By K. Richard Douglas
With the right skill set and insights, the next generation of HTM leadership will be well prepared and confident.
Dale Carnagey was born in the late 1800s and was the son of a poor farmer in Missouri. He was a member of his high school debate team and enjoyed listening to public speakers.
His background as the son of a poor farmer did not gain him many friends after he enrolled in college. After he adopted the speaking style of another public speaker he had observed, he became a popular public speaker and gave lessons to fellow students. After failing Latin, he was forced to leave the University of Central Missouri without graduating.
He later attended acting school and taught public speaking at the YMCA in New York. Those classes were so popular with students that other YMCA branches, across the country, began offering his classes. A book followed and Carnagey later spoke to a sold-out Carnegie Hall. After that experience, he changed the spelling of his last name to Carnegie.
The rest, as they say, is history. Tens of thousands of people, shopping the self-improvement shelves of their local bookstores, have benefited by reading Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” It remained on the best seller lists for a decade after its release.
Carnegie’s recipe for success included showing enthusiasm during public speaking, offering honest and sincere appreciation, being a good listener, remembering people’s names, smiling, become genuinely interested in other people and making other people feel important. These are all hallmarks of leadership.
Carnegie remains near the top of the list of those who have authored self-help or self-improvement books.
There is a point in many people’s lives where they have an epiphany and decide that it is time to reach new heights in their personal lives or career. Some are salespeople looking for new ideas to increase sales and others are looking for the best path to a promotion. There needs to be a roadmap to accomplish this because it often takes more than introspection.