Bob Sutton's veryy readable and well-researched book, "The No A-hole Rule," comes right to the point: we know who these people are, we work with them every day, many of them are our bosses, let's call them by the name we all know: A-holes.
These are the folks, mostly managers but they can be your co-workers, who demean and damage those with less power. These are the employees who ingratiate themselves upward, and kick anyone below who seems "irrelevant." They are forceful, nasty, obnoxious and often underhanded, spreading their poison in subtle or obvious ways. However they do it, they leave a trail of oppressed, humiliated and de-energized subordinates. They aren't worth the trouble, Sutton argues.
Sutton's argument is laid out in no-nonsense terms: a-holes cost money, demoralize staff and turn off customers. Research shows, Sutton writes, that companies cannot afford even top performers (for example, top dollar-generating salespeople) who are a-holes because the actual cost (TCA = Total Cost of A-holes) must be viewed in terms of what it costs the company in turnover, lost sales and lost productivity in the remaining staff who are forced to spend a lot of time avoiding or protecting themselves from a-holes.
Sutton's advice: Get rid of them. Failing that, at least don't let them on search committees because they breed like rabbits.
Although this book is gaining traction through its appealing message and highly contagious name, Sutton, a Stanford professor of management science and engineering, has not written a book that should be considered "trendy," even though its time has surely come. This is sound, real-life advice, based on research, that I believe will stand the test of time.
If you're thinking of hiring an a-hole, if you work with or under an a-hole or two or three (a "den of a-holes," as Sutton so aptly describes such workplaces), if you think you might be an a-hole, this book is for you. It's filled with advice for everyone, including who not to hire in an a-hole's place (wimps and polite clones need not apply).
I'm so glad Sutton had the courage to write this book. It needed to be said, and said in a way that people can understand. I have applied its concepts and am trying to spread his message at the company where I work, which was once ruled by a major a-hole, who hired and promoted a bunch of clones. That president is now gone, but his "residue" lingers. The new president is far more enlightened, and there is hope that he might establish the No A-hole Rule here.
Another book very worth reading that has a similar message is The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey. Covey also argues, in no uncertain terms, that bad people should not be in management, and that you will lose money and time if you don't create an atmosphere of trust.
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Just disappointed
I bought this as a replacement as I had this book previously and lost it. While I was excited to receive this book, I was disappointed in the condition. If I didn’t need it for a professional development session I was leading I would return it as it looks used and worn.
Top reviews from other countries
Rodrigo Pastori
Livro excenelte! Assholes no more! NEVER!
Reviewed in Brazil on December 17, 2018EC
Best piece of therapy after a traumatic experience!
Reviewed in Germany on February 15, 2014