Spheres of Influence

“With this highly readable book as a guide, emerging leaders can swiftly develop the critical career-enhancing skill of relationship building. Page after page offers practical advice and countless concrete examples of how to—and how not to— build and manage strong business relationships. Spheres of Influence is a must-read for anyone aspiring to or in a position of leadership.”

—Naomi Karten, author of Managing Expectations: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!

“This book is a beacon of wisdom for anyone seeking to build meaningful connections and authentic business relationships in the professional world. With actionable insights and genuine, heartfelt advice, it offers a road map to not only cultivate trust and rapport, but also foster enduring partnerships that form the bedrock of successful careers.”

—Steve Rohleder, chairman of the board, Cognizant

“Spheres of Influence is a wonderful book for emerging leaders. Its practical advice interspersed with real-life stories captivates the reader and culminates in succinct key takeaways at the end of each chapter. Brad’s breadth of leadership experience clearly comes through in this book!”

—Pallavi Verma, senior managing director, Accenture.

“Brad Englert’s Spheres of Influence is a fast read and wonderful tutorial on building and sustaining internal and external partnerships with bosses, executive teams, peers, and direct reports. Brad provides numerous references and rich examples of how to understand partners goals and aspirations, set and manage their expectations, and genuinely care about their success. I worked with Brad many years ago. Brad is the real deal and so is Spheres of Influence.”

—Edward J. Ray, president emeritus and professor of economics, Oregon State University

“Spheres of Influence brilliantly illustrates that in the game of life, the strongest moves are made through the power of genuine connections. Brad Englert's book is a masterclass in the art of influence with heart, where relationships reign supreme!”

—Liz Aebersold, founder, Wildcard Thinking

“Brad provides a thoughtful and practical guide to help emerging leaders build effective and enduring business relationships. His views are based on front-line experiences, built over a successful career in consulting and higher education administration. He’s walked the walk!”

—Marty Cole, chairman, Sagility Health and Arrivia; Board Member, Western Union, Western Digital, and Wilson HCG; former chief executive, Technology Group, Accenture; and former CEO, Cloudera

“I’ve worked in higher education, the federal government, and the corporate world, and this book is a must-read for anyone in any of these sectors. Whether it’s understanding how to work with your boss or other leaders, or managing your relationships with vendor partners, Brad provides great examples of how to navigate real situations and build trust. And, along the way, you may learn a lot about yourself—how to be a better boss and leader and how to be a better client partner.”

—Darcy W. Hardy, PhD, associate vice president for academic affairs and director, Anthology Education and Research Center

“Brad has delivered a masterclass in managing setbacks, fostering successful business relationships, and building a resilient business culture. His unique approach to problem-solving, underscored by grit and humility, offers a fresh perspective on how to face challenges head-on and emerge stronger. Spheres of Influence is not just a book about business; it’s a book about the power of the human connection in the world of business.”

—Olu Kole-James, Director, global client services, VISA

“This book is a survival kit. Make the key takeaways your personal chants. Englert's knowledge and wisdom will be a recurring lifeline as I begin my career in the federal government. The stories serve as valuable lessons of proper conduct and cautionary tales of dos and don'ts. Spheres of Influence unlocks personal and professional successes for you, your colleagues, managers, and customers.”

—Zane Evans, returned peace corps volunteer and master of global policy studies, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

“Brad Englert asserts the importance of developing authentic business relationship skills as one would any other hard skill. His clear advice and concise takeaways will put you on the right road to a leadership position.”

—Margaret Jabour, executive vice president and co-owner, Twin Liquors Fine Wine and Spirits

“In Spheres of Influence, Brad Englert does a masterful job of helping readers to develop trust with their colleagues and strategic partners by understanding their goals, advancing projects, and ensuring clarity of roles. He illustrates his wisdom with stories drawn from his long and successful career. This book is for anyone who wants to be a more effective communicator and partner in the workplace.”

—Art Markman, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Contributor to Fast Company, and Author of Bring Your Brain to Work

“Brad Englert masterfully weaves his 40 years of experience to create a playbook for professionals of all levels to successfully navigate their business relationships.”

—Christy Asyn, software development engineer, Amazon

“Professional relationships have their own set of rules, and can be the make-or-break for your professional success. Spheres of Influence will show you how to establish, maintain, and flourish relationships with those you work for and work with.”

—David Jabour, president, Twin Liquors Fine Wine and Spirits

“As technology's influence in the workplace grows, so does the challenge of managing the people it takes to make it work. By weaving together his own extensive experience with that of other experts, Brad Enlgert provides a timely and extremely useful road map on how managers can successfully engage the people they work with and work for.”

— William Shkurti, former senior vice president for business and finance, The Ohio State University

“To become an emerging leader in your field, you need to master the hard skill of building authentic business relationships. Brad Englert shows us how to do that with practical advice, real-world stories, and clear examples. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to grow their influence, impact, and income in the business world.”

— Dennis Passovoy, assistant professor of management, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin

“Go network!” they say. But how? In Spheres of Influence, Brad leaves no space for fluff and breaks down what you can do right now to not just “network,” but to transform strangers into allies and skeptics into believers. Useful no matter where you are in your career.

—Gorick Ng, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Unspoken Rules

“The great leadership expert John C. Maxwell said ‘Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.’ All great leaders and successful people know that influence is the key to success. Brad Englert gives us an amazing guide with Spheres of Influence on how to develop the art of influence for every type of business relationship in our lives and building healthy business relationships as an outcome!”

—Mike Lyles, international keynote speaker, author, and Maxwell Leadership Certified speaker, coach, and trainer

• Promotion support provided by imprint partner Fast Company Magazine
• Advance distribution of digital review copies via NetGalley to reviewers, bloggers, journalists, librarians, booksellers, and media
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• Watch for author and book updates at https://bradenglert.com/