“Spheres of Influence is not just a book about business, it’s a book about the power of human connection…”
— Olu Kole-James, Director, Global Client Services, VISA
Press Release
Brad Englert’s New Book Spheres of Influence Provides Clear Roadmap for Building Authentic Business Relationships
Englert Guides Emerging and Established Leaders to Develop and Perfect the Critical Hard Skill of Building Effective and Enduring Business Relationships
AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA | March 12, 2024 — Austin-based author Brad Englert’s new book Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships – released today by Fast Company Press – is a tour de force of practical advice, wisdom, and wit from a business leader known for his tell-it-like-it-is personality.
In Spheres of Influence, Englert offers an actionable roadmap for emerging and established leaders to develop and perfect what he calls the “critical hard skill” of building effective and enduring business relationships. He focuses on internal and external spheres of influence. The internal sphere of influence encompasses those people you can have the most direct impact with: your boss, executive leaders, direct reports, and all your staff. The external sphere of influence includes business relationships where you have less direct impact: customers, peers and influencers, and strategic vendor partners.
Aspiring and established leaders will learn how to build authentic, mutually beneficial, trusting, and enduring relationships spanning years and even decades.
“All business relationships are built on trust,” says Englert. “The litmus test of an authentic business relationship is whenever you reconnect you pick up right where you left off— there is no time gap.”
The author also believes the business community needs to transcend traditional networking. “It tends to be transactional, short-lived, and—in my experience— superficial,” he observes. “It is difficult to engage in meaningful conversations, create rapport, or build trust with traditional networking, especially if the participants go in with a ‘What’s in it for me?’ mindset. Networking events rarely lead to unexpected opportunities or long-term business relationships. In addition, you cannot rely on social media’s likes, shares, and links to build meaningful professional relationships.”
Chapter by chapter, the book provides practical advice on authentic business relationship building, crunchy real-life stories from Englert’s career, surprising deadpan humor, and invaluable pearls of wisdom for business leaders.
This book is already making waves among aspiring and established business executives and fellow thought leaders — see the array of remarkable reviews and testimonials below.
REVIEWS
“Spheres of Influence is written in a concise and direct style that will play well with many starting out in their careers. Englert highlights the importance of asking questions, saying ”no” when appropriate, delivering bad news as readily as one might provide favorable information and the nearly infinite value of being honest and ethical.”
— Publishers Weekly, Booklife Review – Editor’s Choice
“Where many business books promote the general concept of networking, Englert moves beyond to discuss the specific concept of forming deep, lasting, and motivational business relationships at all levels, from supervisors to customers. Englert deftly and effortlessly delivers these insights, often with a dose of humor – a true professional who deeply understands what he’s talking about.”
– D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Englert teaches how to establish connections that are not one-sided by articulating your expectations, learning from feedback and performance reports, and ways to establish yourself while maintaining a work-life balance. Spheres of Influence is a great selection for readers interested in gaining and maintaining steady and mutually profitable business relationships.”
– Courtnee Turner Hoyle, Reader’s Favorite – Five Stars
Englert is the founder of Brad Englert Advisory and an author, advisor, and technologist. He worked for Accenture for 22 years, including 10 years as a partner. He then served The University of Texas at Austin for eight years, including seven years as the Chief Information Officer. Brad earned a masters of public affairs degree from UT Austin and a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences with honors and distinction from Shimer College, which is now the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
For more information about Brad Englert and Sphere of Influence, visit his website.
To request a copy of the book or to arrange an interview with Brad Englert, please contact Scott Busby at The Busby Group – scottb@thebusbygroup.com / 310.600.7645.
ENDORSEMENTS FOR SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
“Brad has delivered a masterclass in managing setbacks, fostering successful business relationships, and building a resilient business culture. Spheres of Influence is not just a book about business, it’s a book about the power of the human connection in the world of business.”
— Olu Kole-James, Director, Global Client Services, VISA
“This book is a beacon of wisdom for anyone seeking to build meaningful connections and authentic business relationships in the professional world. With actionable insights and genuine, heartfelt advice, it offers a roadmap to not only cultivate trust and rapport, but also foster enduring partnerships that form the bedrock of successful careers.”
— Steve Rohleder, Chairman of the Board, Cognizant
“With this highly readable book as a guide, emerging leaders can swiftly develop the critical career-enhancing skill of relationship building. Page after page offers practical advice and countless concrete examples of how to — and how not to — build and manage strong business relationships. Spheres of Influence is a must-read for anyone aspiring to or in a position of leadership.”
— Naomi Karten, author of Managing Expectations: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!
“’Go network!’ they say. But how? In Spheres of Influence, Brad leaves no space for fluff and breaks down what you can do right now not just “network,” but to transform strangers into allies and skeptics into believers.”
— Gorick Ng, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Unspoken Rules
“A playbook for professional of all levels.”
– Christy Asyn, software development engineer, Amazon
“This book is a survival kit. Make the key takeaways your personal chants. Englert’s knowledge and wisdom will be a recurring lifeline as I begin my career in the federal government.”
— Zane Evans, master of global policy studies – LBJ School of Public Affairs – The University of Texas at Austin
Check Out the BRADISMS on
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More Endorsements
“Brad Englert’s Spheres of Influence is a fast read and wonderful tutorial on building and sustaining internal and external partnerships with bosses, executive teams, peers and direct reports. Brad provides numerous references and rich examples of how to understand partners goals and aspirations, set and manage their expectations, and genuinely care about their success. I worked with Brad many years ago. Brad is the real deal and so is Spheres of Influence.”
— Edward J. Ray, President Emeritus and Professor of Economics, Oregon State University
“Brad provides a thoughtful and practical guide to help emerging leaders build effective and enduring business relationships. His views are based on front-line experiences, built over a successful career in consulting and higher education administration. He’s walked the walk!”
— Marty Cole, Chairman, Sagility Health and Arrivia; Board Member, Western Union, Western Digital and Wilson HCG; former Chief Executive of the Technology Group – Accenture; and former CEO, Cloudera
“I’ve worked in higher education, the federal government, and the corporate world, and this book is a must-read for anyone in any of these sectors. Whether it’s understanding how to work with your boss and/or other leaders, or managing your relationships with vendor partners, Brad provides great examples of how to navigate real situations and build trust. And along the way, you may learn a lot about yourself – how to be a better boss/leader and how to be a better client partner.”
— Darcy W. Hardy, PhD, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director, Anthology Education and Research Center
“In Spheres of Influence, Brad Englert does a masterful job of helping readers to develop trust with their colleagues and strategic partners by understanding their goals, advancing projects, and ensuring clarity of roles. He illustrates his wisdom with stories drawn from his long and successful career. This book is for anyone who wants to be a more effective communicator and partner in the workplace.”
— Art Markman, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Contributor to Fast Company, and Author of Bring Your Brain to Work
“As technology’s influence in the workplace grows, so does the challenge of managing the people it takes to make it work. By weaving together his own extensive experience with that of other experts, Brad Enlgert provides a timely and extremely useful roadmap on how managers can successfully engage the people they work with and work for.”
— William Shkurti, Former Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, The Ohio State University
“To become an emerging leader in your field, you need to master the hard skill of building authentic business relationships. Brad Englert shows us how to do that with practical advice, real-world stories, and clear examples. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to grow their influence, impact, and income in the business world.”
— Dennis Passovoy, Assistant Professor of Management, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
“Spheres of Influence brilliantly illustrates that in the game of life, the strongest moves are made through the power of genuine connections. Brad Englert’s book is a masterclass in the art of influence with heart, where relationships reign supreme!”
— Liz Aebersold, Founder Wildcard Thinking
“Brad Englert masterfully weaves his 40 years of experience to create a playbook for professionals of all levels to successfully navigate their business relationships.”
— Christy Asyn, Software Development Engineer, Amazon
“This book is a survival kit. Make the key takeaways your personal chants. Englert’s knowledge and wisdom will be a recurring lifeline as I begin my career in the federal government. The stories serve as valuable lessons of proper conduct and cautionary tales of dos and don’ts. Spheres of Influence unlocks personal and professional successes for you, your colleagues, managers, and customers.”
— Zane Evans, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service