Product Description
The No Asshole Rule was awarded a Quill Award as the Best Business Book of 2007.

When Robert Sutton's "No Asshole Rule" appeared in the Harvard Business Review, readers of this staid publication were amazed at the outpouring of support for this landmark essay. The idea was based on the notion, as adapted in hugely successful companies like Google and SAS, that employees with malicious intents or negative attitudes destroyed any sort of productive and pleasant working environment, and would hinder the entire operation's success.

Now using case studies from these and many more corporations that have had unquestioned success using variations of "The No Asshole Rule," Sutton's book aims to show managers that by hiring mean-spirited employees - regardless of talent - saps energy from everyone who must deal with said new hires. Such insights will come from:

- Seattle law firm Perkins Coie, which instituted a "no jerks allowed" policy, helping them earn a spot on Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list.

- United States Supreme Court Fellow Robert Clayman, who noticed that "assholes" in the highest branch of government turned a blind eye to initiatives that would curb abusive and violent behavior.

- Testimony from a former American Airlines manager about how former CEO Bob Crandall's abusive "tough love" behavior actually caused psychological harm to those he was attempting to motivate.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 113 reviews)

I work with a bunch of you know whats

Sutton (the author of this book) is a management science and engineering professor from Stanford. He suggests (correctly, in my opinion) that we can all be difficult sometimes and that being difficult can, in certain scenarios, actually contribute to our effectiveness as managers. But that's the rare exception because (as he counteracts this argument) the reality is there are plenty of certifiable you know whats who are difficult to fire because they are often in positions of authority and are mistakenly deemed talented and effective by their superiors. It's a fun and readable book, that shows you how to deal with these folks and manage in a work environment that's filled with 'em. I think anyone with people issues at work will benefit from using it to inspire some fresh thinking.

The other gem I recommend strongly because I've found it extremely helpful in these situations (for dealing with difficult people and keeping myself in check in the process) is The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book
October 03, 2008

A great book ... why you do not want jerks on your team

It is inevitable that we all have to deal with jerks at the workplace or on your team. Sutton does an excellent job of pointing out the consequences of having these individuals in your organization. He also gives you the tools to handle these jerks.

As a team manager, I needed to recognize the ripple effect and toxic implications that one of these egomaniacs was having upon my team. I had been tempted to keep this person on the team because they were a "rock star" and considered one of the most productive people in their field

Through Sutton's book I recognized the toll that this individual was having upon the rest of the team members. My team is now less one "rock star" and performing better than ever. Thank you Dr. Sutton.

August 16, 2008

Dead Bang On!!

Sutton gets right to the heart of what it means to turn the tables so the rest of us can work in ***hole-free zones. Part of the problem in dealing with butt heads is really and truly naming them butt heads and not making excuses for there behavior. Or worse yet, finding fault with ourselves for letting them get under our skin. Well, no more snickering uncomfortably because we don't know what else to do. This should be required reading in business school, conflict resolution training and in behavior management courses. Take the time to plumb the profiles in the book and find yourself rewarded.
August 14, 2008

Loved it and used it with great success

I read this book again recently because it's worth learning from. The accounts here are not a "how to", but a "why not?" Why not shift the dynamic so that it no longer favors butt heads? I keep it on my desk and recommend it to anyone having difficult interpersonal relationships. More import, I used it with stunning success in a prison setting to help an inmate defuse an imminently violent situation by shifting the conflict dynamic and getting other inmates to join him. The would-be perpetrator backed off and was forced to find a different way to relate this inmate in the violent and hyper-masculine setting that is prison.

I'd recommend The No "Butt Head" Rule for use in any kind of confrontation training and behavior management education program you can think of. It's a powerful and empowering tool for anyone who'll take the time to explore it.
August 13, 2008

Boring...

This book was too boring to really get into. Started it several times but it just didn't hold my attention and I've never finished it.
August 06, 2008

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