Clout: Tapping Spiritual Wisdom to Become a Person of Influence
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More About This Title Clout: Tapping Spiritual Wisdom to Become a Person of Influence
English
We all want to be able to influence others, to have our voices counted in decisionmaking, and to make a contribution to our organization or community. Most books on this subject focus on personal power for personal ends— self-help approaches that show readers how to get what they want for themselves. But influence can be much more— a live force that is vital to the positive and productive functioning of organizations, communities, and relationships.
In Clout Stephen R. Graves and Thomas G. Addington take an entirely new and fresh approach to the subject of influence, incorporating biblical wisdom and stories of exemplary people who have wielded influence with integrity and authenticity. Using classical analytical tools to examine the components of influence, the authors look at an array of historical and biblical models of both positive and negative influence, including Mother Teresa, Adam Smith, Jesus, St. Patrick, Malcolm Muggeridge, and even Rasputin. They analyze what drives this force in our personal and business lives and relationships and show readers how they too can become people of great influence and thereby have a message that is meaningful, an audience that is receptive, and a life that is believable.
In Clout Stephen R. Graves and Thomas G. Addington take an entirely new and fresh approach to the subject of influence, incorporating biblical wisdom and stories of exemplary people who have wielded influence with integrity and authenticity. Using classical analytical tools to examine the components of influence, the authors look at an array of historical and biblical models of both positive and negative influence, including Mother Teresa, Adam Smith, Jesus, St. Patrick, Malcolm Muggeridge, and even Rasputin. They analyze what drives this force in our personal and business lives and relationships and show readers how they too can become people of great influence and thereby have a message that is meaningful, an audience that is receptive, and a life that is believable.
English
Stephen R. Graves and Thomas G. Addington have been business partners for over a decade. For the last twelve years, they have been exploring how to blend business excellence with biblical wisdom through consulting, teaching, mentoring, and writing. This mission statement, originally scratched out on a breakfast napkin early one morning twelve years ago, has been their "'never lost" system as they have journeyed through a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors and experiments. They founded Cornerstone Group Consulting and the Life@Work journal, they speak regularly in business, ministry, and academic settings, they publish frequently, serve on national boards, and they are active in coaching leaders toward the finish line. Both hold a doctorate, both are deeply devoted to their families, and both love the never-ending challenge of meshing real life with the message of Jesus. They are the authors of Life@Work on Leadership and Behind the Bottom Line, both from Jossey-Bass.
English
Foreword by John C. Maxwell.
Acknowledgments.
1. An Extra Dose of Vitamin I.
Expanding Your Personal Influence.
2. Wisdom.
Life?s Greatest Asset.
3. Aristotle Speaks on Wall Street.
Three Ancient Tools of Influence.
4. Logos.
A Message That Is Meaningful.
5. Pathos.
An Audience That Is Receptive
6. Ethos.
A Life That Is Believable.
7. A Pinch of Salt and a Ray of Light 89
Jesus on Influence
8. Mentoring.
Strategic Life Coaching.
9. Breaking the Genetic Code on Influence.
Universal Models of Applying Influence.
10. Influence Has an Org Chart.
Understanding the Four Spheres of Influence.
11. When Influence Becomes Influenza.
Influence Gone Bad.
12. Class-Seven Influence.
10,585 Days and Counting.
References.
The Authors.
About Cornerstone Group.
Index.
English
Clout, or influence, according to Graves and Addington (co-authors of Behind the Bottom Line: Powering Business Life with Spiritual Wisdom and cofounders of the popular journal Life@Work), is "a person's ability to shape people and mold outcomes." It is a powerful force in society, but one often used primarily for personal ends. Graves, and Addington are business consultants, teachers and mentors whose goal is to help people negotiate the intersection between the world of business and the wisdom of the Bible. In this book they offer practical, engaging advice on how to gather, expand and wield influence for the good. They weave together personal anecdotes, quotes and themes from contemporary pundits, ancient wisdom about influence (a handful of fine chapters on Aristotle) and commonsense observations. Sometimes these are buttressed with biblical proverbs or examples (e.g., "Jesus was less concerned with enforcement of rules and regulations than He was about an individual's heart"). It's easy to read, and the bullet points that conclude each chapter make it easy to review and apply. The authors' familiarity with the evangelical subculture - and their direct address to those who feel at home in it - might put off those who are hostile to faith-informed truth. However, almost anyone else will find this a valuable and influential resource. (May) (Publishers Weekly, April 28, 2003)
