Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: bad bosses

  • Clippings from Don: Hamster-Brained Bosses

    One of the reasons Scott Adams is so funny is because the situations underlying his humor are so real.

    His article in the weekend Wall Street Journal, “The Perfect Stimulus: Bad Management” is the perfect example.

    If you want a good laugh as you absorb some entrepreneurial insights, then click on over to his article on why bad management is the cornerstone of the entrepreneurial spirit in this country.

    You’ll enjoy great one-liners like, “The primary purpose of management is to kill any hope that staying in your current job will work out for you… Remember, only quitters can be winners, because you can’t do something great until first you quit doing something that isn’t.”

    And my favorite, “I think we all understood that working in a cubicle and being managed by Satan’s learning-challenged little brother was not a recipe for happiness.”

    Sometimes the only way to keep from crying about work is to laugh about it.

    You know I’m here if you want to talk about your situation at work. If we haven’t met yet, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation about your hamster-brained boss.

    Voracious reader friend Don Silver always has an eye out for what interests me. Clippings from Don is a column where I pass on some of these articles, stories and resources to you.

  • The No Asshole Rule

    Robert I. Sutton. Business Plus. New York, NY. 2007.

    No Asshole RuleWhy do some people get away with treating others with disdain? Why are they so often in positions of power and authority? What can we do about it?

    I’m having so much fun with this book, that I haven’t even finished it before telling you about it. This is one I wish I had written myself. It is surprisingly refreshing to have the assholes among us identified openly.

    My favorite part is that Sutton calculates the “Total Cost of Assholes.” The difficulty of quantifying the costs of lousy management has long been a loophole for these horrific leaders. When they slash bonuses, the bottom line seems to improve instantly to their “credit.” The loss of morale and the departure of key team members doesn’t show up as directly or as quickly in the accounting reports.

    Not merely an attack on the creeps in our ranks, this book is a practical response to those who would have the workplace be different. Make sure you’re not being as asshole yourself, and get new ideas for surviving those who are.

    Check it out. Helpful and fun at the same time.