Winning People Over : 14 Days to Power and Confidence with People

Provides self-tests, exercises, and step-by-step plans for developing the ability to take command of the people, events, and circumstances that shape everyday life

Kaplan, who has consulted for companies such as Pepsi, Revlon, and Proctor & Gamble, has written an outstanding book on how to take control of your business, personal, and social life. He provides helpful ideas on how to become a more influential person by treating people with kindness and respect. He offers step-by-step plans such as "Seven Ways To Make a Lasting Impression" and "Nine Ways To Free Yourself of Self-Defeating Habits." Along with these plans and numerous self-tests, the reader learns to control anger, initiate ideas, appear smarter, dress better, deal with difficult people, break bad habits, and change other behaviors that can negatively affect the impression one makes. Kaplan's entry into the crowded field of self-improvement stands out by its use of these step-by-step plans. It is a well-written, easy-to-understand text that should inspire readers to make at least some changes in their lives. Recommended for public libraries.?Joel Jones, Kansas City P.L., Mo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kaplan (The Manager's Complete Guide to Speech Writing, 1988) lays out a thorough two-week plan to help us "untrain ourselves" in failure while teaching us the keys to success. Drawing from 25 years spent testing, observing, and interviewing, Kaplan delineates the four major causes of failure in business and life: arrogance, political game-playing, aggression, and unmanaged anger. No matter the particular focus of a chapter, these causes are the central concern. Pragmatic tips and advice are given for identifying each in a given situation and ameliorating if not actually solving them. Kaplan intelligently tackles universal topics such as the importance of teamwork, listening to employees and colleagues, how body language reflects attitudes, ways to deal with difficult people, and maneuvering yourself into win-win situations. The perceptive exercises and self-tests, plus the overall lack of jargon, make this a no-nonsense and immediately useful book. Brian McCombie