How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Summary
Never thought I’d need this but it’s one of the most impactful books I think I’ve ever read. There’s a reason Warren Buffet calls it one of his most favourite books of all time. Amazing insight into how you can always make friends no matter the situation and will help you in all aspects of your life.
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Instead of condemning people, try to understand them and don’t criticize
Don’t criticize, condemn or complain
‘I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess and the way to develop that is by appreciation and encouragement’ – Charles Schwab
Make people feel wanted and appreciated
‘Every man I met is my superior in some way. In that, I learn from him’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Give honest and sincere appreciation
If you want someone to do something, think about how you can make them do it
‘If there is any one secret to success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s view and see things from their angle as well as your own’ – Henry Ford
Arouse in the other person an eager want
Always be genuinely interested in other people
Smile 🙂
Remember the names of the people you meet
Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves
Talk in terms of the other person’s interest
Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely
Listen first, look for areas of agreement
To win an argument, you should avoid it
Socrates – ‘One thing only I know and that is I know nothing’
Show respect for the other person’s opinion
Never say you’re wrong to another person
Admit it when you’re wrong and do it immediately and emphatically
Begin every interaction in a friendly way
Try to get the person at the beginning of the conversation to say yes, yes immediately
Let the other person do a great deal of the talking
Let the other person feel that the idea is his/hers
Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view
Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires
Appeal to nobler motives
Dramatize your ideas
Every person loves a game so throw down a challenge
When leading, begin with praise and honest appreciation
Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly
Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person
Effective leaders ask questions instead of giving orders
Praise the slightest and every improvement
Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to
Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct
Make the person happy doing the thing you suggest
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Buy the book here
Free E-book download here
Make Something Wonderful
Steve Jobs
Summary
The life of Steve Jobs in his own words
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Make something wonderful and put it out there
‘You appear, have a chance to blaze in the sky, then you disappear’
When you’re a stranger in a place, you notice thing you don’t otherwise (Jobs after India trip)
Whenever you start with nothing, always shoot for the moon. You have nothing to lose.
You never achieve what you want without falling on your face a few times
Never be afraid to fail. You never achieve what you want without falling flat on your face a few times
We are never taught to listen to our intuitions, to develop and nurture them. But if you do pay attention to these subtle insights, you can make them come true
Creativity equals connecting previously unrelated experiences and insights others don’t see
Believe that some of what you follow with your heart will come back and make your life richer. And it will. And you will gain even firmer trust on your instincts and intuitions
Make your avocation your vocation. Make what you love your work.
The journey is the reward. The reward isn’t in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it’s in crossing the rainbow
To find A+ talent, if experienced, look at their track record and results
The world we know is a human creation and we can push it forward
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do (read whole ad ‘here’s to the crazy ones)
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit - Aristotle
Hire people better than you are
You can’t plan to meet the people who will change your life
It’s impossible to connect the dots looking forward, but they make sense looking backwards so you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you
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Buy the book here
Free E-book download here
