April has been an interesting month so far, as I have taken on some new personal and professional challenges. As I’ve been preparing for a couple of upcoming teaching events, I’ve had great opportunity to study and reflect on the ability to connect with other people. I’m fascinated by the subject, mostly because I really believe that it is a skill that doesn’t just come naturally – it can be practiced and learned.
Here are 23 statements on connecting and influence that I find particularly powerful. Which one inspires you to connect at a higher level?
1. “There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing.” – Oswald Chambers
2. “If you want to get the best out of a person you must look for the best that is in him.” – Bernard Haldane
3. “The richest people in the world look for and build networks; everyone else looks for work.” – Robert Kiyosaki
4. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” – Theodore Roosevelt
5. “Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.” – Booker T. Washington
6. “My definition of success? Being the kind of woman that I would want to have as a friend.” – Maria Shriver
7. “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” – Zig Ziglar
8. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen Covey
9. “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napoleon Hill
10. “Within our ability to connect with others and find common ground lies the secret of influence.” – Dale Marcouillier
11. “Don’t be afraid to show your failures and vulnerabilities. This is what helps to make you human, relatable and likable.” – Nancy Duarte
12. “A good coach makes his players see what they can be rather than what they are.” – Ara Parseghian
13. “Don’t treat people like targets, capital, pawns or even prospects or just customers. Treat people like people.” – Darren Hardy
14. “I find the best way to love someone is to help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.” – Steve Maraboli
15. “Asking questions will get you the performance you are after far better than dictating demands.” – Dan James
16. “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” – Charles Wesley
17. “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
18. “Be the attitude you want to be around.” – Tim DeTellis
19. “The less you speak, the more you will hear.” – Alexander Solshenitsen
20. “Become the kind of person that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position.” – Brian Tracy
21. “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” – John Buchan
22. “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’” – Mary Kay Ash
23. “There are two ways of spreading light; be the candle, or be the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton
Which of these quotes really “connects” with you? Do you have a different statement that holds special significance for you? If so, please comment below and tell us!
Dale Marcouillier founded Integress Solutions in 2011 out of a desire to share basic success principles with others. You can email Dale directly at dale@myintegress.com.
