A turning point in my life came in 1982, at age 25. I purchased a paperback copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and kept it in my service truck. I used to read it at lunch. It inspired me to begin listening to books on tape. I quit listening to my extensive rhythm and blues collection, gave up the front page of the newspaper, and began keeping a journal. I turned into a sponge.
As an HVAC technician, I had a C+ level of technical skills, but with Dale Carnegie’s help, I became an A+ people guy. Sales and opportunity soon followed. His book became my “People Handbook,” my “Human Relations Bible,” so to speak. It is so dog-eared and worn, pages fall out when I open it.