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Individual Influence: Find the "I" in Team
While most of us have grown up being taught that the letter "I" has no place in the word "team," teams are wholly made up of individual advantages that contribute to the collective power of the group.
In Individual Influence, authors Brian Smith PhD. and Mary Griffin go far beyond this axiom, making a persuasive case that even a company or team of individual players is still an "Individual" at its core―expressing the collective influence of all those who play a role in it. Thus, there is not just one "I" in team, but many.
In the first installment of this series, readers will be led on a far-from-typical journey of self-discovery punctuated by often humorous stories and tangible steps to put the wisdom into practice.
Demonstrated through real-life experience working with and leading teams, the authors cover many transformative concepts, to be your best self so that your unique influence radiates from you
Reaping the benefits of slowing down and existing within the moment
How to delegate, hold accountable, define values, and achieve balance
Setting realistic success criteria for yourself and learning to celebrate small victories
Gaining more significant influence over your own conscious thoughts and reshaping your reality
Individual Influence revolutionizes the paradigm of traditional self-help books, presenting a clear, logical flow in implementing solutions to everyday challenges we face. It is a call for readers to discover who they are, and in doing so, there is a new world filled with unlimited possibilities waiting to be explored.
In Individual Influence, authors Brian Smith PhD. and Mary Griffin go far beyond this axiom, making a persuasive case that even a company or team of individual players is still an "Individual" at its core―expressing the collective influence of all those who play a role in it. Thus, there is not just one "I" in team, but many.
In the first installment of this series, readers will be led on a far-from-typical journey of self-discovery punctuated by often humorous stories and tangible steps to put the wisdom into practice.
Demonstrated through real-life experience working with and leading teams, the authors cover many transformative concepts, to be your best self so that your unique influence radiates from you
Reaping the benefits of slowing down and existing within the moment
How to delegate, hold accountable, define values, and achieve balance
Setting realistic success criteria for yourself and learning to celebrate small victories
Gaining more significant influence over your own conscious thoughts and reshaping your reality
Individual Influence revolutionizes the paradigm of traditional self-help books, presenting a clear, logical flow in implementing solutions to everyday challenges we face. It is a call for readers to discover who they are, and in doing so, there is a new world filled with unlimited possibilities waiting to be explored.
- GenresManagement
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2022
39 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 24, 2023
Individual Influence written by the authors Brian Smith and Mary Griffin is a must read. It is the second book in Find the "I" in Team book series. Individual Influence is about how we influence others and how others influence us.
In this book, the authors have discussed individual advantages, slowing down, focus, etc. My favorite chapter from this book is focus. For the past few months, I have been trying to improve my focus but I get distracted easily. Living in the present moment can help us to focus. This book will drive you towards knowing yourself better so you can improve yourself and your life. The chapter "Who Am I?" will make us question ourselves and do self-reflection. The author has shared a few questions which we can ask ourselves.
This book takes readers on the journey of finding themselves. The content of this book is something I am glad to read. I have taken many key takeaways from this book. It's time for me to implement them so I can grow to influence other individuals and Individuals.
This is an insightful read and every individual should read this book. The cover photo and title are suitable. One would definitely learn something from this book that will make their life better. Looking forward to reading more such books by the author duos.
In this book, the authors have discussed individual advantages, slowing down, focus, etc. My favorite chapter from this book is focus. For the past few months, I have been trying to improve my focus but I get distracted easily. Living in the present moment can help us to focus. This book will drive you towards knowing yourself better so you can improve yourself and your life. The chapter "Who Am I?" will make us question ourselves and do self-reflection. The author has shared a few questions which we can ask ourselves.
This book takes readers on the journey of finding themselves. The content of this book is something I am glad to read. I have taken many key takeaways from this book. It's time for me to implement them so I can grow to influence other individuals and Individuals.
This is an insightful read and every individual should read this book. The cover photo and title are suitable. One would definitely learn something from this book that will make their life better. Looking forward to reading more such books by the author duos.
August 12, 2024
If you are a team leader or you are a team member that is aspiring to assume a leadership role and you're developing your professional skills, this book is the perfect complement to help you grow and stand out. Brian Smith and Mary Griffin wrote a useful guide to leverage each one’s influence as a team member to enhance what they give to the team’s performance. This book states that the individual is as important or even more as the team, and every person needs to recognize and acknowledge their strengths and perspectives. This book shows different concepts to support this idea, such as, self-awareness, personal branding, communication skills, leadership and collaboration.
If you are someone that feels that you need more confidence, be more assertive and make a bigger impact on groups and people, this is the first book of this series that you’ll need to read and implement in your personal and professional life.
If you are someone that feels that you need more confidence, be more assertive and make a bigger impact on groups and people, this is the first book of this series that you’ll need to read and implement in your personal and professional life.
August 12, 2024
To unlock your full potential as an individual, this book provides personal tools that challenge conventional strategies. Smith invites readers to prioritize individual approaches by offering practical strategies as the base for organizational success. "True influence is not about forcing your will on others, but about inspiring them to see the world through your eyes," is a powerful quote that summarizes the book's main message. Transformative approaches to self-discovery allowed me to embark on a journey to identify my strengths, values, and aspirations. This led to self-empowerment, allowing me to understand how to drive positive change through personal influence. Finally, the book emphasizes how individual potential contributes to team performance. The reading provides a valuable perspective: teams grow when individuals first understand their full potential.
August 15, 2024
A practical and useful read
Brian Smith and Mary Griffin have penned a practical and useful book called “Individual Influence” to teach people the importance of knowing yourself before leading other people and of course, the nitty-gritty of leadership.
Every chapter delves into life-changing concepts about life, leadership and personal growth. There are real-life experiences working to show readers the whole picture about delegating and leading a team.
Everything is well-explained and helps readers understand what the authors want to show about being a positive individual and exercising positive influence towards people.
I found this guide complete, simple and ideal to apply in both personal and working fields. It gives solutions and practical advice. I highly recommend it!
Brian Smith and Mary Griffin have penned a practical and useful book called “Individual Influence” to teach people the importance of knowing yourself before leading other people and of course, the nitty-gritty of leadership.
Every chapter delves into life-changing concepts about life, leadership and personal growth. There are real-life experiences working to show readers the whole picture about delegating and leading a team.
Everything is well-explained and helps readers understand what the authors want to show about being a positive individual and exercising positive influence towards people.
I found this guide complete, simple and ideal to apply in both personal and working fields. It gives solutions and practical advice. I highly recommend it!
August 16, 2024
Individual Influence is a wonderful business book on teamwork with a fantastic twist. I like the fact that the authors provide private tools to test the common and conventional schemes of teamwork. I have grown up being taught that the letter "I" has no place in "team". However, in this book, I learnt that teams are made up of separate people with different aspects that can contribute to the cooperative whole of the group. I highlighted many, many lines while reading, I know those tips will be of great help for me. The frame given by the literary style of the author is perfect. They explain everything in a complete way. It has specific yet simple vocabulary; the language is friendly and gentle. I give this book five stars.
August 16, 2024
a book to live more intentionally
I think it’s very powerful how the authors capture the importance of the individual itself and its well-being, in order to live more intentionally. It might seem an “unpopular opinion” because nowadays, we’re always invited to think as a whole team and there’s no room to think about ourselves. Fortunately, Smith and Griffin explain how recognition, acknowledgments, and being in peace with your inner self would eventually potential the team.
The authors use some examples of real life in order to make his points in some main topics that were relevant. I also found very useful how, at the end of every chapter, there were some key takeaways that included the main ideas of the chapter and how to take it into real life.
I think it’s very powerful how the authors capture the importance of the individual itself and its well-being, in order to live more intentionally. It might seem an “unpopular opinion” because nowadays, we’re always invited to think as a whole team and there’s no room to think about ourselves. Fortunately, Smith and Griffin explain how recognition, acknowledgments, and being in peace with your inner self would eventually potential the team.
The authors use some examples of real life in order to make his points in some main topics that were relevant. I also found very useful how, at the end of every chapter, there were some key takeaways that included the main ideas of the chapter and how to take it into real life.
October 25, 2024
Valuable
This book has been written in the form of a manual and it is very helpful for all of us who want to grow in our profession or personally and also to develop a better self than that we are used to.
The author has crafted this book in a way that allows us to sparkle, to radiate energy and to start developing skills that would allow us to achieve a balance in our lives and in our jobs.
The author used a very professional writing tone to write this book, and he apparently made a lot of effort to expose everything he knew on the topic to help us stand out in this life. He speaks to us as if he was our friend, using clear and on-point words.
I wish I had found this book before, it is an absolute gem.
This book has been written in the form of a manual and it is very helpful for all of us who want to grow in our profession or personally and also to develop a better self than that we are used to.
The author has crafted this book in a way that allows us to sparkle, to radiate energy and to start developing skills that would allow us to achieve a balance in our lives and in our jobs.
The author used a very professional writing tone to write this book, and he apparently made a lot of effort to expose everything he knew on the topic to help us stand out in this life. He speaks to us as if he was our friend, using clear and on-point words.
I wish I had found this book before, it is an absolute gem.
October 26, 2024
I am dazzled
To be honest, I've had a good run of these types of books, but I must confess that this one breaks with convention.
I had never thought about things from such a clear perspective, associated to the individual, to the fact that although in companies or in any other field we work in teams, they are teams full of pure individualities.
But that's not all, this book seems to me to be a bible for leadership, because it shows very clearly what is really required not only to stand out but also to become an admirable leader.
Clearly, it is all a matter of perspective and that is precisely what this book changes, the way you see and interpret from the individual you are still.
To be honest, I've had a good run of these types of books, but I must confess that this one breaks with convention.
I had never thought about things from such a clear perspective, associated to the individual, to the fact that although in companies or in any other field we work in teams, they are teams full of pure individualities.
But that's not all, this book seems to me to be a bible for leadership, because it shows very clearly what is really required not only to stand out but also to become an admirable leader.
Clearly, it is all a matter of perspective and that is precisely what this book changes, the way you see and interpret from the individual you are still.
August 13, 2024
I learned tons
This is an amazing book. I learned tons just by reading the first 20 pages. It’s about how to handle life in a very fundamental way. How to be positive, loving, empathetic and just a good person. It will teach you tools that are immensely helpful if you want to improve yourself as a person and if you want to become a better part of society. Knowing yourself is one of the first steps to be able to start self-improvement. I loved the fact that the book is so personal. The author gave away many personal details. I’m very appreciative of that. You can really see that he has experienced most of what he talks about.
This is an amazing book. I learned tons just by reading the first 20 pages. It’s about how to handle life in a very fundamental way. How to be positive, loving, empathetic and just a good person. It will teach you tools that are immensely helpful if you want to improve yourself as a person and if you want to become a better part of society. Knowing yourself is one of the first steps to be able to start self-improvement. I loved the fact that the book is so personal. The author gave away many personal details. I’m very appreciative of that. You can really see that he has experienced most of what he talks about.
October 26, 2024
This book is part of a series that helps make better teams. In this installment of the series, the authors talked about how an individual helps shape what the team would be like. It is essential to understand that we have this concept that individuality is not welcome in teams, but for the past books I have read including this, they are saying that the diversity of the team makes it better; some members can compensate for what others lack, and it gives the team a better view of how to solve problems in a team or a corporate setting. It is a great book that management and team leaders should read.
October 26, 2024
I loved this reading, I recommended it to my entire work team because I believe that if we all focus on working on the multiple aspects that appear in this book, the whole environment and results of the company will improve 200%. It is a book focused on working on the individual part in order to generate work teams and also on the personal part with the theme of family, much more combined and successful. I loved that through funny stories and quite unique facts, the authors explain each of the approaches they want to expose in the book and that makes it more relatable and experiential. Highly recommended for anyone, it is a great book!!
October 26, 2024
Fun and interesting.
The letter "I" has no place in the word "team”, this is a nice but unreal phrase because the reality is that any team is made up of each of the individualities of the people who make it up. This book transcends that concept and goes beyond. It offers a path of self-discovery to manage to be the best version of me to that particular team.
The authors have a different and maybe controversial perspective with which I personally totally agree. It is easy to read because the authors include real examples and personal experiences to explain their points and advice. The book is also written in a practical way with a touch of humor.
The letter "I" has no place in the word "team”, this is a nice but unreal phrase because the reality is that any team is made up of each of the individualities of the people who make it up. This book transcends that concept and goes beyond. It offers a path of self-discovery to manage to be the best version of me to that particular team.
The authors have a different and maybe controversial perspective with which I personally totally agree. It is easy to read because the authors include real examples and personal experiences to explain their points and advice. The book is also written in a practical way with a touch of humor.
August 18, 2024
I found this read quite interesting. I was on the look for a book that would talk about individuality within a work group and this is just that. It focuses on the power of individuality and how important each persons’ unique strengths are in order to have a successful team. It has a lot of practical advice to encourage self discovery and personal growth.
If you are looking for more team-based strategies, this book may not be for you. I feel this is like the previous step to that. To sum up, a very informative and useful read to have when dealing with groups at work
If you are looking for more team-based strategies, this book may not be for you. I feel this is like the previous step to that. To sum up, a very informative and useful read to have when dealing with groups at work
August 11, 2024
Individual Influence by Brian Smith and Mary Griffin is a business book on teamwork – but with a difference. While most guides emphasize the importance of the team, Smith and Griffin argue for the crucial nature of the individual in a team. This book explores how being yourself is the best thing you can bring to a team, enriching everyone with your own unique capabilities and influence. This book is definitely essential reading for everyone who works as part of a team as well as for business leaders and team managers. The book not only looks at how you can get the most out of teamwork but also how to live a more “present” and healthy life. I am giving this book five out of five stars.
September 10, 2024
Thought provoking regarding teamwork and personal growth
This Book was really thought provoking regarding teamwork and personal growth in my opinion. I found the book to be really engaging and informative. "Individual Influence" is an inspiring read that offers a lot of value. It provides practical advice that can make a real difference. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to harness their individual strengths to contribute to a stronger, more cohesive team.
This Book was really thought provoking regarding teamwork and personal growth in my opinion. I found the book to be really engaging and informative. "Individual Influence" is an inspiring read that offers a lot of value. It provides practical advice that can make a real difference. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to harness their individual strengths to contribute to a stronger, more cohesive team.
November 13, 2022
A common sense approach
This book gives a great direction for people looking to grow themselves personally and professionally. It seeks to educate without becoming to preachy.
I enjoyed the key takeaways. I feel this section is really what makes this book stand out and what makes this a great book to add to your self help toolkit.
This book gives a great direction for people looking to grow themselves personally and professionally. It seeks to educate without becoming to preachy.
I enjoyed the key takeaways. I feel this section is really what makes this book stand out and what makes this a great book to add to your self help toolkit.
January 27, 2023
Smooth
Beside the ideas shared in this book which I really like, the entire flow of the book is very smooth. Defining the topic, telling a real life story, and then expounding further on the topic and learnings, is to me a very good trail of getting the message across.
https://eloihizon.wordpress.com
Beside the ideas shared in this book which I really like, the entire flow of the book is very smooth. Defining the topic, telling a real life story, and then expounding further on the topic and learnings, is to me a very good trail of getting the message across.
https://eloihizon.wordpress.com
March 10, 2025
Ideas from the book:
* Living in the present moment can help us to focus
* There is not just one 'I' in team, but many. (Teams are made up of several individuals).
* Individual Influence is about how we influence others and how others influence us.
* Living in the present moment can help us to focus
* There is not just one 'I' in team, but many. (Teams are made up of several individuals).
* Individual Influence is about how we influence others and how others influence us.
February 4, 2026
I came across this book from my book club, and it completely changed my perspective on office culture. The idea that a team is just a collection of 'individual' influences is a powerful shift from the usual corporate talk.
February 4, 2026
Discovered via my book club, this manual offers profound insights into how personal influence radiates outward. It’s a rare find that balances high-level psychological concepts with humorous, relatable anecdotes.
February 4, 2026
Found this through a book club recommendation. The authors make a compelling case for the 'Individual' nature of a company. It’s a sophisticated look at how personal values and accountability drive the success of the whole
February 4, 2026
My book club was captivated by this 'colorful and conversational manual.' It provides a logical framework for navigating the complexities of modern professional relationships by first mastering one’s own conscious thoughts.
February 4, 2026
I came across this book from my book club, and I was struck by the tangible steps provided for delegating and defining success. It’s an essential guide for anyone looking to optimize their unique influence within a team setting.
February 4, 2026
Introduced to this by my book club, I found the authors’ focus on 'slowing down' to be a revolutionary take on productivity. This book is a call to action to discover your best self so you can better serve your collective goals.
February 4, 2026
Our book club selected this for its unique approach to the self-help genre. It eschews generic advice for a clear, logical flow that addresses the everyday challenges of leadership and collaboration with surgical precision
February 4, 2026
I discovered this book through my book club and was immediately impressed by the argument that a team is comprised of 'individual advantages.' It’s an empowering read that encourages readers to celebrate their unique contributions.
November 30, 2022
Terrific Tips on Being Your Best Self to Influence and Help Others
I hadn’t heard of these authors prior to reading this book, but I do appreciate their many messages, practical tips, and humble stories to illustrate their points.
Along the way, you’ll also learn some fascinating facts about time zones, Henry Ford, and more.
I love the concept that being the best individual we can be, by knowing ourselves and being accountable and empathetic, can make our teams better, and have a positive influence on the world.
The authors cover topics like focus, intention, bias, purpose, and self understanding.
Certainly worth a read!
I hadn’t heard of these authors prior to reading this book, but I do appreciate their many messages, practical tips, and humble stories to illustrate their points.
Along the way, you’ll also learn some fascinating facts about time zones, Henry Ford, and more.
I love the concept that being the best individual we can be, by knowing ourselves and being accountable and empathetic, can make our teams better, and have a positive influence on the world.
The authors cover topics like focus, intention, bias, purpose, and self understanding.
Certainly worth a read!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews