Dale Carnegie was an American writer who focused on the notions of self-improvement.
Carnegie began his career as a salesman but then found success as a lecture focusing on the psychological dimensions of self-confidence.
He would go on to become a best-selling author, creating an entire genre of self-improvement literature.
Dale Carnegie was born in Maryville, Missouri in 1888. He hailed from a poor family and struggled to achieve early education.
Soon after he completed his college studies, he began career as a salesman. During this period, he would sell products like bacon and soap to farmers and other people across South Omaha.
As a salesman, Carnegie was immensely successful. This was probably because he learned to understand the psychology of the people he dealt with.
After saving up some money from his salesmanship, Carnegie launched some ventures of his own which failed. He then began a career as a lecturer at YMCA.
During this career, he realized that he could develop various techniques to help inspire people to success and self-confidence. His inspirational techniques became a major hit and he became an immensely successful lecturer.
By 1916, Carnegie was lecturing packed halls full of people eager to listen to his famous lectures on success, salesmanship, people skills and similar other themes.
Dale Carnegie had started publishing his lecture collections as early as 1926. These publications saw some success.
But his most notable achievement as a writer was the book titled ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’.
Carnegie had published this book in 1936 and it became a bestseller within months. Over the course of his own life, Carnegie sold nearly five million copies of the book.
The book remains one of the most renowned masterpieces of the self-improvement literature. It continues to be used in business communication courses today.
Carnegie was a prolific writer who penned down several books, booklets, essays and other publications.
His other notable publications include Lincoln the Unknown, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Five Minute Biographies, The Little Golden Book, and The Little Recognized Secret of Success.
Dale Carnegie championed a core idea: that people could change their lives by changing their attitudes towards other people and things.
He believed that problems could be resolved and obstacles overcome by adopting oneself and equipping oneself with the right skills.
His essays embodied inspiration for the young and old alike. They were geared towards success in both personal and business lives of individuals.
Today, the Dale Carnegie Institute embodies the legacy left behind by the man himself. The institute offers the famous Dale Carnegie Training through various courses for success in business.
These include training in various areas like leadership, sales, customer service, people skills, organizational development and presentations.
The famous Dale Carnegie course combines various aspects of Carnegie’s teachings and publications to equip individuals for a better and more fruitful life.
