The Art of Influence summary

Fresh out of business school, Marcus Drake was learning life skills on a private jet from someone who hadn’t attended college. Bobby Gold had dropped out when he saw the opportunity to invest in tech. And he’d never looked back.

Bobby gave Marcus a pen and paper, and asked him to write down the things he looked for in every leader. Bobby’s list included honesty, passion, vision, fairness, decisiveness, good listening skills, courage, optimism, the ability to communicate, and the ability to empower.

A glorious view welcomed Marcus Drake and Bobby Gold as they flew into New York at night. After landing, they jumped into a luxury SUV, with Bobby’s security team following them in another.

Bobby wanted to know if Marcus was a fisherman or a hunter. Marcus proudly said he’d always been a hunter.

Bobby Gold didn’t waste any time getting Marcus Drake in on the action. The billionaire took his new protégé to explore a deal the next day – the acquisition of a company valued at $50 million.

As they sat in the boardroom of the company, an assistant came in to remind the CFO about a parcel he’d forgotten to send the day before. The CFO told the assistant to mail the parcel and tell the receiver it had been sent yesterday.

Bobby Gold wasn’t immune to billionaire eccentricities, so he’d bought himself his ultimate luxury – a major league baseball team from Chicago. The team hadn’t been playing well, but Bobby had hired Tom Martin, the coach with the best win record in the league.

Bobby and Marcus flew from New York to Chicago, arriving just in time to chat with the coach before a game. In the legendary coach’s office, Bobby let Tom Martin reveal the next important lesson.

The third golden rule lay beneath the glitz of the baseball game, with the people who made the whole matchday operations run.

Bobby went about chatting with his employees like he had all the time in the world for them. He talked to ushers about their partners and peanut salespeople about their kids. He tried to find out how the maintenance people were going to spend their weekends but said nothing about work. His interactions went beyond the daily grind.

Back In New York, Bobby took Marcus to see Paula Diamond, the ninth richest person in America. Marcus couldn’t believe it! He was going to spend time with not one billionaire but two! Like he did with the coach, Bobby let Paula Diamond reveal the next lesson.

Pursuing excellence in everything is the fourth rule for gaining influence. People admire and follow those dedicated to high standards. Opt for excellence rather than mediocrity.