I was listening to The Dale Carnegie Leadership Mastery Course…

 

…the following set of suggestions caught my attention:

  

How a leader can help to change people's attitudes and behaviour

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Point 6 includes a recommendation Dale Carnegie repeats frequently:

 

 

Now, well into the 21st Century, numerous folks teach this sort of advice. So, sets of suggestions such as those above probably do not stand out as particularly innovative or novel. However, when we consider Dale Carnegie was adventuring into this territory during the first quarter of the 20th Century…it is interesting to wonder how this sort of advice was received when he first provided it.

 

Carnegie’s 1937 classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was a major success, a bestseller.

 

So, we don’t have to wonder if people bought the book…but, how readily did those who bought the book practice what Carnegie recommended?