Business Book Review ®

Stay on Top of Best in Business Knowledge

SM

Volume 14, Number 5

Becoming a Person
of Influence
How to Positively Impact
the Lives of Others
John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

©1997 Maxwell Motivation

Adapted by permission of Nelson Business
ISBN: 0-7852-8839-2

Reviewed by Rick Long

Introduction
Each of us is influenced by others. People of influence trustworthy and in possession of positive qualities
can include presidents, entertainers, and athletes. will generally have a positive influence on others. The
Being a person of influence however, does not require second stage of influence is motivating which includes
having a high-profile occupation. People of influence encouraging others and communicating with them on
also include parents, teachers, coaches, and friends. an emotional level. Motivating creates a connection
The authors state that in the broadest sense, anyone with others, building both their confidence and sense
whose life connects with other people is an influencer. of self-worth.
We all are influenced and we all influence others. Mentoring increases the bond with others by actively
In Becoming a Person of Influence, Maxwell and engaging them and making a difference in their lives.
Dornan propose that becoming a person of influence This influence helps others to reach their full poten-
is not something which happens instantaneously but tial. The last stage of influence, multiplying, occurs
rather, occurs in four stages. Modeling is the first when people who have been influenced in a positive
stage of influence as people are often influenced by way become a positive influence for others.
the way others act and behave. A person viewed as

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

Influence can be positive or negative, depending on

how one chooses to use it. Some people model and
motivate in a negative manner while claiming they Key Concepts
don’t want to be a role model. Basketball player Dennis
Rodman is cited as an example of this behavior. The Becoming a person of influence depends on the
authors believe these negative influencers don’t really development of four behaviors, each of which
have a choice whether they are role models. Their requires a set of necessary qualities. These
choice is what kind of influence they wish to have. behaviors and qualities are as follows:
Jackie Robinson is contrasted as a person of influ- 1) Modeling
ence who chose to have an amazing level of positive
impact on all Americans. The authors also point out Integrity with People – Influencers model consis-
that one’s level of influence is not static over time. tent character, employ honest communication,
A person who has had a negative effect on others in exemplify humility, and fulfill their promises.
the past can change to be able to provide a positive
2) Motivating
impact. Also, a person can increase their level of posi-
tive influence over time. Nurtures Other People – Influencers show a genu-
ine concern for others.
Part 1 - First Stages to Becoming a Per-
son of Influence Has Faith in People – Influencers believe in others
Stage 1 – Modeling and emphasize their strengths.

Modeling is the first level of influence because people Listens to People – Influencers listen with respect
are often first influenced by another’s actions and which builds relationships.
behaviors. The authors believe integrity is the primary Understands People – Influencers exercise per-
quality needed to obtain this stage of influence. sonal empathy.
A Person of Influence Has Integrity with Other People 3) Mentoring
Integrity is the foundation on which respect, dignity, Enlarges People – Influencers motivate people to
and trust are built. To become a person with positive increase the potential for success.
influence, one must model integrity, relishing charac-
Navigates for Other People – Influencers help
ter over personal gain, people over things, principle
others to chart and correct courses.
over convenience, and long-term thinking over short-
term thinking. The authors outline three beliefs Connects with People – Influencers share common
regarding integrity. First, integrity is not determined experiences and communicate from the heart.
by circumstances. People are ultimately responsible
Empowers People – Influencers assign their influ-
for their choices and actions regardless of the situa-
ence with others.
tion. Second, integrity is not based on credentials but
rather on character. Credentials are transient and add 4) Multiplying
value to only one person. They may open doors, but
Reproduces Other Influencers – Influencers help
often credentials turn people’s focus to what they think
others become influencers.
they deserve. Character is permanent and adds value
to many people. Character also focuses on responsi- g g g g

bilities and builds a legacy for the future. Information about the author and subject:
The third belief is that integrity should not be con- www.injoy.com
fused with reputation. Reputation, “is a reflection Information about this book and other business titles:
of a person’s character.” Integrity is a combination www.thomasnelson.com
of modeling consistent character, employing honest
communication, exemplifying humility, fulfilling

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 2
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

promises, and embracing an attitude of service. Ulti- This concern must be mixed with respect to instill in
mately, integrity leads people to trust others. Maxwell others a sense of security. Being a positive influence
and Dornan believe becoming a person of integrity to others is rarely possible until those people have a
involves committing yourself to honesty, reliability, feeling of complete trust in you.
and confidentiality. It also involves
fulfilling the commitments you If you nurture others but allow them to become dependant on
have made and deciding that you, you are really hurting them, not helping them.
your integrity is not for sale, at
Nurturing also involves recognition and encour-
any price.
agement. People often feel unappreciated. A small
Stage 2 – Motivating amount of recognition and encouragement can go a
long way to resolving this negative feeling. Influence
The second level of influence is motivation, which
is often a natural result of encouragement. The above
involves building confidence in others through
nurturing actions should help to provide a feeling of
encouragement and communication on an emotional
positive self-worth and a sense of belonging. Nur-
level. The authors describe four separate skill sets
turing also provides perspective and hope. Building
which they believe are necessary to be able to posi-
self-worth and a sense of belonging will help people
tively motivate other people.
become more productive and more able to develop
A Person of Influence Nurtures Other People positive relationships. The authors believe it is pos-
Many people mistakenly believe that becoming a sible to become a nurturing person by committing
person of influence is heavily linked to becoming a to and believing in the people being nurtured, being
figure of authority. The authors state that nurturing accessible to them, and providing opportunities with
has a stronger influence on people than authority. no strings attached.
Nurturing involves encouraging and giving rather A Person of Influence Has Faith in Other People
than demanding and getting. The goal of nurturing
Many people do not have faith in themselves and
is to use giving as a way to foster learning, growth,
often believe they will fail in new opportunities
and independence. Maxwell and Dornan write, “The
or situations. Most of these individuals don’t have
length and breadth of our influence on others are
someone who truly has faith in them. They often feel
directly related to the depth of our concern for them.”
isolated from others, believing they have no one on
their side. Conversely, people are usually able to tell
when someone has genuine faith in them. A primary
About the Authors goal of being a person of influence is to get people to
think more highly of themselves by placing faith in
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recog-
them.
nized author, speaker, and leadership expert.
His organizations have trained more than one Having faith in people is believing in people and
million people nationwide. He is the founder of putting that belief into action. This involves believ-
Injoy Stewardship Services and EQUIP. Many ing in others before they succeed by emphasizing their
of his books have sold over one million copies. strengths and helping them recognize their past
successes. It is also important to attempt to instill con-
Jim Dornan was educated at Purdue Univer-
fidence in others when they fail, emphasizing that
sity where he achieved a degree in aeronautical
failure is often part of ultimate success.
engineering. He is now president and owner of
Network TwentyOne International. He is also A Person of Influence Listens to Other People
the co-founder, along with John C. Maxwell of
Listening is probably the most important skill needed
EQUIP.
for would-be influencers. A common communica-
tion mistake is for people to talk too much. Many

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 3
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

people want to impress others with what they think 5. Check your emotions.
and know. This is often counterproductive. Listen-
6. Suspend judgment. Don’t jump to conclusions.
ing, on the other hand, shows respect. “It is better to
be impressed and interested than be impressive and 7. Sum up at major intervals to ensure that you are
interesting.” capturing the main points.

Listening also builds relationships and increases 8. Ask questions for clarity. This shows you are en-
knowledge. A problem with increasing authority is gaged and involved.
that managers often tend to listen less to the people 9. Always make listening your priority.
who report to them, resulting in feelings of isolation
and misunderstandings. Listening is also a great way A Person of Influence Understands People
to generate ideas. 3M is a company which generates Another key to successfully influencing others is to
many new ideas and products from listening. They try to truly understand people. Maxwell and Dornan
believe their best resource for new product ideas is believe people do not understand each other for a
customer complaints. Listening also builds loyalty and number of reasons including fear, self-centeredness,
is a great way to develop strong relationships, gather not appreciating each other’s differences, and failing
valuable information, and increase understanding of to acknowledge their similarities.
yourself and others.
The authors list basic behav-
As you work to become a person of influence, always remem- ioral norms people should know
about each other. First, one should
ber that your goal is not to get people to think more highly of
understand that everybody wants
you. It is to get them to think more highly of themselves. to be somebody. People want to
be valued and understood. The
authors state, “Nobody cares how much you know
There are several common barriers to listening. First, until they know how much you care.” Second, every-
most people overvalue talking. The authors suggest body needs somebody else. We all need friendship,
trying to listen twice as much as you speak. Second, encouragement, and help. Everybody can truly be
many people lose focus and experience mental fatigue somebody when somebody understands and believes
when listening even for a short period of time. Third, in them. Understanding others must be an active
it is important not to stereotype the speaker or carry choice. Looking at an issue from the other person’s
any personal emotional baggage into the conversa- perspective is a good place to start. Having a positive
tion which may affect what is heard versus what is attitude about others and providing personal empa-
actually said. thy can also lead to enhanced understanding.
Maxwell and Dornan provide a list of nine ways to Part 2 - Additional Steps to Becomng
improve listening skills. a Person of Influence
1. Look at the speaker. Try to focus on that person. Stage 3 – Mentoring
2. Do not interrupt. Most people feel disrespected “If you want people to be able to really grow, improve,
when interrupted. and succeed, you have to take the next step with them.
You have to become a mentor to them.” The authors
3. Focus on understanding, not just on the facts be-
outline four attributes of a successful mentor, which
ing stated.
are connecting with people, enlarging others, empow-
4. Determine the speaker’s current need. Are they ering people, and navigating for others.
informing? Are they venting? Are they wanting to
A Person of Influence Connects with People
be understood? People speak for many different
reasons and it is important to attempt to deter- Connecting with people is a very important part of
mine the speaker’s need. the mentoring process. Forming positive nurturing

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 4
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

relationships with others requires good communica- pacted.

tion skills, a desire to help people grow and change, • Start when the time is right.
and a sense of personal mission. Steps for effectively
The process of mentoring others is rewarding but
connecting with people who are being mentored
requires hard work and a significant commitment of
include:
time. To maximize the process, mentors need to rec-
1. Not taking people for granted. Connecting with ognize people’s real potential and help them realize
people only happens if they feel valued. Valuing what they are capable of doing. Addressing charac-
people usually has a reciprocal effect. ter flaws and helping people focus on their strengths
2. Believing a difference can be made, that the per- while conducting themselves with integrity, is also
son being mentored can make a difference, and imperative. Enlarging people is often a step by step
that together, a bigger difference can be made. process involving attitude, relationships, leadership,
and personal and professional skills.
3. Initiating movement towards people. In many or-
ganizations, leaders believe workers should initi- Maxwell and Dornan suggest concentrating on four
ate contact with them. Effective mentoring usually areas of development in the mentoring process, listed
begins with the mentor initiating contact. in order of importance. First, they emphasize that
attitude is usually the most important determinant of
4. Looking for common ground, but recognizing success. Secondly, relationship building is important
and respecting personality differences. Discover because success often requires the ability to interact
common interests and beliefs by being open and with others in varying situations. Third, developing
likeable. It is also important to be accepting to dif- leadership skills is imperative to individual and team
ferences. success. Surprisingly, the development of personal
5. Communicating honestly and sharing common and professional skills was listed as the fourth area
experiences. of development. The authors believe it is more impor-
tant to help people develop interpersonal skills than
A Person of Influence Enlarges People technical skills. However, Maxwell and Dornan point
The authors define enlarging others as helping them out it is important in the mentoring process to provide
reach their full potential. Maxwell and Dornan con- people with resources such as books, tapes, and mag-
tend there are several benefits realized through azines and to expose them to company and industry
enlarging others. To start, enlarging people raises their events and meetings. “Helping people become life-
level of living, brightens their future, and increases long learners can be an incredible present.”
their potential. Enlarging others
also increases their capacity for
When you empower people, you are not influencing just them;
growth and their potential for you are influencing all the people they influence.
long-term success. This process A Person of Influence Empowers People
provides long-term benefits for both individuals and
for organizations. Maxwell and Dornan believe the following character-
istics are needed for a mentor to be able to empower
It is first important to be ready to mentor. The capacity others.
to develop and improve one’s own skills is impera-
tive for any mentor. Then, it is important to carefully 1. Position – Empower the people you lead. Encour-
choose the person or people you wish to mentor. Max- agement and motivation are important, but to
well and Dornan’s guidelines include: truly empower people, one needs to be in a posi-
tion of influence.
• Select people whose philosophy in life is similar
to yours. 2. Relationships – Empowering people also requires
having a relationship with them. These relation-
• Choose people with truly believable potential.
ships require time and common experiences.
• Select people whose lives can be positively im-
Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 5
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

3. Respect – Respect from others makes people want been positively influenced to positively influence
to be empowered by others. The empowerment others. The authors call this the “power of multipli-
process depends heavily on mutual respect. cation.” Reproducing leaders has a positive effect by
both expanding resources and by helping to ensure a
4. Commitment – Committing to and following
positive future for companies and institutions. Max-
through with mentoring increases the level of
well and Dornan conclude by restating the stages to
empowerment.
becoming a person of influence. The first stage of the
The necessary steps in the process of empowering process is to model integrity. The next step is to moti-
others include evaluating a person’s knowledge, vate people by nurturing them, having faith in them,
skills, and desire, providing the permission to suc- listening to them, and giving them understanding.
ceed by expecting it, verbalizing it, and reinforcing it, Growth then comes from the mentoring process where
and transferring authority to them and publicly show people are engaged, enlarged, empowered, and navi-
your confidence in them. After a task is completed, it gated. One major benefit of modeling integrity, and
is important to provide honest, straightforward feed- motivating and mentoring others is that those who
back. After this process has been repeated a number are positively influenced will in turn, influence others
of times, release those mentored to continue on their in a positive way.
own.
A Person of Influence Navigates for Other People g g g g

In the mentoring process, the people one helps will

face obstacles, make mistakes, and encounter difficult
Features of the Book
circumstances. This creates the need for directional Reading Time: 8 Hours, 206 pp.
navigation from the mentor. To help others map their Becoming a Person of Influence, first published in
course, a mentor should concentrate on what the 1997, remains a timely and relevant book today. The
person being mentored needs to know, where they authors believe the most effective influencers are
need to go, and how they need to grow. those who possess unquestioned integrity combined
A mentor needs to serve as a guide, thinking ahead with empathy towards people. The book addresses
and helping to make people understand that every- integrity, empathy and other attributes viewed as nec-
body faces problems and that successful people often essary to become an influencer in great detail. Each
face more problems than those unsuccessful in your of these attributes is defined and described in an easy
journey. Mentors also need to emphasize that prob- to read, easy to follow outline style, where numerous
lems usually provide an opportunity for growth. A examples are cited.
navigator can help with course corrections when mis- The authors conclude each chapter with a checklist
takes are made and needs to teach people not to listen which includes questions, tests, activities, and sug-
to doubting critics and not to be overwhelmed by dif- gestions related to the development of the attribute
ficult challenges. described. For example, the checklist for Chapter 1,
Conclusion A Person of Influence Has Integrity with People, con-
Stage 4 – Multiplying tains the following suggestion. “Do what you should
do before you do what you want to do. Every day
Multiplying occurs when people who have been influ- this week, find two items on your to-do list that you
enced in a positive way become a positive influence should do but that you have been putting off. Com-
for others. This stage is the culmination of the previ- plete those tasks before doing anything on the list that
ous three stages. The authors believe it is difficult, but you enjoy.” In Chapter 6, A Person of Influence Enlarges
not impossible, to obtain this level of influence. People, the checklist contains the following activity.
A Person of Influence Reproduces Other Influencers “Whom will you enlarge? Write down the names of
the top three people for you to enlarge. Remember to
The final stage of influence is for those whom have pick those people whose philosophy of life is similar
Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 6
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

to yours, whose potential you believe in, whose lives

you can positively impact, and who are ready for the

process.” These activities and tasks should prove ben-
eficial for readers interested in developing positive
influencing skills. It is recommended to read the book
in the order presented.

Contents
Chapter 1: A Person of Influence Has Integrity with
People
Chapter 2: A Person of Influence Nurtures Other
People
Chapter 3: A Person of Influence Has Faith in People
Chapter 4: A Person of Influence Listens to People
Chapter 5: A Person of Influence Understands People
Chapter 6: A Person of Influence Enlarges People
Chapter 7: A Person of Influence Navigates for Other
People
Chapter 8: A Person of Influence Connects with People

Chapter 9: A Person of Influence Empowers People

Chapter 10: A Person of Influence Reproduces Other

Influencers

A chapter-by-chapter summary and

a bibliography are provided.

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 7
Becoming a Person of Influence John C. Maxwell with Jim Dornan

A Note to Our Readers

We at BBR encourage our readers to purchase the business books we review.
BBR Reviews are intended as a service to busy professionals, as we recommend only those books
that are worth your time to read in their entirety. We apply stringent criteria in selecting only the best
business books, and in that selection process, strive to help you make informed book-purchasing decisions.

This book is available at bookstores and online booksellers.

Business Book Review® is a service of EBSCO Publishing, Inc.

For more information about BBR, to subscribe to BBR,
or to provide us feedback, visit our Web site.
www.businessbookreview.com

EBSCO Publishing Inc.

10 Estes Street
Ipswich, MA 01938 USA

Copyright of Business Book Review Library is property of EBSCO Publishing Inc. and its content may not
be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express
written permission. However, users may print, download or email articles for individual use.

Business Book Review® Vol. 14, No. 5 • Copyright © 2008 EBSCO Publishing Inc. • All Rights Reserved Page 8