Many years ago—when I was working for our founder Martin Edelston as managing editor of Bottom Line Personal—he suggested that I take a Dale Carnegie leadership course. I wasn’t keen on the idea. It required a commitment to attend hours-long weekly sessions and more. At the time, I had just completed my MBA from Fordham University, so I had spent five years in classrooms learning how to succeed at my job. And I was succeeding on the technical and organizational levels—but perhaps not so much on the communication level. Even I knew that I could use some help navigating the human side of business.
So I agreed to attend the seminar. While I don’t remember the specifics of every session, I can tell you that I use the lessons learned from that seminar nearly every day. I guess it worked because here I am, writing to you in the pages of Bottom Line Personal as the editor-in-chief.
I am always pleased to offer a glimpse into Dale Carnegie’s strategies, as we do on page 11. His well-known book, How to Win Friends and Influence People—probably one of the first self-help books—has been updated for the first time in 40 years to reflect the complexities of today’s competitive and digital world.
And what better time than now—the start of the new year—to try some new communication strategies? It not only will be good for your relationships, it also will bring some peace to your life.
The Bottom Line team and I wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, financially sound 2023. And thank you for letting us be a small part of your life!
