The world that we live in is a smorgasbord of communication delights. We can converse with people all around the world in a variety of different ways, in real or snail-mail time. It is verging on a utopian dream where everyone is connected and contactable.However, there are limitations to this type of world. Opinions can be reinforced quickly usinf groups of likeminded people, which can make compromise difficult. After all, if you can justify your stance why should you change your mind.
In “Advocates and enemies”, writer Colin Gautrey looks at ways to influence these opinion-formers, and how to work with the way that they’re organised. There are chapters on Spotting opportunities, mitigating against so-called ‘enemies’ and their attempts to derail your activities. In business this can be the difference between a successful company and one that peters out over time. The resilience of the business to outside interference is key, as well as the ability to formulate a communications plan which will be stuck to.
With plenty of advice and diagrams, this is a book that provides practical help for a world that like to obfuscate and distract. As with all business books there are pages to fill in (in pencil, maybe) that proves your understanding of the concepts at work, and easy to dip into sections highlighting different aspects of the client – customer – stakeholder relationship. This is a business book that wants to bridge that gap between business theory and practice, and is effective at this.
From this book, I found that there is still a lot to learn to understand the dynamic between stakeholders in any business relationship, and that there is no substitute for the human touch. Without that we are all doomed to produce mediocre companies that fail to delight or engage.
This book review was originally published on ACEInspire, a site packed with advice on building the skills to UNLEASH the power of the internet.
