Customer Reviews

How to Work for an Idiot : Survive and Thrive ... Without Killing Your Boss

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked this book up while with my son in a Kinko's copy shop, and was pleasantly surprised. As a past employe, then president and owner of two national-distribution corporations, I've read a variety of business books, and must say I disagree with the negative reviews here, based upon taking this book too seriously. I have found Hoover's book to contain marvelous, David Sedaris-style wit and panache, though I do acknowledge that its value as humor exceeds its worth as a practical workplace guide.

In fact, the book is such a humorous parody, it really should be catalogued as "Humor" instead of "Business," as is inappropriately indicated on the back cover. A person who picks this up thinking it's mainly a business book can end up irritated, as other reviews here reveal.

I'll let just one example suffice as indicative of how humor is prioritized over practical business value. Hoover advises you to wear suits that are too large so that your boss will think you're earning too little to afford enough food.

In my opinion, the section on how to be promoted by being transparent and unnoticed, alone, is worth the price of the book. Essentially, in this section Hoover explains, tongue in cheek, how to advance yourself by being unnoticed until you're the last person standing, after the CEO has been arrested and the other replacement candidates are under indictment.

If you appreciate people like Sedaris and even Dave Letterman, I think this book will provide you a lot of insightful humor. I think caustic reviewers took this book much too seriously -- and -- seriously missed the point.

"I've worked for a lot of idiot bosses in my life. But, after reading "How to Work for an Idiot," I figured out for the first time that the energy I spent complaining about them was wasted. Dr. John's mixture of humor and real life examples made me realize that being angry and bitter is easy. Everybody expects that. But, putting myself under the microscope is the only way to make things better for me. Like he says in the book, "If I'm working for somebody less talented and intelligent than I am, and I allow that person to make my life miserable, who's the idiot?"

How to Work for an Idiot flows along and seems like Dr. John and the reader are sitting and enjoying a glass of wine together. Bringing in humor before the real meat is a fun way to learn. The 12-step program for recovering idiots was stimulating and fun to read. I liked the point that said, "We need to succeed in spite of the idiots in our lives." Real wonderful, solid advice. I laughed aloud at the line, "I never realized what it was like to work for an idiot until I became self-employed." The stories are excellent...strong points laced with laugh-aloud, self-deprecating humor. Dr. John has a winner on his hands.

Stew Leonard
Founder, Stew Leonard's
One of FORTUNE Magazine's 30 Best Companies to Work for in America

We've become used to catchy titles for books. And for obvious reasons, they sell more books. But catchy or humorous titles usually are just that...titles. In the case of this book, the humor doesn't end with the title. It is in fact an entire book of humor. Upon completion of it, I felt like I had just spent a night at the Improv, rather than learning about a serious business issue. Now don't get me wrong, it is an enjoyable book to read and at some parts I found myself laughing quite often. However, I was looking for some serious knowledge to go along with the chuckles. This book simply does not deliver that. Throughout the book, the author makes conscious (or possibly unconscious)choices to divert the topic towards humor rather than dive deeper into the serious aspects of what an employee is do when they work for a terrible boss. In short, he "chickens out" when real dialogue is necessary.
If you're looking for a book to make you laugh, or something light-hearted for a Sunday afternoon read, this is it. If however, you work for an "idiot-boss" and need some serious guidance and direction, skip this book altogether. It will be of no use to you.

I, like others, picked up this book while waiting in a kinkos for the latest i-boss crisis to print. The value of the laugh I got when I shared it with several co-workers and consultants was worth the price of the book right there. But it wasn't until a couple weeks later that I picked up the book in utter desperation to talk me out of killing my boss that I realized its true value: the advice cleverly packaged inside the sarcastic humor (is there any better way to proffer advice?)

I know if I say this it will sound like I'm exaggerating for effect, but I'm not kidding when I say that this book saved my job. I've always been the one in the room willing to call attention to the white elephant in the room...not something most idiot bosses particularly appreciate. Dr John's book allowed me the ability to let go of my mission to "state the truth with humor and sarcasm" without feeling that I've completely surrendered to the corporate suck-up rules. Okay, so maybe John simply speaks my language, but I really do need to know how to be a teensy bit more political (aka telling my boss that his stupid ideas really have value so that I can get back to work and maybe even get ahead someday) in my job without feeling that I'm cooperating with the evil empire.

Even a comment like, "wear a large suit to make it look to your boss like you don't make enough money" has a hidden message that indirect, nonverbal clues might be a better way to make a subliminal statement because some bosses just can't handle direct communication.

Thank you, Dr John, for your insight, humor, and liferope. I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to look inside to their own inner stupidity and find grace there to deal with others'.

If the 'competent leadership vacuum common to most organizations' has driven you nearly insane, you need to read this book. It has a lot of strategies for changing your mindset (since you can't change what he doesn't have). The book leads you from wanting to strangle your boss to realizing that idiots are people too (including the idiot reading the book).

Best nickname for an ineffective boss: Mr. Cellophane

Best individual insight: Idiot bosses seek rigidity in their lives as a substitute for competency.

Best committee insight: Groupthink occurs when members of a group disguise anonymity as unanimity at the expense of quality.

Best advice: You must look at the good things in life and the bad things in life and say 'well, all right then' to both.

Negatives: The methods for getting along with your idiot boss range from simple camouflage to outright manipulation. Chapters are loosely organized around 12-step programs, but the content is not closely tied to this concept, so it distracts from the otherwise good material.

This book is a quick and easy read that kept me laughing while providing solid practical advice about how to handle a difficult boss. There were a few silly parts that I breezed over. But overall, the tone is light, and the tips are useful. The author helps you reel in your rage by reminding you how unproductive anger is. And he helps you realize that making your boss comfortable around you is the best way to get what you want. If you're a person who's passionate about your work and you just want to figure out how to get around the brick wall of incompetence and idiocy that exists in so many workplaces, check out this book. Save yourself an ulcer and years in therapy and learn how to put your passion to good use.

John Hoover, an organizational leadership consultant, discusses how to deal with an "Idiot Boss" - or I-Boss - who does stupid things. Hoover distinguishes idiots from other tricky bosses, including those who think they are God, or who are paranoid, sadistic or Machiavellian. He leaves the reader with a couple of issues. First, you'll think no good, caring bosses still exist. Second, he doesn't tell you clearly where to set boundaries or when enough is finally enough. He often advocates appeasing bad bosses, although his other counsel on how to deal with them has some effective pointers. To his credit, Hoover is very candid about how he has learned from experience, including his mistakes. He offers personal examples from his experiences at Disney and elsewhere, and tries to write in a light-hearted or whimsical vein. We found the book strongest when it is strategic and weakest when it tries to be funny, given that with bad bosses you only laugh to keep from crying.

At long last, the book to grab right before you go out the office window! Dr. John has given us humerous ways to overcome often not so humerous situations we find ourselves in at work.

I can't seem to keep my copy of this book for more than a chapter as everyone who sees it seems to know an "I-Boss" and wants to "borrow" it! I lost my first copy in the dentist office!

There are so many wonderfully turned phrases and insights that I have highlighted almost every page! While an easy-to-read book, it contains very important concepts that will help everyone from the guy working for the "I-boss" to the lucky few working for the "Good Bosses".

As a trainer for the State of New York, I will be using Dr. John's concepts when working with "state workers" who sometimes find themselves caught in the "I-zone", "a state caused by the fusion of neurological synapses, usually followig an attempt to apply logic and reason to an I-Boss's thinking." The good news is that there are ways to move into the "Light," and Dr. John shows us many of them.

Dr.John on the "I-zone":

"Your inner voice tries to scream again, but nothing comes out this time, even inside your head. A pop-up window on your mental desktop reads,'This program has committed an illegal operation and will be shut down.' It's too late to do anything but watch your sanity disapear. Everything goes quiet and your internal monitor screen winks out."

There is HOPE! If you can keep your book long enough to read it!

I would like to thank Dr.Hoover. He came to help me at the right moment...Well I almost became a serial killer who is after I-bosses. His friendly and humorous style makes the reading fun while teaching you to keep your anger at bay.