I
nfluencing others lies at the heart of many jobs. In today’s work
environments, influence is exercised at many levels—boss to subor-
dinate, peer to peer within departments, peer to peer across depart-
ments, and even grassroots bottom-up influence, where empowered
workers and teams make decisions and influence management to act
upon their decisions. No less important is the need to exert positive
influence with customers, vendors, and patients as we manage these
crucial relationships. Influence, once the primary bailiwick of man-
agement, now often belongs to everyone within the organization. In
many environments, the person with the strongest skills ...