Good Boss, Bad Boss is devoted to answering that question. Stanford Professor Robert Sutton weaves together the best psychological and management research with compelling stories and cases to reveal the mindset and moves of the best (and worst) bosses. This book was inspired by the deluge of emails, research, phone calls, and conversations that Dr. Sutton experienced after publishing his blockbuster bestseller The No A**hole Rule.
He realized that most of these stories and studies swirled around a central figure in every workplace: THE BOSS. These heart-breaking, inspiring, and sometimes funny stories taught Sutton that most bosses - and their followers - wanted a lot more than just a jerk-free workplace. They aspired to become (or work for) an all-around great boss, somebody with the skill and grit to inspire superior work, commitment, and dignity among their charges.
As Dr. Sutton digs into the nitty-gritty of what the best (and worst) bosses do, a theme runs throughout Good Boss, Bad Boss - which brings together the diverse lessons and is a hallmark of great bosses: They work doggedly to "stay in tune" with how their followers (and superiors, peers, and customers too) react to what they say and do. The best bosses are acutely aware that their success depends on having the self-awareness to control their moods and moves, to accurately interpret their impact on others, and to make adjustments on the fly that continuously spark effort, dignity, and pride among their people.
About the Author: Robert Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He studies innovation, leadership, and civilized workplaces. Sutton has written five books including New York Times bestseller "The No A**hole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't," which won the Quill Award for the best business book of 2007. His new book "Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best ....and Learn from the Worst" will appear in September 2010. Sutton was named as one of 10 "B-School All-Stars" by BusinessWeek, described as "professors who are influencing contemporary business thinking far beyond academia. He and Jeffrey Pfeffer maintain a website that provides information and a place for people to exchange ideas about evidence-based management at Evidence-basedmanagement.com
Review: If you have a problem boss or you have problem co-workers/employees, this is the book for you!
I found the sections dealing with problematic employees more helpful personally. Sutton verified what I have always thought- bad is stronger than good. When you have deadbeats (withholders of effort), downers (severe pessimists) and toxins (de-energizers) combined with those who violate interpersonal norms of respect all working AGAINST you/your company/coworkers, you have serious problems. People remember negative aspects, thoughts and feelings, MUCH longer than good ones. So for every good thing a boss can do, the employees will only remember the bad, unless the good outweighs the bad by more than 75% yup, it's a long road uphill! The negativity is also VERY contagious and unless the 'rotten ones' are dealt with immediately, the workplace as a whole will severely suffer.
The other important concept was to keep teams together to help bolster productivity. When you break up a great working team, all the employees have to learn to work with a new time, taking productivity time away, as they learn to work together as one. There is merit to the idea that a well-oiled team has great advantages over newly formed ones. Unfortunately most employers don't realize this and hold to the idea of "if they're happy, break them up", going against the best interests of the company as a whole!
The book is a great book to give to friends/family members (even yourself) who are on the rise into management, so they can grasp the best practices of great bosses before they get there and learn what they need to do to keep their workplace running as a well oiled machine! If you've got problem children already in your workplace, then it is a great book to help deal with the negativity. The book is NOT aimed at any ne industry or prefession and it's concepts can be applied to any job/career!
Check if out today!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge, from the Hachette Publishing, for review purposes. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.
I found the sections dealing with problematic employees more helpful personally. Sutton verified what I have always thought- bad is stronger than good. When you have deadbeats (withholders of effort), downers (severe pessimists) and toxins (de-energizers) combined with those who violate interpersonal norms of respect all working AGAINST you/your company/coworkers, you have serious problems. People remember negative aspects, thoughts and feelings, MUCH longer than good ones. So for every good thing a boss can do, the employees will only remember the bad, unless the good outweighs the bad by more than 75% yup, it's a long road uphill! The negativity is also VERY contagious and unless the 'rotten ones' are dealt with immediately, the workplace as a whole will severely suffer.
The other important concept was to keep teams together to help bolster productivity. When you break up a great working team, all the employees have to learn to work with a new time, taking productivity time away, as they learn to work together as one. There is merit to the idea that a well-oiled team has great advantages over newly formed ones. Unfortunately most employers don't realize this and hold to the idea of "if they're happy, break them up", going against the best interests of the company as a whole!
The book is a great book to give to friends/family members (even yourself) who are on the rise into management, so they can grasp the best practices of great bosses before they get there and learn what they need to do to keep their workplace running as a well oiled machine! If you've got problem children already in your workplace, then it is a great book to help deal with the negativity. The book is NOT aimed at any ne industry or prefession and it's concepts can be applied to any job/career!
Check if out today!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge, from the Hachette Publishing, for review purposes. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.
