// Book comparison
How to Win Friends and Influence People vs Think Again
Which should you read? A side-by-side comparison of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and Think Again by Adam Grant.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
★ 4.9/5
Think Again
by Adam Grant
★ 4.9/5
At a glance
| How to Win Friends and Influence People | Think Again | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.9/5 | ★ 4.9/5 |
| Pages | 288 | 320 |
| Reading time | ~7.2 h | ~8.0 h |
| Published | 1936 | 2021 |
| Author | Dale Carnegie | Adam Grant |
| Category | Leadership | Leadership |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster | Viking |
Choose How to Win Friends and Influence People if…
- → You're interested in leadership.
- → You want the higher-rated book (4.9/5).
- → You prefer a shorter read (~7.2 hours).
Choose Think Again if…
- → You're interested in leadership.
- → You want the more recent perspective (2021).
Key takeaways — How to Win Friends and Influence People
- ✓ Practice Radical Appreciation by identifying and acknowledging the sincere strengths of your team members, which is the most effective way to inspire high performance and loyalty.
- ✓ Master Empathetic Perspective-Taking by always seeking to understand the motives and needs of your stakeholders before attempting to persuade them to your strategic viewpoint.
- ✓ Avoid Direct Criticism and instead use indirect methods to point out errors, ensuring that you preserve the other person’s dignity and maintain a collaborative work environment.
Key takeaways — Think Again
- ✓ Adopt a Scientist Mindset by treating your business strategies as hypotheses that require constant testing and validation against new market data and feedback.
- ✓ Cultivate Confident Humility, acknowledging the limits of your knowledge to remain open to better ideas and more accurate strategic insights from your workforce.
- ✓ Foster a Rethinking Culture within your team by rewarding the 'courage to be wrong' and encouraging the regular questioning of established organizational best practices.
The verdict
If you want the higher-rated, shorter read, start with How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you want a different angle on the same topic, Think Again is the better fit. Both summaries are free — no signup required.
❓ FAQ
Is How to Win Friends and Influence People or Think Again better? +
How to Win Friends and Influence People has the higher reader rating (4.9/5 vs 4.9/5), but "better" depends on your goal. How to Win Friends and Influence People focuses on leadership, while Think Again focuses on leadership. See the verdict below.
Which is shorter, How to Win Friends and Influence People or Think Again? +
How to Win Friends and Influence People is shorter (288 pages, ~7.2 hours) compared to Think Again (320 pages, ~8.0 hours).
Should I read How to Win Friends and Influence People or Think Again first? +
If you want the quicker, higher-rated read, start with How to Win Friends and Influence People. Otherwise read whichever matches your current goal — both summaries are free on BookHubs.