A Bull in a Glass House: A Former Marine's Manifesto on Surviving the Corporate Jungle and Taking Control of Your Life [Hardcover]

Jose Astorga (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2007

Learning to Lead: Uncover The Unspoken Reality

A Bull in a Glass House is a manifesto. A former Marine's view of the corporate world and how employees must step up to the challenge of navigating its potentially treacherous roads by embracing change and relationships. In 1986, after three years in the Marines and a short stint as an armed guard, this former Marine secured a job in a growing company. He came armed with only a high school education and no skills, other than being an Expert Marksman in the Marines. Over a period of 10 years, through hard work and sheer bullishness he scaled the corporate ladder into management. His 10 year tenure in management provided an in-your-face, practical view of the paradox between corporate level expectations and behavior and the human need to fill the most basic of desires- security, belonging and respect. Readers of A Bull in a Glass House are provided with the benefit of hindsight including actual situations and quotes, and proven tips for future survival and success. Armed with this knowledge, the reader unlocks her personal arsenal to conquer the pitfalls, land minds, and thorn bushes inherent in any company. Armed with this knowledge, the gap between working perception and employment reality is bridged. Armed with this knowledge, success becomes a temporary illusion until the reader reaches out, grabs it, and makes it real-makes it his own. A Bull in a Glass House is an intensely personal and passionate look at the inner workings of a corporation and how to succeed inside it from a former Marine who battled within its glass walls-and survived to write about it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Current workplace leaders and people who see themselves as future leaders would especially benefit from reading this book." -- Winningworkplaces.org, November 2007

"...a practical guide on how to live in that world, how to reframe that world, how to succeed in that world. No wasted words here...a quick read packed with insight..." -- Michael LaRocca, www.chinarice.org, October 2007

"...informed, insightful, and inspiring reading that is recommended for anyone in business..." -- Midwest Book Review, October 2007

From the Author

A Bull in a Glass House is the true story of an ex-Marine's battle for sanity in an insane corporate world and the resulting lessons in leadership.

--For those about to enter the business world...preparation.
--For those currently engaged in the day-to-day struggle that is corporate America...guidance.
--For those whose every Sunday evening is the threshold of hell...motivation.
--For those who decide to act...reinforcement.

The business world is constantly changing, and to not change with it is fatal.

Learn how to deal with corporate bullies.
Learn how to survive and succeed in spite of corporate bureaucracy.
Learn to prepare for change.

A Bull in a Glass House is an account of the failure of leadership and the rules of engagement that will make a leader or employee successful.

A true measure of a man is how he deals with family and those within his circle of influence. The true test of a man's character is how he deals with someone who can do him no harm.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Outskirts Press (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1432704001
• ISBN-13: 978-1432704001
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,992,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jose was born in Cuba and raised in the United States. He served three years in the Marine Corps and has been racing the innane corporate marathon since then.

He wrote A Bull in a Glass House because life is too short to live in misery, chained to a computer and a set of rules created merely to numb us to the insanity that is corporate life.

Jose has written a work of fiction, so far unpublished, and is currently in the process of revising A Bull in a Glass House...because work is a never ending comedy in which we all play a part.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A Bull In A Glass House" is informed, insightful, and inspiring reading, October 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bull in a Glass House: A Former Marine's Manifesto on Surviving the Corporate Jungle and Taking Control of Your Life (Paperback)

"A Bull In A Glass House" by Jose Astorga (a 47 year old former Marine who works every day to support his family in the private sector) has one clarion message for the reader -- life is far too short to spend every working day in misery. To avoid endemic and chronic workplace unhappiness, Astorga provides a personal perspective on how to go about achieving and maintaining both professional and personal success. A job can be a challenge, an adventure, a means of expression and achievement. It can also be a quagmire of frustration, of failure, of dehumanization. "A Bull In A Glass House" is a superbly written and deftly presented descriptive analysis of the paradox of corporate expectations and basic human behavior. Cogent advice is provided for avoiding the hazards and pitfalls that beset any corporate enterprise from incompetent bosses, to defective policies, to unrealistic expectations. Also available in a hardcover edition (1-4327-0400-1, $19.95), "A Bull In A Glass House" is informed, insightful, and inspiring reading that is recommended for anyone in business and a welcome addition to personal, professional, business school, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists..

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reader Comments, August 13, 2007

By 

J. Astorga - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bull in a Glass House: A Former Marine's Manifesto on Surviving the Corporate Jungle and Taking Control of Your Life (Hardcover)

I got your book...
Very informative, inspiring, confidence builder, the examples are perfect...humorous, yet truth.
I truly recommend it.

S. Sellmann
Senior Logistics Specialist
New Jersey

***********************************

Thank you for sharing the book with me, Jose! I am not much of a book reader but once the UPS guy delivered it to my front porch, I couldn't put it down! I have spent 18 years in the trucking industry and was surprised how much your career experiences have mirrored my own. I've given this book to my brother to read because he is a plant manager and needs a little insight into how employees view things. Enthusiastic workers who put their heart and soul into their jobs will all love to read your book.

H. Storz
Account Executive
New Jersey

***********************************

Wow - I am truly impressed... You have a way of taking a concept and simplifying it for anyone to understand. I really enjoyed reading your work. I can definitely say that although the potential to make money is greater in the corporate world, I don't know if I could survive! I've worked for the county and state for so long that I forgot how cutthroat the private sector is. ...you are so on target with your ideas and advice. I love that you make your point in such a clear, direct way.

I loved your story about the conference you attended remotely....that must have been hilarious! Bottom line - I truly enjoyed reading your work...you're extremely insightful, very entertaining and you make some incredibly strong points.

S. Hernandez
Sheriff's Office Classification Specialist
Florida

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Good beach read during my vacation. Honest and refreshing read into real world business. Anyone with military service will enjoy the way you connect military training (TEAM WORK) into everyday real world situations. Great format and especially liked quoted lines between you and upper management and you and your team members. May be a good college level read for those studying labor relations or business management. Thanks for the autographed copy, (you may be a famous author someday) and let me know when the next book is due.

R. DiGregorio
Account Executive
New Jersey

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A Bull in a Glass House is a must read for anyone in the world of management. You do not have to be in the corporate arena to benefit from "The Bulls Rules". New managers as well as seasoned leaders from all different industries will glean usable information from Astorga's manifesto. This book would be a perfect addition to any business management class syllabus.

The author has a firm grasp on realistic management skills and is willing to share his recipe for success with readers. Astorga's writing invites you to navigate the ever changing waters of his professional career and along the way the reader picks up useful tools for his or her management tool box.

M.A. Canales RN, MSN
Nursing Coordinator
Pennsylvania

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sanity check for American Industry professionals, August 23, 2007

By 

Jose Alvarez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bull in a Glass House: A Former Marine's Manifesto on Surviving the Corporate Jungle and Taking Control of Your Life (Hardcover)

Outstanding account of one man's struggle to bring excellence and integrity to the workplace. A must read for everyone who is trying to make sense out of the bureocracy that hinders performance and customer satisfaction.