Book Review:
The word “Human Resource” is used in an official sense as the role-played by a group of individuals or a workforce that makes up an organization. The words in themselves give us the meaning. We can interpret it as simply resources needed by human beings to be successful in a workplace. In this article we will look at it as the resources that we, as human beings need to be successful, well accepted and shine in our lives. The resources are simple and everyday behavioural traits that can make a huge difference to our lives.
The book that this article chooses to base this study on is the modern bible of human behaviour and relationships, Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” As the title suggests, in this book, Dale Carnegie elucidates the many ways that you can make friends, influence people and win them over. Carnegie points out some simple principles that we can adapt in our day-to-day life in dealing with people. The book is in very simple language and easy to understand. Carnegie explains his many theories and principles through his many real life experiences. These examples make it easier for us to relate to and help us understand the various principles even better. The main chapters in the book has easy tips on how to; make people like us, handle people, make people look at things our way and, how to be a leader. Carnegie uses the simple example of a dog that is, at all times genuinely happy to see its master. The simple reason behind it being the friendly animal’s genuine interest in people which Carnegie says is the basis in getting people to like us and warm up to us. A warm smile and a genuine interest in what the other person does and wants is paramount according to Carnegie. Carnegie focuses on the golden theory of psychology, which says that it is of prime importance for every man and woman to feel important. Therefore listening to a person, giving them the time of day and appreciating a person before pointing out to their obvious faults are better ways to win people over than criticizing or condemning them. It is important to care for people and make them comfortable in our company thereby endearing ourselves to them. Carnegie feels that a person’s self esteem is paramount to building a good relationship with someone. “We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self esteem?” (Carnegie,1936, p. 23). The book also explains the importance and the magnanimity of accepting one’s fault and choosing our battles. He sums it up very well as.
When we are right, lets try to win people gently and tactfully to our way of thinking, and when we are wrong – and that will be surprisingly often, if we are honest with ourselves – lets admit our mistakes quickly and with enthusiasm. Not only will that technique produce astonishing results; but, believe it or not, it is a lot more fun, under the circumstances, than trying to defend oneself. (Carnegie, 1936.p.76).
Workplace situations from Carnegie’s Point of View
Management tips from the book that can be carried over to our career.
Dale Carnegie in his book illustrates some valuable points that can be applied towards a successful management career. He uses several examples from Schwab and Roosevelt among others to explain simple tactics that we can employ to obtain success. The topics “how to win people to your way of thinking” and “be a leader” specifically deal with management related situations One of the core principles in marketing and management is to get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately (Carnegie, 1936, p. 83). The easiest way to do that is to give the impression that we are in agreement with the person even though we are trying to drive our point of view. This can have way better results than starting a discussion with an argument and refuting the other person’s statement. It is important to listen to what others have to say as sometimes they can explain things better than we can and be objective about it. It is important to review various viewpoints and regard them with equal importance. When it comes to an employer employee or a supervisor subordinate relationship it is necessary to set the grounds for open communication. It is necessary to understand what is expected of us first before we set the expectations on our subordinates. By allowing them to express their perspective, also gives them a sense of participation. An open communication will also give everybody a chance to contribute and feel like they are all part of the big picture. This can motivate them and make them take a personal interest in any task they undertake within the organization. As a manager it is important to play an empathetic role rather than an authoritarian one. This approach can have a positive impact on subordinates and make them more inclined to follow rules and protocol. As a manger it is paramount to be respectful at all times and be sensitive to others feelings. Whenever there is an issue to be sorted or a subordinate’s behaviour has to be checked for any reason, it is better to do handle it with a lot of diplomacy and take care not to insult or demean them in any way in public. “Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face.” (Carnegie, 1936. P. 118). Appreciation of one’s efforts no matter how small is the best way to motivate the people working under us. Carnegie says that the best way to do that is to give them a reputation to live up to (1936. P.122). The book also gives us a great tip on marketing. It tells us to dramatize what we want to sell. This is usually the work of advertising agencies that can weave a story around anything and get paid to sell a concept on behalf of the client. I think what Carnegie tries to tell us is to believe in our work enough to never want to give up and make it work at all costs. These are some of the most important lessons we learn from Dave Carnegie’s book.
References
Dale Carnegie. (1936). How to Win Friends & Influence People. Simon and Schuster.
