Bootstrap Leadership Blog

What's it like to lead really smart, creative people?  Well, somebody's written a book about that, of course.  The book is called Clever (2009) and it’s by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones (authors of Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?).  It’s a quick and interesting read about those special people who make a disproportionate contribution to an organization.  Every company has them; those vital few employees or leaders that really make the company go – the ones who combine skill & talent and are at the top of the employee value chain.  There’s just one little problem – turns out clever people tend to be difficult to manage.

In describing “clevers”, the authors cite nine defining characteristics, as follows:

1. Their cleverness is central to their identity
2. Their skills are not easily replicated
3. They know their worth
4. They ask difficult questions
5. The are organizationally savvy
6. The are not impressed by corporate hierarchy (and don’t want to be led)
7. They expect instant access
8. They want to be connected to other clever people
9. They won’t thank you

That’s quite a list!  Know anyone like that at work?  Does this describe you, perhaps?  I won’t give away the rest of the book (I’m sure the authors would prefer you buy a copy), but it contains some very good advice about how to manage these individuals.  Needless to say, it involves being rather clever yourself – keeping an open mind and using nontraditional managerial methods. 

Are they worth it?  In most cases, yes.  The products, sales or ideas they build and generate can take your company places it couldn’t go otherwise…so you definitely don’t want to be the narrow-minded manager who causes clevers to leave and join your competition.  But they will challenge you (and maybe drive you crazy in the process).  In the end, managing clever people requires you to look at leadership a little differently.  Which is probably a good thing, don’t you think?

30 million people worldwide have read it.  Your father or grandfather probably had a copy of it on their shelf.  It was published in 1936, and yet, when released as an iPhone app in February, it immediately became the top-selling paid business app in the iTunes store.  A new edition (only the second since the original publication) will hit stores next year.  What is it?  How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.  Carnegie’s brainstorm of business advice has been translated into 47 languages, and is the most successful business book in history (by far).  In 2009 alone, it sold 300,000 copies – this for a book that is 74 years old! 

So who was this guy, and how did he tap into the mother lode of business counseling?  Born in 1888, Carnegie had virtually no business background when he wrote the book.  He was raised on a pig farm in Missouri, and moved east to become an actor in his early twenties.  He didn’t make it as an actor, so he tried selling trucks and writing western novels (neither of those ventures worked, either).  What did seem to stick was a class in effective business speaking that he began to teach at a Harlem YMCA in 1912 – a class that would form the basis for the book.

Carnegie knew a thing or two about marketing, for sure – in 1919 he changed the spelling of his name from Carnagey to Carnegie… probably to match the spelling of another pretty famous entrepreneur at the time.  Carnegie just intuitively “got” the relationship between public speaking and business success (these days, we’d call that connection “executive presence”).  Lots of prominent business people seem to have benefited from the connection.  Warren Buffett, for one, says that the course “changed my life.” 

The core elements of How to Win Friends and Influence People are Carnegie’s 30 principles of success, which are as applicable in one’s private life as they are in the business world.   Essentially, it’s a book about self-confidence, and how self-assuredness and poise makes us effective as people.  The 30 principles are all pretty basic themes: “let the other person do most of the talking” or “the only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.”   But actually, that’s what makes the book so charming (and yes, so effective). 

Sometimes the best advice really is the basic stuff.  Carnegie himself used to tell audiences – “I’ve never claimed to have a new idea.  I present the obvious – because the obvious is what people need to be told.”  Sounds like good coaching to me (clearly, Carnegie would be an executive coach today – or maybe Dr. Phil). 

Everyone who has ever written a business advice book owes a debt of gratitude to Dale Carnegie.  Now, if they could only out-sell him!  This tells you something about the power of his simple ideas… sound, basic advice never goes out of style – something we might all remember as we look for ways to influence in our own lives.     

In reverse order, these are my selections for the best books on influencing others:

# 5 – The Speed of Trust (Covey, 2008)

Trust is so integral to our relationships that we often take it for granted, yet in these crazy times, we need to nurture and value trust more than ever. Drawing on anecdotes and business cases from his years as CEO of the Covey Leadership Center, the author effectively reminds us that there's plenty of room for improvement on this most essential of all traits.  Covey outlines 13 behaviors of trust-inspiring leaders, such as demonstrating respect, creating transparency, righting wrongs, delivering results and practicing accountability.  In my mind, this is a perfect primer for influencing others – after all, getting people to do what you want them to do is pretty hard without trust.  

# 4 – Influencing Others (Silberman & Hansburg, 2000)

This is probably the most “how-to” of the books on this list.  The authors have written numerous books on a variety of business relationship-oriented subjects.  This book provides practical advice for managers and leaders who have to influence up, down and across the organization. 

# 3 – Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Cialdini, 2006)

Don’t be too fooled by the “psychology” term here – this is a practical book with great advice for anyone in business.  Cialdini introduces you to six principles of ethical persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, liking, authority, social proof, and commitment/consistency. Each principle is backed by social scientific testing, and is filled with examples and anecdotes that you’ll recognize.  Influencing really is persuading, when you get right down to it, and this book paints a broad picture of how to effectively persuade others.   

# 2 – Crucial Conversations (Patterson, et al 2002)

Crucial conversations are interpersonal exchanges at work or at home that we dread having but know we cannot avoid.  This popular book offers a seven-point strategy for achieving productive conversations that inevitably arise in our professional and personal lives.  The techniques in this book are geared toward getting people to lower their defenses, create mutual respect and understanding, increase emotional safety, and encourage freedom of expression. Among other things, readers also learn about the four main factors that characterize crucial conversations; I include it here because I think influencing others starts with getting your own foundation firmly set, and this book helps you work through any high impact situation with confidence.

# 1 – How to Win Friends & Influence People (Carnegie, 1998)

This is the grand-daddy of all self-help books, first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies, and is just as relevant today (this is an updated version of the original) as it was over 70 years ago.  Carnegie believed success was 85% due to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people."  He teaches underlying principles of appreciation and influence and offers lessons that could have been written today such as “seeing the situation from the other person's point of view.”  As fascinating as it is to read for its timeless advice, it’s also just a really sensible book on the subject.  

There you go – that’s the list.  Let me know if I missed one!