ParentSpeak is a provocative guide to the hidden dangers of “parentspeak”—those seemingly innocent phrases parents use when speaking to their young children.

Imagine if every time you praise your child with “Good job!” you’re actually doing harm? Or that urging a child to say “Can you say thank you?” is exactly the wrong way to go about teaching manners?

Jennifer Lehr is a smart, funny, and fearless writer who takes everything you thought you knew about parenting and turns it on its ear.

Backing up her lively writing and arguments with research from psychologists, educators, and organizations like Alfie Kohn, Thomas Gordon, and R.I.E. (Resources for Infant Educarers), Ms. Lehr offers a conscious approach to parenting based on respect and love for the child as an individual.

What does it take to win success and influence? Some people think that in today's hyper-competitive world, it's the tough, take-no-prisoners type who comes out on top. But in reality, argues New York Times bestselling author Dave Kerpen, it's actually those with the best people skills who win the day. Those who build the right relationships. Those who truly understand and connect with their colleagues, their customers, their partners. Those who can teach, lead, and inspire.

In a world where we are constantly connected, and social media has become the primary way we communicate, the key to getting ahead is being the person others like, respect, and trust. Because no matter who you are or what profession you're in, success is contingent less on what you can do for yourself, but on what other people are willing to do for you.

Here, through 53 bite-sized, easy-to-execute, and often counterintuitive tips, you'll learn to master the 11 People Skills that will get you more of what you want at work, at home, and in life. For example, you'll learn:

• The single most important question you can ever ask to win attention in a meeting
• The one simple key to networking that nobody talks about
• How to remain top of mind for thousands of people, every day
• Why it usually pays to be the one to give the bad news
• How to blow off the right people
• And why, when in doubt, buy him a Bonsai

This book is often described as How to Win Friends and Influence People for today's world, showing how to charm and win over anyone to be more successful at work and outside of it.