Influencer: The Power to Change Anything | Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, ...

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything | Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, ... | A great book for Ministry

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Influencer: The Po...

	Influencer: The Power to Change Anything Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, ... McGraw-Hill, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 144 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the top 5 books for business

I've been reading and doing workshops since 1989. This book brings fresh intriguing ideas and is written in way that keeps me engaged and at times amused. It isn't a 7 steps to success guide, but then Covey's first book is the only one that I think did that format well. From the examples, I'm able to look at what I want to accomplish and see how apply the same principals. I'm glad I bought it and I'm excited about the working with the ideas.

A great book for Ministry

This book was great because of the skills that were addressed. The skills were the methods to influence an organization or a person. It talked about the pointlessness of using verbal logic to promote meaningful change in people. This seemed to strike me because of the act of preaching every week. You certainly can use words to influence people, but these are the supporting acts to the major actions of influence. There are about six various methods or influences on that one can exert to influence positive change. A lot of the influencers are works that a good church would be using. They include modeling, social networks, and truth telling. The book is a must read for elders and preachers because of the advice on influencing. As workers in the church, we are to influence people to be more Christlike. A great read for ministry, from a book that deals with business.

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A Multitude of Platitudes- and some VERY Good advice

Good advice -- even though it debunks the Serenity Prayer (which I believe in) -- the book goes on to show alternatives to "resignation" (determined action and intelligent and considerate use of human and other resources) and offers advice and examples of how to approach a problem by involving/enlisting people (co-workers, neighbors, colleagues) with a "See It Through" attitude to inspire their peers and/or subordinates into willingly and enthusiastically creating and effecting solutions.

This verbose (would have loved some pictures to break up the verbal landscape) book gives some very inspirational and interesting examples of how to meet AND overcome what appears to be a terrible problem - as in the chapter "Never Go It Alone", describing women investors in India, rising from total poverty and creating their own wealth by pooling their intellectual resorces and using follow-through to succesfullyachieve their goals.

Another striking example of using influence to effect a solution is in the graphic but attention-getting example of the Guinea Worm problem and the simple but effective ways (The "it takes a village" solution AND the hygienic approches as well) it was eliminated in some villages.

However, this is not a book to read in one sitting, as it demands concentration, but I highly reccomend that the reader go through it from cover to cover, for the ideas it proposes and the examples it gives.

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Serviceable and Interesting.

I found Influencer to be an educational, but common, read. It concerns teaching oneself certain approaches and techniques which will enable you to influence others and improve both your life and vocational performance. Its major detraction, in my view, was that many of its recommendations were rather obvious. Basically, it's a behavior modification book espousing the identification of problematic behaviors and the ways in which to alter them. It's built around the work of social learning theorist Albert Bandura. I have no doubt that the author's approach will prove valuable for many laymen as there's not much here to disagree with, but the book was rather pedestrian in my opinion.

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Heeding Their Own Advice

Proving their assertion; "...if you bundle the right numbers and type of influence techniques into the right influence strategy, you can change virtually anything", the authors artfully bundle stories (stories are one of their recommended methods for utilizing influence strategies) and repackage well known behavior control techniques into a bestselling book. Nice work if you can do it, and these authors have done it before and do it again with this book.

Although the contents may not represent new thinking, the stories are riveting, the style is comfortable, and the book is an easy read. It discourages the serenity approach (as in The Serenity Prayer), but does leave one feeling like it is possible to change anything - that may be its greatest contribution. The book is recommended for those facing a challenge that feels just too big to tackle.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

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