Don't Take Yes for an Answer: Using Authority, Warmth, and Energy to Get Exceptional Results | Steve Herz

One of the nation's premier talent agents and career advisors shows you how to catapult  your career and your life forward with three key communication strategies―Authority, Warmth, and Energy.

A self-empowerment guide to achieving your fullest professional and personal potential, Don’t Take YES for An Answer explains why positive feedback limits personal and professional growth and then teaches you how to embrace hard truths and critical feedback to escape mediocrity and break away from the pack.

To stand out, to attract the attention of those who can raise your profile, to protect yourself during lean times, or to gain the interest of future employers, you must harness three critical communication traits that human beings respond to most: AWE: A―Authority. W―Warmth. E―Energy. When all else is equal―education, work ethic, intelligence, experience, ambition―the single biggest factor in winning business, promotions, friendships, or followers hinges on our ability to communicate and connect. Mastering AWE gives you an unparalleled advantage over the competition, no matter your field.  

Herz, who has represented and coached dozens of sports, media, and entertainment leaders over the course of nearly three decades, delivers a step-by-step program that helps you understand and hone your AWE skills. Packed with inspiring success stories, grounded in the latest social psychology and scientific research, and featuring "insider" anecdotes from some of the most popular entrepreneurs and professionals in broadcasting, sports, and the corporate world―many personally coached by Herz―Don’t Take YES for An Answer provides invaluable suggestions and practical techniques for “upping” your AWE in every aspect of your life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“With clarity, wisdom, and authority, Herz outlines smart and sensible ways to achieve success. Sometimes you have to take tough advice in order to get better, and failure is often the best teacher. Herz’s message is one we all need to hear.” — Clarissa Ward, chief international correspondent, CNN

“Don’t Take Yes for an Answer will show you how making small shifts in your life can make a big difference. It’ll teach you how to stop settling for mediocre and give you strategies to propel you from good to great. It’s a must-read for anyone trying to get to the next level in life, personally or professionally.” — Amy Morin, mental strength trainer and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do

“In Don’t Take Yes for an Answer, Herz offers an incredibly simple, eminently actionable formula for how to become that person—the one people listen to, the one who makes an impact.” — Peter Bregman, CEO, Bregman Partners

“If you can read only one book for the rest of your life on a deserted island, make it a book of Larkin’s poems or some Primo Levi. But if you get to pick three, make sure at least one is Don’t Take Yes for an Answer. Steve Herz is a singular gent who has built a remarkable career path as an agent and remained a mensch in the process. This is an engaging, practical book that is sure to help aspiring talent reach the next level.” — Roger Bennett, co-host, Men in Blazers

“Steve Herz has written a brilliant book. It is a must-read for anyone, no matter what age or stage in life or career. The characters come to life off the pages as Steve mixes the humor, pathos, empathy, and straight honesty that make this a book one wants to read again and again. By the end, Steve has become your best and most honest friend and adviser!” — Nicholas S. Zeppos, chancellor emeritus and professor of law and political science, Vanderbilt University

"Steve Herz writes like he talks and he knows what he is talking about. So reading Don’t Take Yes for an Answer is like sitting down with him and having him explain how you can learn to communicate better and advance, no matter what, your profession. Listen. Pay attention. You’ll need to work. You’ll be glad you did. Just ask his clients. Chances are you know their names." — John Nicholson, founding director of Newhouse Sports Media Center at Syracuse University

About the Author

As the President and Founding Partner of IF Management, Steve Herz is one of the most influential voices in the broadcast space, as well as a respected business leader.