Dale Carnegie was born in 1888 and passed away in 1995. Yet many decades after his death we still look to his good advice to help us build relationships and manage stress and worry.
I’ve always said if you want a friend, be a friend. I don’t know who to attribute this saying to, but it might well have been Dale Carnegie because in the pocket-sized Golden Book (which is given to everyone who goes through the Dale Carnegie training) one of the main principles that is listed is: Become a Friendlier Person.
You might think you’re a friendly person, but you won’t meet the Dale Carnegie standard of friendly unless you consistently practice these nine habits:
1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.
4. Become genuinely interested other people.
5. Smile.
6. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
7. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
8. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
9. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
These nine habits when adopted as a way of being can make a huge impact in your ability to make friends and nurture relationships. It will also serve you in other ways, particularly when people feel comfortable enough with you to share information that they may not share with others. And if you can be trusted with that information you will have built a relationship for life.
Friendlier is better, not just in your personal life but in your business life too.