The Leader in You
by Dale Carnegie
– You cannot lead by directive, you must leave by influence.
– The ability to communicate with people is essential in leadership. It’s what turns a good idea into a great idea, it’s what ignites people.
– People will not listen to what you have to say unless you have a sincere interest.
– Treat people as if they are smart and capable and then get out of their way – that will get the job done. Respect them and appreciate their work.
– Making someone feel important is not a one time thing, it is several little small things such as returning a phone call, remembering their name, thanking them, etc.
– Good listening is key to affective communication.
– Good listening is better than speaking other languages or knowing all about every subject.
– No one could possibly know everything. Listening to others is the single most important thing in learning.
– No one is more persuasive than a good listener. You almost never forget a good listener when you meet one.
– Good leaders talk in plural, how we need, how we accomplished, etc. People need to feel like their contributions are important.
– Share the glory but always accept the blame.
– Criticize your mistakes before anyone else gets an opportunity to do it.
– Think twice before you criticize or blame.
– If you do have to criticize, walk softly and do not bring along a big stick. Praise first and then critique a kind way.
– If you are shouting for arguing with someone you have already lost.
– Be quick to admit mistakes and slow to criticize
– Set goals, they give us something to shoot for and look towards. Without goals, it is easy to drift. A goal is a dream with a deadline.
– Patience and perseverance will accomplish more in this world than a fast run at something.
– Having a goal is important but is only half of it; the other half is discipline and focus.
– Leaders do not lose focus, they keep their focus.
– Consistently high-performance comes from a balance of both hard work and leisure. You have to have both to continue for a long time.
– When something is going on and you are worried, you have to ask yourself how much it’s worth. Is it worth losing a night sleep, a week of anxiety, etc.? Very few things are worth worrying so much about. Keep things in perspective.
– Instead of worrying so much, ask yourself what the reality of this coming to pass. Next, what is the worst case scenario if this happens. And lastly, what can you do to fix or help the situation.
– There are very few motivators as a positive, upbeat attitude.
– The way to be enthusiastic is to believe in what you are doing and believe in yourself that you can do it.
– True enthusiasm is made up of both eagerness and assurance.