Amazon.com: Fire Your Boss: Stephen M. Pollan, Mark Levine: Books

From Publishers Weekly
This stimulating, iconoclastic career-development primer is a rare example of the self-help/motivational genre with a difference. Life coach Pollan and his collaborator Levine, authors of the contrarian retirement planning guide Die Broke, don’t mean the title literally; it’s just a metaphor for taking control of your work life, one that rejects all the high-minded shibboleths of traditional business motivation. They argue that companies are "amoral legal constructs" that care nothing for their workers. Bosses are dictators rather than mentors or servant-leaders. Jobs can’t provide psychological or spiritual fulfillment; people should get those things from their lives away from work—where they should spend as little time as possible. The authors elaborate these insights into a refreshingly cynical take on workplace issues. Success doesn’t depend on doing a good job, they say, but on soothing and flattering the boss. Workers shouldn’t wallow in unrequited loyalty to the company, but ought to be constantly "fishing" for better jobs. Other rules: rely on personal ties, because landing a job is a matter of "who you know, not what you know"; don’t personalize your cubicle, because that might encourage you to spend more time at work; above all, don’t try to follow your heart or make a difference in your career: "the job of your dreams is the one that pays the most money." The authors provide lots of shrewd tips on job hunting, negotiating, manipulation and brown-nosing, but their book transcends the merely pragmatic. Their call to "end this destructive pursuit of meaningful work" mounts a subversive challenge to the idea of the calling, and thus to the Protestant work ethic at the very core of the motivational worldview.
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Book Description
Fire Your Boss And Hire Yourself.

Impossible? Not according to nationally bestselling author Stephen M. Pollan. As he says in this new and empowering book, "You don't have to accept your current work situation. You can be in control of your job and your stream of income, so you're never again subject to the whims, prejudices, moods, or circumstances of your so-called boss."

In today's difficult work environment, gone are the days of finding satisfaction through your job, gone is the time when your job was secure, and gone are the days when your employer cared about you. This new environment requires new rules, and Pollan has provided surprisingly fresh and intriguing methods for finding "success" on the job.

Pollan's bold and unique message begins with the idea that you must "fire your boss." By this he means you can no longer rely on your manager or your company for economic security. Instead, you must put yourself in charge of your working life. In this thought-provoking and counterintuitive career guide, Pollan presents a seven-step program and a series of exercises that give you the confidence, power, and will to achieve the life of your dreams.

Once you have changed your mind-set and learned the new rules of the game, you can start the process of moving to a richer, more enriching, and more enjoyable life. And the best part about it? Your boss will love you for it.

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Fire Your Boss (Hardcover)

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