Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide [Paperback]

Bob Rosner (Author), Allan Halcrow (Author), John Lavin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2003

An illustrated guide to surviving today's turbulent and challenging workplace from the authors of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Boss's Survival Guide

Forget the Australian Outback or the Amazon jungle-today's toughest survival challenge is the minefield we call work. It's impossible to "do more with less," especially with the looming threat of another reorganization, layoff, or other dramatic change. The good news is that you've got a new power tool for what ails you at work: Gray Matters. This inventive new book combines lively visuals, engaging characters, and impudent humor. But Gray Matters also offers hope and proven strategies to show you how to succeed at work today:

• how to sell successfully
• how to survive a layoff
• how to overcome the stress and pressure of today's frenetic workplace.

Think Dilbert with a solution. Your tour guides are the employees of GlobalGadget: Gray Blanderson, a frazzled employee seeking a promotion; Rick Newman, Gray's nemesis; S. P. Chan g, a Gen-Xer and a wise soul; and Virginia Edgarly, Gray's boss who will do whatever is required to be the next CEO.

A follow-up to the bestseller, The Boss's Survival Guide, this new book is a must for all managers in this turbulent work environment. This funny guide will help managers navigate change, improve morale and develop business strategies.

WARNING: Gray Matters is addictive; get ready to laugh and learn.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This must be one of the most entertaining business books around…wonderful cartoons make this guide book outstanding.” (City to Cities, July 2004)

"GRAY MATTERS: The Workplace Survival Guide isn't your average business book. Sure it's full of tips and tactics, but it's also a comic book. Don't let the illustrations fool you; GRAY MATTERS is serious about addressing the real challenges we all face at work today and offering practical strategies to overcome them. GRAY MATTERS, already a business best seller, was selected by the readers of Fast Company magazine as its first business book of the month. Bob Rosner, author of GRAY MATTERS and long-time contributor to ABCnews.com, sat down with ABCnews.com to discuss creative strategies for surviving today's frenetic workplace and what it's like to work with characters who only have three fingers." (ABCnews.com)

"...constructive [and its lessons]...seem perfectly timed at a moment when the only business constant is constant change." (Fast Company, December 2003)

From the Back Cover

WARNING: Gray Matters is addictive; get ready to laugh and learn

Forget deserted islands, today’s toughest survival challenge is the workplace. Threatened with layoffs, reorganization, or other dramatic changes, people need a guidebook for navigating the treacherous wilds of work. Full of uncommon insight and practical guidance, Gray Matters offers real business wisdom in an action-packed, endlessly entertaining illustrated format that trades cynicism for solutions.

You’ll meet Gray Blanderson, a frazzled product engineer who devises a road map for survival and overcoming the toughest workplace challenges, including:

• How to avoid the seven deadly workplace sins
• How to thrive in a changing environment
• How to sell (even if you aren’t a salesperson)
• The six keys to success at work today
• How to handle rapid innovation
• How to get on the right side of workplace politics

"Gray Matters shows us business books don’t have to be boring; fun and provocative is better!"
–Bob Nelson, PhD, bestselling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees

"A unique and humorous insight into how to stay ahead in today’s highly competitive workplace."
–Harry Paul, bestselling coauthor of Fish!

"Gray Matters is Heloise meets Dilbert–hints for the workplace with artwork and humor!"
–Heloise, Internationally syndicated columnist, author and broadcaster

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

an interview with the author! [91kb PDF]

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471455083
• ISBN-13: 978-0471455080
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From the corner office to the cube, work is tough. There are competing agendas, lack of loyalty or we're just burned out. Bob Rosner offers information, insight and inspiration for creating a more engaged workplace.

Bob is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has personally responded to over 50,000 emails from bosses and employees. He's learned that many bosses struggle to listen and many employees struggle to speak up. Bob offers practical strategies and tools to bridge this "empathy" gap. He's been called "Dilbert, with a solution." Bob is a regular contributor to the Today Show, CNBC and other media outlets.

Bob Rosner bio:
* Bob is a best-selling business author; "The Boss's Survival Guide," reached #4 on Amazon's sales ranking and was a Wall Street Journal business best-seller.
* He's been featured in People, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour, Fortune, Newsweek, Readers Digest, Playboy, Time, etc. Bob has been a regular contributor to the Today Show, and interviewed by NPR, 60 Minutes, CNN, Fox, Good Morning America, etc.
* Bob has been a keynote speaker to corporations and associations in Argentina, Australia, England, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the Philippines and in 48 of the 50 United States for the past 25 years.
* He's consulted with many of the Fortune 500.
* He has his MBA and has been an adjunct professor to MBA students.
* For more than thirteen years he's been an internationally syndicated columnist and contributor writing workplace911 (formerly called Working Wounded).
* He has founded four corporations (three were non-profits).
* Bob has received a Sigma Delta Chi award for Journalism Excellence, the Surgeon General's Medallion from former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and was the 1989 Commencement Speaker at the University of Puget Sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a business book for the rest of us, October 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide (Paperback)

I have been a fan of Bob Rosner's irreverent newspaper column for a while now so have been seeing promos for it on his funny website (www.workingwounded.com) This book is both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Hilarious describes the comic-book-within-a-book but heartbreaking because the riffs on the corporate world are so, so true. It may remind you of Dilbert, but I thought the checklists, quizzes, and things you cut out and put on the bulletin board put it in a class by itself. You can easily take it for a cynical look at the workplace, but look more closely. There is some really practical stuff for making your day pass a lot faster. You might even learn how to look forward to going to work again. Remember those days?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish that I had hadthis book a year ago, December 16, 2003

By 

PJ "bluedogbooks" (Fish Creek, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide (Paperback)

This is such a refreshing business book! Not like all those other dreary, hard to read missives that are published these days. Gray Matters is a wonderfully easy to read book that addresses very practical at-work issues. One of the best things about the book is that the authors also provide a myriad of ways to address each issue, from an intra- as well as inter-personal perspective. A year ago I was faced with some tough work challenges that I was very tired of dealing with. Looking back, I can see that having this book in hand would have given me a breath of fresh air and new wind to face things with different results. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to beef up their work or gain some fresh perspective.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sort of like "Dilbert" meets Peter Drucker !, December 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide (Paperback)

Gray Matters is an easy-to-read business book which means that it will appeal to more people than just "business junkies". It combines the ease of reading of a comic (e.g. Dilbert?) with the actionable suggestions of a best selling business book. I don't think I've seen something that has stood out like this since I read "The Goal" by Goldratt!