Surrounded by bad bosses (and lazy employees) How to stop struggling, start succeeding, and deal with idiots at work

Thomas Erikson, 1965-

Book - 2021

"Internationally bestselling author Thomas Erikson has helped changed how the world thinks about behavior using a simple 4-color behavior analysis system. In Surrounded by Bad Bosses he applies that same system to revolutionize the workplace. Everyone has had a bad boss. You might have one right now. You might even be one. Bad bosses are a fact of the workplace, whether they're short-tempered, unclear about expectations, or too disorganized to manage so much as a stapler. But how do you not only survive a difficult boss, but help your career thrive despite them? By identifying your boss's behavior profile you'll be better able to interact with them no matter what the situation. Erikson offers example stories and concrete... steps to help you thrive in any work situation. Of course, much as we love to blame our bosses, sometimes management isn't the problem at all. For every bad boss there is also a lazy employee, so Erikson also looks at the issue from a completely different perspective--employees themselves--and explores why some colleagues frequently underachieve, and what you can do to change this. Written with Erikson's signature humor and warmth, Surrounded by Bad Bosses (And Lazy Employees) will help you deal with the most hopeless managers and employees you can imagine--and keep you entertained along the way"--

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Subjects
Published
New York : St. Martin's Essentials 2021.
Language
English
Swedish
Main Author
Thomas Erikson, 1965- (author)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Physical Description
xii, 386 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 21 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781250763907
  • Author's Note
  • Introduction
  • Part 1. Surrounded by Bad Bosses
  • 1. Really Bad Leadership-and Its Appalling Consequences
  • 2. Why You Should Choose Your Boss, Instead of Your Employer
  • 3. Leadership Is a Process of Communication
  • 4. How to Understand and Predict Your Boss's Behavior
  • 5. The Most Common Color Combinations and How to Recognize Them
  • 6. Why You Sometimes Feel Stressed at Work
  • 7. Why You Definitely Want a Red Boss
  • 8. Why You Should Hope for a Yellow Boss
  • 9. Why a Green Boss Is the Best Option
  • 10. Why a Blue Boss Is the Ultimate Solution
  • 11. Why We Do What We Do: What the Colors Don't Show
  • 12. The Author's Profile and What You Can Learn from It
  • 13. Distinguishing Between Colors and Driving Forces
  • 14. The Difference Between Your Personality and Your Behavior
  • 15. How to Adapt Effectively to Your Boss's Color
  • 16. The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: When Colors and Driving Forces Aren't Enough
  • 17. Surrounded by Superfluous Bosses
  • Part 2. Surrounded by Lazy Employees
  • 18. Why It's So Hard for Your Staff to Get the Job Done
  • 19. How to Read Your Staff's Colors
  • 20. Whip or Carrot-How to Motivate Your Staff
  • 21. Leader-or Specialist? Your Job as a Boss
  • 22. If You're an Efficient Red Boss
  • 23. If You're an Inspiring Yellow Boss
  • 24. If You're a Caring Green Boss
  • 25. If You're an Analytic and Objective Blue Boss
  • 26. The Best Way to Put a Team Together
  • 27. Helping Your Team Become Active Participants
  • 28. When Everyone Agrees but Still Doesn't Do Anything ...
  • 29. Where the Real Slackers Come From
  • 30. Feedback ... the Hardest Part
  • 31. Why "Why" Is the Most Important Question
  • Final Words: People Quit to Leave Their Boss, Not Their Job
  • Resources
  • Index
  • About the Author
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

"The world is full of bad bosses," so it's best to learn how to work together, writes Erickson (Surrounded by Idiots) in this encouraging treatise. Erickson recommends that readers understand their own personality type, and their manager's, to figure out how to communicate effectively. To do this, he uses William Moulton Marston's DISC system, which separates two pairs of opposites--task-oriented versus relationship-oriented, and extrovert versus introvert--into types, which allow workers to better predict how their bosses will behave, and vice-versa. The model, he writes, also allows colleagues with different communication styles to understand one another even if they work differently. Erickson leads readers through understanding how conflicts can lead to workplace stress, and how to adapt behavior in response to a colleague's personality type. He then switches to the boss's perspective and runs through ideas for how to put together a team, deal with trouble employees, motivate staff, and give and receive feedback. His model, he emphasizes, is just one way of understanding personality and communication clashes, but readers--especially those already sold on his previous work--will find it convincing. The dual focus on both employee and manager separates this from the pack. (July)

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