Customer Reviews

Neanderthals at Work

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Well, so everyone thinks. I unearthed this book from my shelves - a rare one I'd had for years but not read -- one Saturday when looking for an excuse to sit in a hammock for a few hours. "Neanderthals at Work" - written in 1992. It turns out it has some great insights for anyone living the corporate grind. The basic premise is that there are three types of people in an office environment and the sooner you both figure this out and adjust your behavior to better get ahead, the better off you will be. Written by Albert Bernstein and Sydney Craft Rozen, Steven Covey gives it a two thumbs up. Every office has a mix of three types of people. Only one of them is really positioned to move up in the world but all of them are equally important to the ongoing health of an organization. Written for those who may be feeling frustrated by the "system" it allows you to self-diagnose your style and then gives some sound advise on how to adjust your behavior to better get what you want. The three types of people and their antics are as follows:

Competitors - the warriors of the office, to them business is a game. They battle to get noticed, accumulate power and move up the food chain. They excel at politics and are typically the ones running the show or poised to do so. They understand the rules of the game and know how to take advantage of office politics to get what they want. If you aren't a competitor, you may be completely blind to the fact that this sort of environment exists until now.

Believers - yes I'm sorry to say these hard-working saps never get ahead but work hard because they believe in the cause and think naively that their efforts will magically lead to their inevitable promotion. Sorry believers! The competitors need you to stay just where you are so they can continue to get the lion's share of the glory and keep you burning the midnight oil. If you suffer from burnout and can't figure out why you never get any respect... watch out, you could just be a believer!

Rebels - these mavericks hate "the system" and consider themselves above politicing and people problems. They hide their insecurities with bravado and disdain but what is it really buying them? Sure they are often the most creative of the bunch and when they have passion behind their purpose they will excel beyond belief.

A quick read, you'll come away with a greater understanding of the office politics, yourself and those around you. Beyond that, you'll gain some key clues on how to make the most of your strengths and how to better compete in any environment. Understanding the Competitors' "Ten Commandments Plus One" will allow you to let go of the need for praise from supervisors, learn to live by your own decisions and how to read the writing "not on the wall."

I read this book a few years ago, and I guess I owe the author a positive review, because it opened my eyes to the source of my own frustrations at work. Like many pop management/psychology books, NaW divides people into three categories: Believers, Rebels, and Competitors. Each has different attitudes toward The Rules, both Written and Unwritten. The first two groups have approaches that are...maladaptive, and I was rather shocked to recognize myself as being squarely in one of them. If the model fits your situation, you will find the book extremely useful. If it does not, you may at least find it interesting.

I'm a Believer (with a good helping of Rebel). This book is amazing and enlightening. I've recommended it to several people already (even though I just finished reading it today). I'm about to buy several copies and give them to others I know who could benefit from this knowledge. Absolutely recommended for anyone who can't figure out why the other people in their office "just don't get it."

I work with neanderthals and find this book so enlightening that I share with the neanderthals I work with! Now, I know what behavior to expect from my colleagues and stay 2 steps ahead and "think out of the box" when dealing with certain situations. In fact, it helped me manage tension and my own stress so that I can leave work with work and enjoy my down time more. Quci reading, easy to follow. The summaries are the best part and you don't need to read the whole book to get the whole story.

I bought my first copy thinking that all those people causing me stress at work were "Neanderthals" As I read, I learned that all work centers have- and need each of three basic types, and to the other types in the office, I am their "Neanderthal" Very empowering, give a copy to you you boss, and to your favorite and least favorite co-worker. I'm replacing my own copy, as it never gets returned when borrowed, only passed off to others. Good Reading, fast, to the point.

If you work in a larger company, waste no time in getting a copy of this book! I put this work right up there with the output from Robert J. Ringer.

If you are reading this review because you found work from me (Tcat Houser or Gudrun Funk), yes I am suggesting you get this work as a companion read to our books.

This great read has in depth examples of what is important to the different personality styles. Wonderful how-to suggestions for making it in a larger company.

For those who think this work has little value because it is almost 20 years old... well, people are not silicon computers.. They don't change as quickly in behavior as our digital tools do.

This was an easy to read, entertaining view of ourselves & fellow associates. It did not radically change the way I conduct myself, but there is always room for adjustments. My understanding of situations at work has sharpened.