Customer Reviews

In the Land of Difficult People: 24 Timeless Tales Reveal How to Tame Beasts at Work

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I've seen Gargiulo in his facilitation practice and he uses stories effectively to get to the "heart" of corporate matters. In this book he uses folk tales and myth with great effectiveness to cut through to the core of complex interactions among conflicting personalities, and guides participants in how to effectively resolve these issues in a managerial or corporate environment, or even in institutions like schools or churches. Gargiulo contends and I agree that putting these dynamics into stories inhabited by animals and other creatures makes them less threatening and easier to digest, but still allows a skilled analyst like Gargiulo to derive the deeper meanings from these interactions and create a space where readers can learn how to deal effectively with wolves, sheep and lions in their own lives. You can get a taste for how Gargiulo works and the flavor of this excellent book in his radio interviews, which are currently taking place -- I recommend his warm and humorous way of delivering timeless truths in the wrapping of "Once Upon a Time" comfort. Great source material for trainers, HR, managers and executives who inhabit the jungle of corporate America.

The book is entertaining but not as good as I expected. I consider it gives good advice at employee/team member level but not at a managerial level. It is easy to read, presents a good variety of situations but not practical advice for managers.

24 fables taken from around the world illustrate 'best practice' ideas for handling difficult people at work. Unlike the usual Western approach, this book provides analysis of different cultural and social reactions to difficulty, and juxtaposes the folk stories with a brief analysis discussing organizational habits that adversely affect organizations at all levels. A lively, intriguing format, this will be enjoyed by both business and general-interest libraries.

This book recounts 23 folk stories from outside of the United States and one Native American story. The tales are grouped into eight chapters, each of which tells three stories centering on a common theme: wolves (tyrannical bosses), cats (independent individuals), foxes (crafty villains), lions (power-hungry people), snails (lazy people), ravens (tricksters), snakes (defensive people), and monkeys (poor communicators). Each chapter has a short introduction, and each story is followed by a few paragraphs explaining how it applies to work situations. Each explanation is followed by suggestions about how one might handle those tricky situations. Due to the short application sections, I do not feel that the book has the theoretical or practical depth needed for a book on working with difficult people in a variety of situations. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ideas about dealing with difficult people in the work world or anyone who wants to identify his or her traits and how people may be reacting to them.