
4. “Choleric” – These decisive personalities strive for power; to connect with them,
operate from a position of strength.

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 To form a connection with others, determine what matters to them and leverage it
productively. If you are sincere and genuine, you may discover revealing clues in a person’s
achievements and goals. Before you try to help someone, make sure you’ve established a
firm connection – perhaps by sharing something about yourself.

“...Empowers People”
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“Once you’ve made a In 1924, the English artist William Wolcott visited a colleague in New York. He wanted
strong connection with to sketch. He asked his friend if he could use some paper lying on his desk. “That’s not
your people, share your
hopes and dreams.”
sketching paper,” the friend said. “That’s ordinary wrapping paper.”
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“Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it,” Wolcott replied. Wolcott sold the
sketches he made on the wrapping paper for $1,500, a substantial sum in 1924. When you
empower others, you transform them into something special, as Wolcott did to the ordinary
wrapping paper.

The beauty of such empowerment resides in positively transforming people so they become
better than they were. Such empowerment is crucial for executives who depend on the
results the people they supervise can achieve. As J. Paul Getty said, “It doesn’t make much
getabstract difference how much other knowledge or experience an executive possesses; if he is unable
“In the end, you can to achieve results through people, he is worthless as an executive.”
bend your actions
to conform to your
principles, or you can To lead effectively, learn how to empower people, one step at a time. Evaluate your team
bend your principles
to conform to your
members and be a role model for them. Determine how much authority each person can
actions.” handle. People learn best when you demonstrate how you want them to act. Communicate
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your confidence in them and provide the detailed feedback they need. Empower them by
ceding authority. Letting them proceed on their own is true empowerment.

“...Reproduces Other Influencers”

Help develop leaders who will extend your influence through their networks and beyond.
This is the multiplier effect at its most productive. Identify people with potential and help
them become leaders, too. No other task is as important. Leaders must grow in their roles
and may pass through five stages of development:

getabstract 1. “Scramble” – At this minimal stage, leaders don’t develop the people around them.
“Being able to lead They instead “scramble” to replace employees who leave.
others begins with
leading yourself well.” 2. “Survival” – These leaders don’t multiply new talent, but they do not lose people. Their
getabstract staff members survive transitional times.
3. “Siphon” – At this stage, about 10% of leaders try to develop their people, but other
organizations siphon away the most talented.
4. “Synergy” – Leaders at this level are proficient in developing the talent around them
and can convince up-and-comers to stay with the organization.
5. “Significance” – This is the apex of influence. Top leaders develop other leaders – the
ultimate multiplier effect.
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About the Authors
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John C. Maxwell has sold more than 19 million books, including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Talent
Is Never Enough. Jim Dornan founded and runs Network TwentyOne. EQUIP, the non-profit they founded, trains
leaders worldwide.

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