Robert L. Dilenschneider started in public relations in 1967 in New York, shortly after receiving an MA in journalism from Ohio State University, and a BA from the University of Notre Dame. He formed The Dilenschneider Group in October, 1991. The Firm provides strategic advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and leading families and individuals around the world, with experience in fields ranging from mergers and acquisitions and crisis communications to marketing, government affairs and international media. Dilenschneider was with that organization for nearly 25 years. He is the author of “The Public Relations Handbook,” “The Critical First Years of Your Professional Life,” “50 Plus!: Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life,” and numerous other books on career and professional development. In his new book “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know,” he explains how technology and globalization have revolutionized the ways to both build and keep success—and tells readers that to accomplish your goals, you must not only gain power, but also apply it with proper wisdom. (Amazon, 2023)

“The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence” arms you with intellectual, technical, and moral weapons—tools needed to get and stay ahead in the increasingly competitive and ever-evolving business world. Acquiring both power and influence is crucial to advancing not only your personal interests, but also a more prosperous society at large. Drawing from current-day lessons and the wisdom of hundreds of drivers of change in all fields of business, this is the author’s latest guide to harnessing the universal principles for success. It provides anecdotes and insights on a wide range of keys to success, including how to seize opportunity amid crisis, manage your network, communicate effectively, and take full advantage of social media to bolster your image. The book is divided into 15 chapters, including Networking: You Have to Do It, Protect Yourself and Your Reputation, and The Inevitable Crisis: Know How To Handle It and Benefit. It begins in the first chapter by asking readers to get to know themselves because to be an effective leader, you have to understand yourself and your needs first because “Self awareness….is one of the pillars of emotional intelligence (along with empathy, self-management, and social skills) and must come first.” The first part centers around building your power and influence while the second part shows you how to keep that hard earned influence during inevitable times of crisis. At the end, there are notes listed by chapter and an index that makes it easy to search by topic.

Change is the overall theme in “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence.” The first two sentences in the Introduction immediately draw you in: “You have a choice. Keep doing what you did yesterday or adapt to a world that is changing everyday.” Indeed, the business world is constantly changing and we must adapt to keep up, especially in a post-COVID world. Robert Dilenschneider has the experience, knowledge, and authority to help readers acquire and amplify their power; from graduate students to corporate professionals. Despite the topic of business, the language is easy to understand and follow because it contains practical advice for career and personal life. He shares inspirational stories to highlight the point he is making because stories make more of an impact than facts and figures ever could. His books are helpful and relevant because he adjusts his message to reflect the changing times and everyone can benefit from his advice, and this one is no exception. Highlights include Chapter 2: Networking that stresses the importance of networking not only in your select filed of work, but also reaching out to contacts outside of your circle; and Chapter 7: The Right Way to Make Your Mistakes that teaches the right way to approach making mistakes: “With humility and perseverance, we move forward and improve” – lesson learned: the biggest mistake is failure to LEARN from our mistakes. “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence” is an extremely useful guide that helps readers navigate the ever changing landscape of business as well as their professional and private lives. It is a must read for readers interested in business, economic, and ethics for personal and professional development.

“If there are absolutely no mistakes in a company, then no one is taking a risk, and innovation will atrophy.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.