The Power of the Other: The startling effect other people have on you, from the boardroom to the bedroom and beyond-and what to do about it

by Henry Cloud

The undeniable reality is that how well you do in life and in business depends not only on what you do and how you do it, your skills and competencies, but also on who is doing it with you or to you. Who is helping you? Who is fighting you? Who is strengthening you or resisting and diminishing you? These people are literally making you who you are. Who is helping you build those skills and competencies? Who is tearing them down? Other people do have power in your life, for good or bad. But what kind of power are others going to have over your life and performance? Are they going to enhance or diminish? These are the questions we will examine. You don’t have a choice about whether or not others have power in your life. They do. But you do have a choice as to what kind of power others are going to have.