The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
The definitive guide to working with -- and surviving -- bullies, creeps, jerks, tyrants, tormentors, despots, backstabbers, egomaniacs, and all the other assholes who do their best to destroy you at work. "What an asshole!" How many times have you said that about someone at work? You're not alone! In this groundbreaking book, Stanford University professor Robert I. Sutton builds on his acclaimed Harvard Business Review article to show you the best ways to deal with assholes...and why they can be so destructive to your company. Practical, compassionate, and in places downright funny, this guide offers:
- Strategies on how to pinpoint and eliminate negative influences for good
- Illuminating case histories from major organizations
- A self-diagnostic test and a program to identify and keep your own "inner jerk" from coming out
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Community Reviews
The author has a positive intent. He believes a certain small class of people (assholes) have an outsized and negative impact on a much larger group (decent people). In order to protect the later from the former, he suggests most organizations really ought to identify and remove people who behave like assholes. If you do that, you will find employees happier and more productive. Sounds great.
Why am I unsettled?
Well there are the obvious critique: Who determines who is the asshole? But that seems pedantic. Most people would agree who the asshole is in most situations. Purge that fellow and move on with your life. In fact, Prof Sutton gives you a short quiz to help you figure out whether you are an asshole or not. Side note: I want to meet and hire the person who takes this quiz and determines that they are an asshole. That person undoubtedly has more self-awareness than 90% of the people taking the quiz and determining themselves to be decent people.
But then after administering the test, Prof Sutton creates several scoring ranges. To the highest "most asshole" scores he writes "You are an asshole. I do not want to meet you or have anything to do with you." Or something pretty similar.
Now we are closer to my concern about this book. Without ever meeting someone, without even speaking to them, Prof Sutton is comfortable calling some of his readers irredeemable assholes who he would prefer to never meet.
As I think about people I admire in life, it is difficult for me to think of one who would (a) judge someone so harshly based on so little information; and (b) speak so harshly to anyone, even someone they had determined was irredeemable. Perhaps especially someone they had determined was irredeemable.
The author has written a book he undoubtedly cares deeply about. And I'm sure many have found it helpful.
But I fear a side effect of the way it is written: many folks will pick this book up, imagine a workplace conflict where they in fact have contribution, conclude the real problem is that their workplace employs assholes, and miss the opportunity to either (a) confront their own shortcomings or (b) engage in a productive discussion with the person causing a problem for them - which can lead to growth for both parties.
The range of workplace conflicts is vast. The number that truly have one villain relatively small. Avoiding and/or casting out assholes may be the solution. But I'd like to see more nuance.
Three stars. A helpful call for a more humane workplace that oversimplifies humanity just a tad.
Why am I unsettled?
Well there are the obvious critique: Who determines who is the asshole? But that seems pedantic. Most people would agree who the asshole is in most situations. Purge that fellow and move on with your life. In fact, Prof Sutton gives you a short quiz to help you figure out whether you are an asshole or not. Side note: I want to meet and hire the person who takes this quiz and determines that they are an asshole. That person undoubtedly has more self-awareness than 90% of the people taking the quiz and determining themselves to be decent people.
But then after administering the test, Prof Sutton creates several scoring ranges. To the highest "most asshole" scores he writes "You are an asshole. I do not want to meet you or have anything to do with you." Or something pretty similar.
Now we are closer to my concern about this book. Without ever meeting someone, without even speaking to them, Prof Sutton is comfortable calling some of his readers irredeemable assholes who he would prefer to never meet.
As I think about people I admire in life, it is difficult for me to think of one who would (a) judge someone so harshly based on so little information; and (b) speak so harshly to anyone, even someone they had determined was irredeemable. Perhaps especially someone they had determined was irredeemable.
The author has written a book he undoubtedly cares deeply about. And I'm sure many have found it helpful.
But I fear a side effect of the way it is written: many folks will pick this book up, imagine a workplace conflict where they in fact have contribution, conclude the real problem is that their workplace employs assholes, and miss the opportunity to either (a) confront their own shortcomings or (b) engage in a productive discussion with the person causing a problem for them - which can lead to growth for both parties.
The range of workplace conflicts is vast. The number that truly have one villain relatively small. Avoiding and/or casting out assholes may be the solution. But I'd like to see more nuance.
Three stars. A helpful call for a more humane workplace that oversimplifies humanity just a tad.
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