25 Ways to Win with People

June 6, 2005
A slim companion to Maxwell's bestselling Winning with People, this volume aims to teach readers skills that will help them improve their interpersonal relationships. Using a tag-team approach, with Parrott kicking off each topic and Maxwell butting in for a "Mentoring Moment" every few pages, the authors offer up familiar nuggets of advice such as "Pass the Credit on to Others," "Listen with Your Heart" and "Point Out People's Strengths." While the book supposedly offers "specific skills that can be mastered in a matter of days," workable suggestions are unfortunately lost in the avalanche of fawning praise that Parrott heaps upon Maxwell. Most chapters include notes such as, "I've watched John for years... Everything he does, he does with excellence." Statements such as this serve no purpose and turn a potentially viable advice book into an outlet for praise and platitudes.