Colin's Influence Book Club

Personal Brand Essence by Steve Connell

The title of this book really attracted my attention because in my work I place a lot of emphasis with my clients on developing their personal brand and creating a more deliberate impression in the mind of their clients, customers and colleagues. Steve's book provides a great deal of very sensible advice on how to be successful, building career plans etc however the branding guidance is rather short.

Having said that, when he does get to the process of developing brand essence it is extremely good. My clients know that I like to challenge them to come up with 3 words - Steve is more ambitious and aims at just one word! Personally I think he could have developed the branding subject more and how to live your brand much more. by filling the book with some many other basic tips on success the book feels padded and much like so many other books despite the title.

Thankfully, Steve's approach did not encourage readers to develop a brand statement like so many others who write on the subject; and for that he is to be congratulated for his practical and "do-able" approach!

Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 06-Aug-2010 10:27:46 BST

Develop Your Assertiveness by Sue Bishop

This provides a very clear and concise coverage of the whole area of assertiveness skills. It carefully avoids getting bogged down in the psychology behind the subject, while clearly rooted in sound principles. Although the examples are fairly basic, they are good enough to give anyone at any level a good overview of the approaches needed to become more assertive.

Often with books like this, you look at the examples and read the authors comments and think, well not too sure that's the right approach. In my opinion Sue has completely avoided this - all of her comments seem to be spot on!

It was also a pleasure to see the attention given to body language, voice tone/pitch, gestures etc. For such a small book Sue certainly covers a huge amount of critical topics. The exercises are a good way of landing some action too!

Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 01-Aug-2010 12:30:21 BST

The Pocket Psycho by John Clarke

Excellent introduction to the corporate psychopath, their backgrounds, tactics and the damage that can be caused. Devoid of jargon and an easy (and quick) read. If you think you may be working with a bully, definitely worth a read to check out your situation and gain an understanding of what's happeneing.

However in my view it does not give lots of advice on what to do about it as suggested by the subtitle. The what to do is contained in a single chapter - good but not enough detail.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 23-Jul-2010 06:30:30 BST

Political Dilemmas at Work: by Gary Ranker, Colin Gautrey and Mike Phipps

This book outlines common situations at work where people realise they have a political problem. Each of the 21 dilemmas take a little time to develop in your career and will take time to get out of again. As with 21 Dirty Tricks at Work, learning about these early can help you to avoid the pain (and keep your job!)/ And if it's already too late, our advice will help you to take action to improve the situation.

Dilemmas covered include Power Vacuum; Turf Wars; Victoria's Secret and many more. As with everything we do, a sharp practical edge oozes from every page.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:32:10 BST

21 Dirty Tricks at Work: by Colin Gautrey and Mike Phipps

It's now nearly 5 years since this book was published and it is still selling extremely well. The main purpose of this book is to help people to understand the sort of tactics which people may be using around them (or on them) to get their way. Equipped with this understanding, we then outline positive (and high integrity) approaches you can use to contain the damage and transform the situation into a positive outcome for all concerned.

Many people have asked, did you model it on my company - the answer is no, although the story line is tantalisingly familiar to most! The overwhelming feedback we get is how helpful it is - helpful to people with integrity so they can gain full credit and enjoyment from their time spent at work.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:27:48 BST

Political Skill at Work: by Gerald R. Ferris, Sherry L. Davidson and Pamela L. Perrewe

This book is about the practical side of developing political skill in the workplace. It is a very accessible public contribution of Jerry's extensive academic research into this area.

Political Skill is essential to the development of success, both for careers and organisations. Based on his work (and his colleagues) developing the Political Skills Inventory, Jerry explores each dimension of the skill to build the reader's understanding, and then moves on to perhaps the more important topic of how the reader can develop this skill.

I really like this book because of its comprehensive coverage of this important subject. Based on feedback from my clients, I heartily recommend reading this book to anyone with ambition and integrity!

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:16:23 BST

Managing with Power: by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Power is a core to making things happen in the workplace. Those without it have to resort to negative politicking. Those who combine it with integrity, are able to move forward their goals with the sort of graceful ease that marks out the very best.

Managing with Power presents the case for building power. It also provides a clear structure to the subject and then goes on to demonstrate how to do it. Along with the usual sources of power, Jeff also explains how you can observe and assess power - which I have never seen presented with such clarity and practical value before.

Along with the skills of influence, this book helps to the reader to understand the strategic imperative of diligently building power. Not only does this help the individual to succeed in their careers, it also helps to nurture confidence and strength of purpose. Don't leave your development missing this vital ingredient.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:14:48 BST

A Question of Trust: by Sally Bibb and Jeremy Kourdi.

This book presents a breakthrough in terms of understanding organisational trust. This fundamental yet oft ignored feature of organisational life is critical to building and maintaining a healthy and vigorous culture.

What you'll find when you engage with this book is a compelling and logical treatment of the subject. It covers the costs of failure and motivates towards the benefits of succeeding in building a high trust climate. The thorough treatment of how trust can be eroded and built forms the basis of both a personal and an organisational wide plan of action.

I particularly like the chapter on measuring trust. This provides very clear examples of how you can recognise the behaviours which endanger trust and also points to what you can expect to see in a high trust environment. This is further clarified in the appendices which include and organisational trust survey.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:09:09 BST

Influence without Authority by Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford.

The increase of the matrix organisation and the growth of shared service corporate structures make this book even more important as each year passes. In our work we can testify that the power of status, the ability to dictate what others do is becoming a rarity. Even those with line management control increasingly need to motivate and influence those below them. It seems that long gone are the days when you could simply tell someone what to do.

This perhaps explains why this book, since first appearing in 1989, has sold well over 100,000 copies, and still regularly appears as a best seller in its category on amazon. Another explanation is that it is absolutely jam packed with practical ideas and suggestions about how the reader can develop their influence. The Cohen-Bradford Influence without Authority Model provides a clear anchor to guide the all important thinking and planning for influence.

Yet this is not all about being nice to people -- it's about being realistic and tenacious. And if all else fails, the last chapter, When You Can No Longer Catch Flies with Honey" helps the reader to get tougher without losing integrity.

Buy | Buy

Posted by Colin Gautrey on 18-Jul-2010 08:07:45 BST

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