Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss? How to Survive 13 Types of Dysfunctional, Disrespectful, Dishonest Little Dictators [Paperback]

Marilyn Haight (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0980039010 | ISBN-13: 978-0980039016 | Publication Date: February 22, 2008

This is the ultimate employee survival guide! It tells you exactly how to deal with every type of bad boss on the planet. Once you know the type, you can handle any situation thrown at you. Got a bad boss made of multiple types? This book tells you how to handle all the combinations. Got a bad boss who wants to be bad and knows how to get away with it? Find out how to survive and, even more helpful, find out what not to do. You'll even learn how to spot a bad boss during an interview when you search for your next job. You'll find easy-to-read, practical, tested advice in this book-not theory, opinion or second-hand information. Marilyn Haight, a behavioral scientist, conducted a five-year undercover research study, working as an employee without letting the employing organizations know who she was. She found out, first-hand, what works and what doesn't. She's packed all that information into this book so you won't become the next victim of a bad boss.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Marilyn Haight identifies 13 common bad boss types, and offers advice on how to cope with them. She also saves you some wasted effort by explaining what definitely doesn't work with each of those personality types. While the book would be useful to workers of all ages, it is especially helpful for those new to the workplace, who haven't mastered the basics of office politics." --The Washington Post, November 27, 2005 Mary Ellen Slayter

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Worded Write (February 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980039010
• ISBN-13: 978-0980039016
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When you think *you* are the crazy one...., December 6, 2005

By 

B. Campbell "argomd" (Southern Maryland, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them (Paperback)

Ms. Haight provides you with real hope. She shows astounding insight in her 13 versions of dis- and non-functional supervisors and self-diagnostics on how you might cope: change yourself (since the bosses won't change), lower your expectations, or simply leave. Though her case studies appear to cover more the commercial than government sectors, I have to agree with the first reviewer that she nails the descriptions. While she claims not to be diagnosing the reasons/pathologies for the bad boss behaviors, it takes very little inference from the reader to do just that. Since leaving a tenured professorship to go into government work, I have seen examples of -- and have been subject to -- every case she cites, even some compound versions, heaven help us.
And my colleagues are thanking the Washington Post, who first brought this book to our attention. This is my third copy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's afraid, not so much anymore, October 28, 2005

By 

Blaize Johnson "Blaize" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them (Paperback)

Ms. Haight is an excellent observer. While most of us just respond to our bad managers, she describes them in detail. I was so impressed with her understanding of bad bosses I have had in the past, it was as though she had been there. The advice is easy and more important, the tough talk about facing reality instead of wishful thinking is on point. I especially like that she reminds me it isn't my fault. That is Liberating! Her advice was doable! Highly recommended for anyone facing a work situation that is less than perfect. If nothing else, it helps the reader spot the problems before they become personal. Excellent!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended in the Washington Post! It's more than just a book..., March 10, 2006

By 

A Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them (Paperback)

The Washington Post featured this book in a two-artcle series. Readers wrote in describing their experiences with bosses in each of the 13 personality profiles and attesting to the usefulness of this book's advice.

Once you understand the bad-boss personality profiles in this book, you can handle any situation in which a boss deliberately behaves badly and routinely gets away with it. This includes the kind of behavior that no one believes when you tell them about it, like bosses who steal from their employer, secretly sabotage company programs, and punish employees who have information that can expose them or who are just more capable or qualified than they are. The book also assures you that you are not imagining these things and you are not the problem.

Unlike other books that deal with this topic, this book tells it like it really is for employees--it doesn't try to defend management and it doesn't send you into the lion's den. It also tells you what NOT to do and it tells you how to spot each of these bad boss types during an interview. And if you're a manager who has bad managers reporting to you, this book shows you how to recognize when they are manipulating you and creating problems that you don't see so you can weed the bad bosses out and keep the good employees.

At the book's Web site (http://www.bigbadboss.com), there is plenty of regularly-updated information about dealing with bosses who misbehave on purpose. You may even submit your own story and have it published on the Web site along with advice tailored to your situation. Or, you may write to the author via the Web site and get advice privately about how to deal with your intentionally bad boss. Visit http://www.bigbadboss.com