Thinking About Money

I know what you’re thinking? What does this book have to do with money? Everything, as it turns out. In fact, most of the examples in the book are related to business and finance – deals and negotiations that succeeded purely because of application of the principles described in this book.

This is especially true in the information age, where success is more and more tied to effectiveness of communications. Thomas Friedman in his book “The World is Flat“ talks about communication skills as critical to surviving in a flat world, where individuals may find themselves competing with others worldwide. Surely interpersonal skills will become the key determination of success when it comes to applying these skills.

Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is the seminal book on the subject. The classic. The real deal. He addresses specific rules and techniques that anyone can apply in interpersonal communication, whether it is asking for a raise, or negotiating a business deal, or even hanging out with friends.

The book is relentlessly practical. No obscure philosophies or impractical ideology here – it’s techniques and more techniques, most illustrated by real world examples. In fact, you’ll probably end up reading it more than once, each time evaluating how well you are already applying those techniques. If you’re like me, you’ll find more than one area where you can stand some improvement.

Highly recommended.