Influencer: The Power to Change Anything (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Joseph Grenny (Author), David Maxfield (Author), Ron McMillan (Author), Al Switzler (Author)
Key Phrases: influence geniuses, vital behaviors, vicarious models, Change the Environment, Harness Peer Pressure, Make the Undesirable Desirable (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Far and away one of the best business books of the year.” (Hamilton Spectator )

Review

AN INSTANT CLASSIC! Whether you’re leading change or changing your life, this book delivers.-Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007148499X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071484992
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,431 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Influenced me!, September 21, 2007

By	G. Davis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The principles in this book have the potential to change the world - by changing behaviors of individuals, families, communities and nations.

The authors teach us how to create the change we'd like to see in the world using a deceptively simple framework (e.g. "Make the Undesirable Desirable" and "Design Rewards and Demand Accountability"). Many of the concepts are intuitive - the problem is that I had never intuited them before, much less put them all together in a framework I could act on. They support the framework with sound theory from behavioral psychology and demonstrate it with real-world examples of people who are solving big, important problems. Throughout it all they use a straight-forward conversational style and a great sense of humor.

But be warned: It's not a self-help, positive-mental-attitude, quick-fix, rah! rah! book, and it's not a fast, easy read - it's not supposed to be. The book deals with powerful concepts and it took me some time to think through the implications and how I could apply them. I re-read some chapters several times and spent time writing out how I could apply the principles (I usually do this in the margins - but with Influencer I ended up using a journal since there was so much to write about).

It's well worth the time and effort - I'm excited by the results I'm seeing personally as I apply the concepts in my roles as a father, husband, church leader and business leader.

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Blueprint of the Science of Change, August 27, 2007

By	James John Hollandsworth, M.D. "lightalongthe... - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

When Stephen Covey labeled this new book "an instant classic," I knew it was a must-read for me.

But I was floored at how brilliant this book really is.

Many books deal with some aspect or particular technique of change in people. Influencer is radically different: it presents a complete structural blueprint of the science of change, and takes you step by step through the critical factors behind change and how to apply them to any problem.

Instead of endless dry facts or empty clichés, Influencer breaks down its major points chapter by chapter, illustrating them with a detailed analysis of several real-world case studies of seemingly insurmountable change problems, including Delancy, a rehab center for hard-core criminal drug addicts which has an astonishing success rate of over 90%. Interspersed are personal and family case studies, research, and history all engagingly written in a well-organized, coherent style. At the end of each chapter is a summary of key concepts covered.

Influencer immediately helped me understand both my own thinking processes toward change and those of others, and jump-started good ideas for both my personal growth and solving several business issues. Influencer is by far the most original and useful book I have read this year. Highly recommended.

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating examples of how to change individual and collective behaviors for the better, August 23, 2007

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The main thesis of this book is fascinating to contemplate. In essence, it is that nearly all ways used to try to get people to change serious and deeply ingrained behavior such as overeating, drug use, smoking and repeated criminal acts are at best pointless and in many cases counterproductive. You learn of examples of organizations that have found ways to cure people of these behaviors where the methods are really not that complicated. No massive amounts of money are expended, no high political rhetoric and no great national political mission is cited as a motive.
The examples are interesting and include:

*) The international effort to eliminate the guinea worm parasite, a terrible disease where people ingest the larva of the worm. Once the worm reaches adulthood, it literally bores its way out of the body and deposits its eggs.
*) The effort to get sex workers in Thailand to insist that their clients wear condoms during sex, thereby preventing millions of new cases of HIV infection.
*) The effort to get hospitals to recognize that approximately 100,000 people die in the United States each year in diseases caused in part by their hospital stay. Once the problem was recognized, take realistic and effective steps to prevent them.
*) An organization in San Francisco with an amazing record of turning people with extensive criminal records and a history of drug use into productive and valuable citizens.

In reading this book, you are struck with how simple these solutions are. It is also clear why so many government programs such as "the war on drugs" are so ineffective. They are efforts based on the political flavor of the moment and few in power seem willing to consider counterintuitive solutions that involve political risk.
This is a book that contains a great deal of material that would be valuable to counselors, community agencies, dieters and people in human resources. Anyone who deals with behaviors that can damage the individual and society should read it.