If you are a boss who wants to do great work, what can you do about it? 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 Asshole 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.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Want to be a better boss? Unaware that you're a terrible one? Sutton (The No Asshole Rule) is here to help. The cost of callous and cruel superiors is considerable: employees with an abusive boss are more likely to work slowly, make deliberate errors, and even suffer heart attacks. With examples from such diverse workplaces as Pixar and Anchor Steam brewery, Sutton reveals how the best bosses take diverse and intertwined steps to create effective and humane workplaces, and offers tips on taking control, getting and giving credit appropriately, taking responsibility, staying in tune with employees, and squelching your potential inner jerk. Using real-life examples and insight gleaned from 30 years of experience as a manager, Sutton teaches his readers to become the boss employees enthusiastically want to work for. This entertaining, satisfying guide is a wakeup call for bosses everywhere--and a survival guide for those who work for them. (Sept.) (c)
Copyright © PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review
I loved this book - immediately my favorite business book. There are so many great principles and ideas to live up to, backed up by real data - it should be every boss' responsibility to read and understand it. (John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla Corporation, producer of the Firefox web browser )
Good Boss, Bad Boss does a wonderful job of challenging conventional wisdom while outlining a clear and compelling rationale for thinking differently. From Sutton's useful steps for getting "in tune" with what it feels like to work for you, to evidence that eliminating the negative is more powerful than accentuating the positive, to the importance of demonstrating confidence with the admission that you're not always right. Good Boss, Bad Boss teaches the art and the science of practical leadership for the 21st century. I would consider it a must-read for anyone looking to improve their impact and accelerate their desired outcomes. (Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit )
This book is the personal coach that every boss deserves: warm, smart, and freakishly good at translating scientific research into practical tips that will help keep you at the top of your game. (Chip & Dan Heath, authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard )
We are damned lucky to have Bob Sutton. While his every word is backed up by significant research, he writes in simple sentences that make enormous sense. Typical in this book, Sutton's little chart in Chapter 3, 'Smart Versus Wise Bosses,' is worth, all by itself, 100 times the price of admission. Good Boss, Bad Boss is as good as it gets. (Tom Peters, author of The Little Big Things and co-author of In Search of Excellence )
It has been damn near impossible to find consistently good and objective insight and analysis from business thought leaders. But Robert I. Sutton, a professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford and the Stanford Institute of Design (where we have overlapped), is an exception. His new book, out now, is his best to date. Good Boss, Bad Boss is food for thought for managers and leaders in organizations large and small. It is packed with insight, lists of "how to" suggestions, and questions for bosses to ask themselves. (Reuters )
Good Boss, Bad Boss does a wonderful job of challenging conventional wisdom while outlining a clear and compelling rationale for thinking differently. From Sutton's useful steps for getting "in tune" with what it feels like to work for you, to evidence that eliminating the negative is more powerful than accentuating the positive, to the importance of demonstrating confidence with the admission that you're not always right. Good Boss, Bad Boss teaches the art and the science of practical leadership for the 21st century. I would consider it a must-read for anyone looking to improve their impact and accelerate their desired outcomes. (Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit )
This book is the personal coach that every boss deserves: warm, smart, and freakishly good at translating scientific research into practical tips that will help keep you at the top of your game. (Chip & Dan Heath, authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard )
We are damned lucky to have Bob Sutton. While his every word is backed up by significant research, he writes in simple sentences that make enormous sense. Typical in this book, Sutton's little chart in Chapter 3, 'Smart Versus Wise Bosses,' is worth, all by itself, 100 times the price of admission. Good Boss, Bad Boss is as good as it gets. (Tom Peters, author of The Little Big Things and co-author of In Search of Excellence )
It has been damn near impossible to find consistently good and objective insight and analysis from business thought leaders. But Robert I. Sutton, a professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford and the Stanford Institute of Design (where we have overlapped), is an exception. His new book, out now, is his best to date. Good Boss, Bad Boss is food for thought for managers and leaders in organizations large and small. It is packed with insight, lists of "how to" suggestions, and questions for bosses to ask themselves. (Reuters )
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More 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
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Bob Sutton's latest book is a great read, and is filled with vivid examples of leaders who do things right, or wrong. Sutton is a talented story teller, and brings bosses to life in his descriptions of real life executives and managers, and also draws on his deep knowledge of psychology to explain, in clear terms, why the actions of bosses are so impactful, for better or for worse, on the people who work for them. This book does what so few management and leadership books are able to- it balances "showing" through real world stories with "telling" through established theories of social psychology. Anyone who has a boss, or is a boss, will benefit from reading this book.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By P. Klebahn
Format:Hardcover
Good Boss Bad Boss is a great book on leadership.
I have read almost all of Professor Sutton's books and I find his ability to find real world examples of just about any leadership style or challenge amazing. This book is no exception. Sutton talks about the leadership theory, but balances it with his shrewd and pragmatic lens on the real world. Sutton calls it like he sees it-no apologies. I enjoy the mixture of theory and reality. Sutton sees leadership as a craft; something personal.
This book is filled with great real world examples of leadership in many styles. I found it thought provoking, as I was able to think about how any one of these styles might suit me or my organization.
A great book and author.
Perry
I have read almost all of Professor Sutton's books and I find his ability to find real world examples of just about any leadership style or challenge amazing. This book is no exception. Sutton talks about the leadership theory, but balances it with his shrewd and pragmatic lens on the real world. Sutton calls it like he sees it-no apologies. I enjoy the mixture of theory and reality. Sutton sees leadership as a craft; something personal.
This book is filled with great real world examples of leadership in many styles. I found it thought provoking, as I was able to think about how any one of these styles might suit me or my organization.
A great book and author.
Perry
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By M. Dearing
Format:Hardcover
I've had the pleasure of teaching with Bob at Stanford for nearly five years now. Reading this book will give you a small taste of the fun and brain-stimulating zip of being around Bob in real life!
Bob Sutton's writing is fun-to-read, extremely useful for practitioners, and based on real research. This is a rare combination in life generally, but particularly in business writing. Bob distills observational research and data into an actionable and memorable framework for leadership and management that -- if more people heeded it -- can make the world a better place. Sometimes the bad boss case studies make you cringe, but that's more than half the fun. By contrast, the good boss case studies are downright inspiring.
This is an entertaining *and* useful book because it puts a light on one of the most important relationships in our lives -- that between the manager and the managed. Note that Bob emphasizes the practices of the best bosses. This is a fundamentally optimistic point of view: it is saying that we can all improve, that we are all working prototypes capable of learning and getting better. As a highly imperfect (occasionally bad) boss, I appreciate that!
Whether you are a good boss, a bad boss, or living with either at work, this is a book that you should read. I guarantee that many folks above, below, and around you at work will be reading it and you don't want to wonder what they are talking about.
My only critique is that he should have used the word "boss-hole" in the title someplace. :)
Bob Sutton's writing is fun-to-read, extremely useful for practitioners, and based on real research. This is a rare combination in life generally, but particularly in business writing. Bob distills observational research and data into an actionable and memorable framework for leadership and management that -- if more people heeded it -- can make the world a better place. Sometimes the bad boss case studies make you cringe, but that's more than half the fun. By contrast, the good boss case studies are downright inspiring.
This is an entertaining *and* useful book because it puts a light on one of the most important relationships in our lives -- that between the manager and the managed. Note that Bob emphasizes the practices of the best bosses. This is a fundamentally optimistic point of view: it is saying that we can all improve, that we are all working prototypes capable of learning and getting better. As a highly imperfect (occasionally bad) boss, I appreciate that!
Whether you are a good boss, a bad boss, or living with either at work, this is a book that you should read. I guarantee that many folks above, below, and around you at work will be reading it and you don't want to wonder what they are talking about.
My only critique is that he should have used the word "boss-hole" in the title someplace. :)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sutton is the Authority on Surving a Toxic Workplace
If you need some guidelines on how to survive a bad boss or how to spot a good boss on your next job interview, Dr. Sutton offers practical and good advice.
Published 27 days ago by Marianne Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent ideas and reminders
A great book, full of interesting ideas and reminders about key principles of management. Would recommend for all managers, even those with a lot of experience.
Published 2 months ago by David Downs
4.0 out of 5 stars
I enjoy Robert Sutton's books and writing style
Another good book by Sutton. Nothing too revolutionary but a good book with some good points about how to be a better leader.
Published 3 months ago by Kyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good ideas, easy read
Providing a look inside some of the reasons we allow people to get away with under performing. It is easy to correct if you are aware of the methods used.
Published 6 months ago by VinceL
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I have a long commute & make a habit of improving my team leadership skills. It's not just my profession, it's also my hobby. Read more
Published 7 months ago by JB
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good Boss Bad Book
I think the people who could most benefit from this book are the one's who are least likely to read it, or to even understand that they need to read it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Denise
2.0 out of 5 stars
I expected to learn what constituted a great boss
I thought that this book was somewhat mediocre. I thought that it was going to have some sort of intellectual insight on how to be a good leader. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Kersten L. Kelly, author of economics: a simple twist on normalcy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book I've Read on This General Topic
I am a retired philosophy professor with a strong practical interest in organizations and how to change them for the better. Read more
Published 17 months ago by phileana
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too Academic, not practical for a real-world manager
I will admit to not doing much research when I picked this book up. I was new to a management role & was looking for ways to be a better leader/mentor/coach, etc. Read more
Published 20 months ago by James Roach
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Boss Bad Boss = Great Book
This is an highly informative book that really elucidates the skills and knowledge one needs to be a good boss. Read more
Published 22 months ago by reader
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