Influence. Every one wants it. But how do you get it?

Influencing is one of the critical business skills required for success today. Strong interpersonal and influencing skills are essential as we work in teams, often across disciplines, and “sell” our ideas and projects to upper management.

It’s Not What You Know. Previously, to achieve success, we simply put in our time to develop professional and technical expertise.

It’s Not Who You Know. We then began to learn the importance of contacts, and how to build a network of helpful people.

So What Is It? Now we have entered a new era. Technical or professional expertise can quickly become obsolete. High-level contacts can vanish overnight with the next acquisition or merger. What we need is an inner resource or ability. What we need is influence, ‘portable power’: a set of people skills that can serve whenever and wherever we are.

Success in today’s business world is not dependent just on knowledge which can quickly become outdated or contacts who vanish overnight but an inner resource—the ability to influence. In this highly practical guide, communication expert Elaina Zuker outlines how this essential ‘portable power’ can be learned, practiced, and mastered to serve whenever and wherever we are.