Growing Influence: A Story of How to Lead with Character, Expertise, and Impact

by Ron Price, Stacy Ennis

AMAZON BESTSELLER IN LEADERSHIP
AMAZON BESTSELLER IN WOMEN & BUSINESS
AMAZON BESTSELLER IN TEAMS Leadership is about influence Emily is a career-driven thirtysomething with big ambitions and a young family. She is making an impact as a leader at a tech company, but after being passed up for multiple promotions, she finds herself at a loss for how to improve. Fate answers her in the form of a kind—and surprisingly direct—older man in a coffee shop. A well-respected CEO before he retired, David has deep and rich leadership knowledge. Emily needs direction, and David is the perfect mentor. Growing Influence offers readers both practical advice on how to develop leadership skills and a relatable account of one woman’s growth by applying the principles in the book. Unlike nonfiction business books or business memoirs, this story is a business fable that is both impactful and transformative.

Genres: Business, Self Help, Leadership, Nonfiction, Personal Growth, Ebooks, Psychology

192 pages, Hardcover

Published September 18, 2018

About the author

Ron Price is an internationally recognized business advisor, executive coach, speaker, and author. Known for his creative and systematic thinking, business versatility, and practical optimism, Ron has worked in 15 countries and served in almost every level of executive management for over forty-five years. As the former president of a multimillion-dollar international company, Ron works shoulder-to-shoulder with executive leadership teams to bring strategic clarity and transformational results. In 2004, Ron founded Price Associates, a global leadership advisory firm. He is the author of nine books about business and personal growth.

Reviews

[Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of our best, most well known life lessons have been taught to us using fables, folklore and fictional tales. The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Three Little Pigs, The Emperor's New Clothes and many more. Growing Influence uses the medium of fiction to espouse new life lessons on leadership and integrity - and it works.

Throughout my years in politics and government, I have read multiple books on leadership, the economy and success. I was, quite literally, raised on Zig Ziegler's books and taught my children the principles that I learned. However, Growing Influence, offers something new and different - leadership with integrity and with hope. If I could purchase this book for every young adult, particularly women, I would do so. But I can't. Instead I urge you to read this extremely well-written, easy-to-read, modern fable for yourself.

Thank you to Goodreads' Giveaway program for my copy of Growing Influence.

[Ciara Issaoui · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars!

In this book, the main character, Emily, is struggling to advance in her career, when she meets David, a retired CEO. Through their meetings, Emily begins to learn about the different tools that leaders need to succeed and how she can apply them. This book also focuses on the struggles and adversity that women may face within the work place.

I found this book very insightful, if not inspiring. I have read other leadership books, such as “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I found that because this was written as a narrative, rather than a nonfiction, it made it easier to read. As a female engineer, I could connect to much of what Emily was going through. As I have not stepped into the role of motherhood yet, I also feel that this book has opened my eyes to the possibilities of what could happen and provided a course of action on how to deal with it. I am also early in my career and liked the idea of writing out my values, as well as making discretionary time in my day. I think re-reading the book and following along by completing the lessons Emily went through would be of great value.

For anyone who is looking to grow in their career and is aspiring to be a promising leader, I highly recommend this book.

[Esther Lombardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's short and sweet and sad. I've read lots of books and articles about leadership over the years. I've heard the speeches, and I've been inspired...

I've worked in tech. (I've felt the pain...) I am a mom. (I've felt the guilt...)

But here is a story for women like me, with solutions... And hope...

[Cierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Ron Price and Stacy Ennis did a great job taking relevant information and insights and weaving them into a story line vs. just making a self-help book on influence. The story was at times a little cheesy, but did pull at the heartstrings when all was said and done. And I thought the information and tips on growing your influence that the book shared were great!

[Ann Angle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads!
Emily is one of the main characters in this story. She is a manager of a tech office an has been trying to advance in the company on many different occasions, but she believes due to her gender they keep passing over her. One day while at a coffee she meets David, a retired CEO of a company, who helps her with her leadership and management skills. Emily and David meet weekly at the coffee shop for these talks. Emily is amazed how much she see the changes in her work and marriage but what she learns. This is a very quick read that I would recommend.

[Macayla Fryc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do really appreciate when professional development books are in fable form, this one just didn't influence me as much as others have.

Good audio with duo readers, though.

[Alex Everette · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I won this book in a free Goodreads giveaway.**

This was such an interesting read for me, both as an aspiring leader and as a writer. Growing Influence is both a how-to guide on mindful leadership and a work of fiction featuring Emily and her mentor, David. He shares his own experience and ideas with her over coffee, she thinks about them and how they apply to her own life, and they meet back up to talk over the further developed ideas. Not only does this format allow for the teaching of the material, it allows for a peek into the process of learning and understanding concepts, which some readers may struggle with and need guidance on, and further, it allows for certain concepts to be explained and addressed in a couple of different ways, optimizing the amount of people the lessons will connect with.
For all it’s creativity I wish I could say the idea is well executed, but in reality it’s reminiscent of a VCR any number of high school teachers would put into an old box T.V. so that we could learn about a poorly scripted and acted character’s good or bad choices in order to learn from them. You know the ones. Despite this, it’s such a quaint form for a book that I found myself endeared to it and enjoying myself. In part, this may be because a book offers more room in which the characters can develop and carry meaning to the reader (or maybe I’m just rooting for Emily as a hardworking mom who reminds me of my own mom). I can honestly say that the format offered a refreshing change of pace and that I wouldn’t at all mind reading more instructional and theory books in this format.
As for the content—Growing Influence addresses topics from time management, to types and aspects of leadership, to struggles women (particularly mothers) face in the workplace, all in a way that feels like a genuine, earnest attempt to teach and share. I would definitely recommend this to new and young professionals, but also to anybody else who seemed like they needed a little more direction in their life.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction grounded in real-world lessons

If you’re a 20/30-something and have ever felt alienated by career advice books that can’t look past the boardroom, Growing Influence might be the book for you. I certainly felt like it was for me, more so than any other business, leadership or career book I’ve ever encountered.

Emily, one of the two main characters, is a thirty-something wife, mother and manager at a tech company. Although she’s executing her job well, she gets passed over for a promotion and feels stagnant in her career.

Enter David, the other main character, a retired executive who connects with Emily and shares lessons about leadership and personal development over a series of meetings and multiple cups of coffee.

Unlike other books in the business world, this is a work of fiction inspired by the co-authors’ lives. But it also offers different, more broadly applicable advice. The premise of the book and David’s lessons is not how to become a leader in name—CEO, VP, etc.—but that all of us, regardless of industry, career, job title, age, gender, have and can cultivate influence.

The message is both powerful and empowering, especially for young professionals who may not see the agency they have to make an impact. Influence is about more than job title, which we can’t personally control; it stems and is fed by character and expertise, which we can. I came away feeling energized and excited about putting the ideas into practice.

Growing Influence is also a revealing look at gender dynamics in the workplace. There’s a clear difference between the thoughtful interactions Emily has with her mentor David, and the sometimes conflicts with her boss Mitchell. But this book isn’t interested in playing the blame game; instead we get to be in the room when Emily begins the work of changing Mitchell’s mindset about his female colleagues. If anything, I wanted to see more of how this played out at the company.

[Firebug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

I don't usually read books on self-growth. While being seemingly substantial, they often offer you the same message conveyed in different ways or advice that is as old as the world itself. This book was an interesting change in the sense that I actually related to the protagonist and wanted to know how the story ends (though it was a bit obvious from the start). The framework used for this book is very creative and successful in making the reader go through the whole book instead of skimming interesting chapters. I read this in two days and marked some points to think of and try to apply in my own life and career.

Having said that, the advice given by this book is pretty well-known and offers nothing groundbreaking. Also, the story sometimes unfolds too easily to avoid diving into more complex issues. The best example of it is Emily's manager which understands his mistakes after a slight effort on her side - that does not necessarily reflect how it happens in reality most of the times. The book also avoids a range of other topics relevant to women's problems in a workplace. For example, the IT industry is currently shifting from being male-dominant to be more gender-inclusive, but that brings other problems like women rivalry. Also, the personalities of characters in the book are often oversimplified, but that's to be expected, since technically this is not full-time fiction.

[KungFu Drafter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love business narratives or, as Patrick Lencioni calls them, "Business Fables." This was one of the more engaging that I've read and it was very enjoyable. The important ideas were well interwoven into the narrative and the characters all seemed very familiar.

This is a small book and the "lessons" are not a great big long list bullet points or technical explanations as you would find in "The 4 Disciplines of Execution," but the ideas are solid and focused around some seldom discussed dimensions of leadership.

While I feel I took some good ideas away from this, I think two things has a far greater impact on my personal reading. First, it made me consider the work experience of women, especially mothers. As a man I never really considered the matter. I like to think that I am a non-discriminating person, but to see a character face active discrimination didn't really sit well. It spurred some thought on my end, which I guess is the point! Secondly, the character of David and this plot path reminded me of someone in my own life and the impact that woman had on me at a younger age.

Overall I think this is a great, quick read. And not only for "women" or "moms." I think anyone feeling stagnated should pick up this little book and enjoy it.

[Bethany Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using fiction, the authors created a wonderful book that's part leadership and part business. Normally I'm bored to tears with those genres but they delivered it quite well.

I easily identified with the Emily, the main character, and David, her professional mentor for lack of a better term, was an easily likeable guy. The kind you'd want to take advice from.

I easily identified with Emily as I've felt many of her same frustrations in balancing motherhood and work, being undervalued in the workplace because of your gender, feel stuck and frustrated and not knowing how to change things.

I definitely recommend reading it. Though it's from a young woman's point of view, any person in the workforce could benefit from the book's suggestions. However, speaking of suggestions, I had difficulty keeping up with the characters' conversations - specifically what David would say for Emily to do. Some of his speech was just too abstract for my brain to handle. Or perhaps, I'm simply tired.

Full disclosure: I received this book for free from the author or publisher in a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

[The Lexington Bookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is frustrated in her position at work, and though driven to succeed, she isn’t sure what direction she can go. After being passed up three times for a promotion, despite outshining the recipients, she knows she has to do something to confront her boss about the discrimination, and set an example for her team. She meets David Ford, former manufacturing CEO, at a local coffee shop called the Slow by Slow. A man who is quick to the punch, David can tell that Emily is unhappy with her corporate position, and offers some council on influence. After noting the success of his advice, Emily returns for more, and the two strike up a deal in which David gives Emily leadership lessons.

As I read, I appreciated the narrative woven between the astute leadership tutelage. In this way, the reader doesn’t feel as if they are reading dry nonfiction self-help – they’re seeing the applicable instruction put to use through the plot’s central conflict. I think it’s very clever of the authors. Many children’s books do the same for the purpose of learning, so why not expand that technique into adult novels? With a central focus on discrimination against women in the workplace, it’s an excellent way to discuss an important and often heated topic in a thoughtful, intelligent, and professional way.

Additionally, the information about influence, leadership, collaboration, and personal development is clearly explained, as using the characters, there are plenty of examples to help understand the concepts. I definitely took many notes and highlighted many passages (and diagrams!) that I would like to incorporate in my own personal development tool box.

I especially was interested in the definitions of influence or influencer. Though Emily and David were discussing the terms in the corporate world, I kept thinking about how it could apply to social media influencers and bloggers. It may seem like different veins, but as outlined, there’s three types of influence: control, collaboration, and concern. If I was to consider myself as a social media influencer and a blogger (which I do, as I do want to influence people on what books to read and buy), then the first type of influence I have is control over what content I put out to my audience (you, my fellow readers), the second in collaboration with publishers and fellow influencers (those who want to promote specific books), and the third area is concern over if my reviews will actually interest and influence you enough to check out those reads. (Now that I think about it even more, if this is something you would like me to further discuss and share, let me know in a comment below, as I would definitely like to dig deeper into the concepts.)

Overall, Price and Ennis have impressed me with this book, their writing, their discussion, and the overall plot, and I really enjoyed being a part of Emily and David’s chats. I can easily see myself recommending Growing Influence to many of my friends, and I’d love to get a personal physical copy to mark up and reference as well! If you’re looking for great advice on workplace discrimination and company leadership in a palatable read, this would be a great go-to.
Published on September 18, 2018

[Stephanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the narrative format, it was unique and so much easier to remember the wisdom the book was meant to impart. I have highlighted and/or taken notes on an unusually high percent of the book compared to similar ones and refer back to it often. I do wish that there was an appendix or something that cuts out the narrative and highlights the professional advice for easy reference. The focus on integrity and character in influence is a breath of fresh air in a genre that can very feel detached and even mildly manipulative at times. I look forward to updating this review as I reflect and apply the lessons.

[Priyanka Gera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike any other business book, this is a fable for any corporate employee, business person, or anyone who wants to explore beyond their sought after potential. It guides you how not to be limited by your position and how to be whoever you strive to be through your character first. The best part about this book is that for every advice, there is a practical strategy to implement it, and an example for the same as well which immediately helps you to exercise it for yourself too.

Also, the first book, I shed a little tear towards. Everyone needs a David in their life, since we all cannot, glad Ron Price shared it with us through this book.

[Anand Sampat · Rating 3 out of 5]

great leadership lessons delivered through a bland fictional lens

Overall I enjoyed the lessons carried forward in the book and the story of Emily and David (the two main characters). Although I appreciated the novel approach to delivering leadership lessons through a fictional (though perhaps inspired by real events) I find these lessons stick better for me when given through a nonfictional lens via real stories and case studies. As a fictional book the story was written well but lacked many details which might have made it a richer story and allowed for further character development.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won Growing Influence in a Good Reads giveaway. I am not typically drawn to leadership self-help type of books, however this book just spoke to me. I'm glad I won it because it is definitely NOT your typical leadership book. It's a work of fiction wherein the authors weave in bits of knowledge into the story line. I could relate to the younger, female character wanting more from her career. This was an easy read that made me care about the characters. I also learned a lot about being a better leader a long the way. It's a quick and inspiring read!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice surprise

I am surprised at how much I liked and related to this book. What a great idea to combine business /leadership advice with fiction! The lessons discussed here are easily digestible and very competently explained. I never thought I would enjoy a business book but I did. While I am no longer working outside of the home, I feel the advice mentioned here will help me become a more effective and satisfied homeschooler, mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

[Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most brilliant and digestible books I've read on career advancement and leadership. I especially loved the approach the authors took with this book, it was refreshing and gave me much insight.

I'd definitely recommend to anyone who is seeking to enhance their leadership skills, it will change your perspective on 'titles and positions' but moreso give provide a guide to building influence through character, expertise and impact.

Absolutely enjoyed reading and I'd definitely read again.

[A.K. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Influence is a guide on developing leadership and strategically-earned success in the professional world, while also maintaining personal integrity and satisfaction. This isn't written as a typical business or self-improvement book, but rather told through the story of a woman and her mentor. Lessons unfold throughout the narrative. The book contains valuable wisdom and because of how it is told, it's also a compelling story.

[Jennifer Bandzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway and I am glad because I found it to be inspirational. It had some great thoughts on leadership and career advancement. I have already found myself incorporating some of the ideas I read about into my daily life and I am happy with the outcomes so far. I enjoyed the format too... less textbook like and more like reading a story about a friend. I even cried at the end of the book.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't be fair about this book, I don't think. I generally dislike books about business. Also, if I am forced to read a book, like I was in this case for a professional development program, I already don't want to. At least this one put it in story form which helped me get through it. And there were a few nuggets to be extracted that are helpful as a professional. But as far as reading goes, no, I didn't enjoy it. It could have been a two-page outline.

[Jane Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange little book. It's basically a leadership self-help book in the form of of a novel. Is you're looking for a novel the plot is thin, but some of the leadership advice is sound. Actually, a reasonable self-help book for people who don't really like self-help books I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Bobby Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Influence is a work of fiction written for a nonfiction audience. Tucked within the narrative are insightful gems about how leaders need to govern themselves first and focus on integrity in order to win influence. I loved this book!

See my full review/summary here: https://businessbookreviewer.com/2018...

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an easy read - and full of great leadership lessons. I've already passed my book on to one of my colleagues. I think it may be headed on its own little book tour.

If you want to learn some tips for influencing, especially UP, and for finding more happiness in your current role, read this soon!

[Jennifer Baudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

Unique approach to discussing leadership principles. I enjoyed the blend of fiction and leadership development strategies presented in this work. Very informative as it outlined the areas of control that individuals can focus their energy to grow as a leader. Worth a read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book of this kind. I finished the book in 3 sittings. I first began this book in April then left the state and forgot this book at home (whoops!) All throughout my trip I kept thinking about the book. It was just so easy to get into and a very easy read. This book forced me to reflect on my own values in and out of the workplace.

[Christina Villar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Influence is such an amazing book. I love the characters and the narrative. It really helps you understand the influence you already have and how you can amplify it for a more fulfilling career. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has or is struggling with how you can influence others regardless of your level and experience.

[Colby Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for school. Simply talks about how to influence others to follow you. Character, expertise, and impact.

My favorite quote was “Character is not built over the span of a day, but rather a lifetime.”

Also, the idea that our jobs are not something we own but are something we’ve been given for a period of time and are to be servants.

Average book

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few nuggets of wisdom buried in the book, but mostly it pushed the old business model of sacrificing personal time to get ahead at work instead of finding development time at work instead of attending the many meaningless meetings that take place.

I also found the dialogue forced and the story predictable, which is okay given the books focus, but still not a plus.

[Susan “Sam” · Rating 1 out of 5]

Business baby food for the people who run the businesses we frequent.

As much as I tried to keep an open mind and in direct contradiction to others' ratings, I can't rate this book more than 1 star. It seemed like a stilted children's book about business without cool illustrations.