Spheres of Influence by Greenleaf Book Group

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Spheres of Influence

Brad Englert has written Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships to help emerging leaders develop and perfect what he calls the “critical hard skill” of building effective and enduring business relationships. There are two major parts to the book. The first part of the book focuses on the “internal sphere of influence,” those people with whom readers can have the most direct impact: relationship with the boss, relationships with executive leaders, relationships with direct reports, and relationships with all staff. In the second part, Englert focuses on the “external sphere of influence,” and explores relationships where readers have less direct impact. these include relationships with customers, relationships with peers and influencers, and finally, relationships with strategic vendor partners. The real-world stories in this book are relevant to a diverse range of industries, organizations, and backgrounds. In these pages, emerging and aspiring leaders will learn how to build authentic, mutually beneficial, trusting, and enduring relationships spanning years and even decades.

Reviews

Englert makes a compelling case that one key to career success is the cultivation of meaningful personal relationships with supervisors, company leaders, staffers, clients, influencers, and more. These relationships, and how one is perceived, are the fuel that can move a middle-manager from the slow lane to the executive suite, but Englert makes clear there’s more to this than simple networking. He demonstrates throughout this incisive and clarifying book that true success demands more than golf and remembering the boss’s birthday. Helpfully, Englert divides business relationships into two distinct spheres: internal, which include one’s supervisor and company leadership personnel as well as direct reports, peers, and various staff members; and external, which cover dealings with customers, vendors, influencers, and other so-called indirect business relationships.

This approach, Englert argues, can “transcend traditional networking” and deliver greater, more durable career success. Englert offers clear rationale for why it’s imperative for those on the lower and middle rungs of a company to align their values with those of their supervisor and employer—a true team member, he demonstrates, is one who is willing to take initiative and communicate and even sacrifice for the good of the company. He’s persuasive when arguing that such efforts, when practiced regularly, will elevate one’s own career while helping the team itself. Practical guidance abounds, here, including thorough explication of the various supervisor types one may encounter and how best to work with them.

Spheres of Influence is written in a concise and direct style that will play well with many starting out in their careers. Englert highlights the importance of asking questions, saying ”no” when appropriate, delivering bad news as readily as one might provide favorable information, and the nearly infinite value of being honest and ethical. The clarification he provides when noting the difference between building valuable relationships versus relying on shallow connections is an especially important lesson, one often overlooked in business schools.

Takeaway: Incisive, practical guide to cultivating relationships for business success.

Comparable Titles: Rachel B. Simon’s Relationships at Work, Randy Ross’s Relationomics.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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