Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Gary C. Laney, Author of The Power of Strategic Influence!: 10 Success Factors of Highly Influential Leaders.
Hi Gary, Great to have you with us today! What was your main drive to write this book?
I have wanted to write this particular book for at least 15 years. Covid gave me the excuse and time to finally dive in and make it happen.
Book Excerpt:
- Do you want to make a difference in life?
- To have a positive influence over people?
- To create valuable personal and strategic relationships through business networking?
This powerful, easy-to-read book reveals the secrets to building and using your personal influence to create success, build a great reputation, and become a highly influential leader, but also to give back by helping others succeed. Whether you’re a new arrival in a strange city or climbing the corporate ladder and haven’t gotten where you want to go, The Power of Strategic Influence teaches the Game-Changing Success Factors that will transform your life.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
There are many things, but if I had to choose three things, I would say:
1. Accept life and the conditions of life as they come. Don’t blame others for mishaps, poor results, or tough times you experience. Accept responsibility for the outcome of each day of your life.
2. Attempt to learn what motivates you as early as possible. In other words, what is the reason, the purpose that drives you to do what you do or dream of doing. Focus on the motivation and let your passion drive you.
3. Realize that life is about relationships, identifying relationships, developing relationships, and maintaining relationships. The more quality types of relationships you have, the bigger the success you will enjoy.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
For me, it was a lifetime and a career of developing and teaching concepts about influence, about how to develop meaningful relationships, and the magnitude of what that means if you tightly guard the special relationships you have. So, 35 years of research and a 3-month survey/research project I conducted prior to jumping into my book to validate my ideas and concepts.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it?
I’ve had many influencers who inspired me, but when it came right down to it, my family was my biggest motivation, especially a granddaughter, my wife, and a daughter who started writing way before I did. I guess I was always nervous about the time commitment and how involved I would have to be to write a book, but these special women in my life taught me that you don’t think too much about it but just start writing. That got me started, and then the organization side of me kicked in, and finally the passion and excitement of actually experiencing the process and book itself. Most people I know say it takes two to three years to write a serious book. I did it in 8 months and even then felt like I was moving too slow. Once you catch the spirit of writing about things you believe in, the faster the process goes.
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to hitting publish?
Again, the initial thought started 15 years earlier, but once I committed to doing it, just eight months.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
Yes, I hope to do a deep dive into several of the sections of my book in the next version.
Fantastic! So tell us, how can people find out more about you?
You can visit the website and Facebook page.
Thank you so much, Gary, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!