Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
    Unavailable
    The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
    Unavailable
    The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't

    Published by Hachette Audio

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The definitive guide to working with -- and surviving -- bullies, creeps, jerks, tyrants, tormentors, despots, backstabbers, egomaniacs, and all the other assholes who do their best to destroy you at work.

    "What an asshole!"

    How many times have you said that about someone at work? You're not alone! In this groundbreaking book, Stanford University professor Robert I. Sutton builds on his acclaimed Harvard Business Review article to show you the best ways to deal with assholes...and why they can be so destructive to your company. Practical, compassionate, and in places downright funny, this guide offers:
    • Strategies on how to pinpoint and eliminate negative influences for good
    • Illuminating case histories from major organizations
    • A self-diagnostic test and a program to identify and keep your own "inner jerk" from coming out
    The No Asshole Rule is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Week bestseller.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateFeb 22, 2007
    ISBN9781594838682
    Unavailable
    The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't

    Related to The No Asshole Rule

    Related audiobooks

    Self-Improvement For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Petty Party

      Nov 10, 2019

      The Petty Party
      4 min read

    • Article

      Making Inclusion Part of the Next Normal

      Sep 1, 2020

      While well-intentioned, research shows that anti-bias programs rarely deliver. What are organizations getting wrong when it comes to this kind of training? So much! The kind of bias training that has been the industry standard for the past decade is

      7 min read

    • Article

      Meetings Are Miserable

      Nov 17, 2022

      Meetings Are Miserable
      5 min read

    • Article

      Work Smart

      Dec 9, 2019

      Few things exude more negativity than a colleague who feels constantly victimised and regales everyone with an endless stream of sob stories. Your heart sinks when you see them walking towards you – and you also know that nothing’s ever their fault!

      2 min read

    • Article

      Four Tools for Better Decisions

      May 1, 2020

      AS A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, I’ve seen more than my fair share of ludicrous corporate decisions resulting from hasty leaps to poorly designed solutions. Before becoming a consultant, I was an employee at several companies over the course of 15 years,

      8 min read

    • Article

      What To Do About A Bad Boss

      Nov 10, 2023

      What To Do About A Bad Boss
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Entrepreneurial Mindset @Work

      Jan 1, 2018

      by Farhan Thawar Early in my career, when I was working at Trilogy Software, one of my fellow managers was never at his desk. When I did see him, he seemed to be doing really random things — talking to one person, going for coffee with another, or ju

      2 min read

    • Article

      What To Do About A Bad Boss

      Jul 11, 2021

      What To Do About A Bad Boss
      4 min read

    • Article

      Open Minds

      Sep 13, 2019

      Open Minds
      3 min read

    • Article

      It’s Always Up to You

      Dec 31, 2019

      It’s Always Up to You
      5 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      May 1, 2022

      Let’s start with your book, The Conversation. How is it that conversation—something so seemingly simple that we do all the time—can be such an important part of addressing such a serious and complex topic? Humans are not very good computers — we don’

      7 min read

    • Article

      Do You Realise How Scary You Are?

      Dec 3, 2019

      Most managers know they need to create an environment where people can speak up in order to hear innovative ideas and avoid scandals. Research from a new book ‘Speak Up: Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard’ (Financial Times Publ

      8 min read

    • Article

      What’s Love Got to Do with Work?

      Dec 1, 2022

      In the early 1980s, Tina Turner recorded “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” It became her first and only Billboard Hot 100 #1 single. It is a catchy tune, one that prompted me to ask, “What’s love got to do with work?” “Love + Work: How to Find What Yo

      2 min read

    • Article

      What To Do About A Bad Boss

      Mar 1, 2019

      What To Do About A Bad Boss
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Power of Human-Centred Strategies

      May 1, 2020

      A FEW YEARS AGO, I was working with the talent management team at a large financial organization. The firm was struggling with retaining its top talent. Far too many of its identified high-potential employees were leaving at the VP level. We set out

      8 min read

    • Article

      Unconventional Wisdom

      Mar 5, 2018

      Unconventional Wisdom
      2 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      Jan 1, 2023

      In your book, Jerks at Work, you outline four types of destructive colleagues. Who are they? The first type is the ‘kiss-up, kick-downer.’ This is a person who is really talented at work; they have the skills needed to get on their boss’s radar, and

      7 min read

    • Article

      How To Succeed At Failure

      Jan 13, 2022

      How To Succeed At Failure
      5 min read

    Reviews for The No Asshole Rule

    3.5/5

    246 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Should be required reading for anyone who works with others, especially in an office environment.
    • 4/5
      Based on his article in the Harvard Business Review, which in turn was based on years of research and experience, The No Asshole Rule condenses organizational behavior and productivity research into a brief, humorous, and easy-to-read and implement book. I have left two very toxic work environments over the last few years due to some of the factors listed in this book (though it hadn't occurred to me to call my old bosses assholes). As I was reading this book, I wanted to highlight and annotate with examples, then send my copy to previous bosses and say "This! You do this! ALL THE TIME! And it's ruined your department. Cut it out."Importantly, this book is not just about pointing out the asshole behaviors in others. Sutton is very clear--we are all, at least occasionally, assholes. He gives suggestions and guidance on recognizing and correcting this behavior. My current workplace uses almost every one of his suggestions, though they don't say they have a "No asshole rule."If you work with other humans, especially if you are in charge of them, I strongly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      I recently heard Bob Sutton speaking on Radio National and was inspired to buy his "little book". Should be compulsory reading for anyone who goes out to work! Talks about the cost (in $ as well as emotional terms) of abusive behaviour in the workplace, gives you the tools to check you aren't being the abuser and techniques on how to cope if you are in an abusive workplace. I'm particularly interested in the concept of constructive confrontation as a tool to generate ideas in a workplace - Aussies will relate to this as playing the ball, not the man. Also love the concept of knowing when not to fight (i.e. if you've lost your battle don't undermine the implementation of the idea you opposed, do your best to implement it - either it will fail and your criticism will be right or it will succeed and you'll've learned something. Win Win!) Some of the anecdotes are horrific, and though hopefully we don't all experience such workplace brutality, this book will help us all build or maintain more civilized workplaces!
    • 2/5
      Obvious and not terribly useful advice: don’t be a jerk, don’t hire jerks, don’t accept a job working for a jerk, and if you have to work with a jerk, try to avoid him or her as much as possible. The one interesting claim in the book is that research shows that negative interactions affect one’s mood about five times as strongly as positive ones.
    • 5/5
      Very funny but also very true. Sutton is very good at just saying what he thinks but also having the statistics to back up the material. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an asshole in their workplace or to anyone who thinks that they indeed are the asshole.
    • 4/5
      Sutton takes a look at the negative aspects of assholes in the workplace, how they affect productivity and what you can do about it. I found the book to be very down to earth. Short enough to get the info across but long enough to cover the subject. Surprisingly better than I thought it would be.
    • 1/5
      Typically the kind of book that tells you things you already know and will agree to. A book largely lacking nuance, reducing human nature to categories of usefulness and quantifying everything in terms of money.
    • 4/5
      Practical, easy to read guide to dealing with difficult people at work....and how to make sure you aren't one yourself! The interesting/innovative twist with this book is that it talks about the real costs of protecting "assholes" to the organization.
    • 5/5
      a great book that dwells on the important issues in a business - the assholes and their impact on a business. gives some advice and case studies on how to deal with them as an employee or an employer.great for new supervisors! :p
    • 3/5
      practical advice that is humorous and easy to understand.
    • 4/5
      Quick read. Some good information in here. You'll immediately recognize all the a$$holes in your organization after reading this book. And it's helped me to recognize when a$$holes are "poisoning" the workplace. Lots of statitistics, and references to studies that prove a$$holes can really have an impact on an organization. Good stuff.
    • 5/5
      I wish there had been more focus on minimum wage jobs and how those people can cope with their environment being that most of this country is minimum wage paid. other than that it was a wonderful book.
    • 2/5
      Some interesting information stuff very repetitive there is some humor .
    • 5/5
      Refreshing for the “targets( empathetic just and fair people” that deal with assholes!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely recommended + the fact that the Author takes the time to read the Audiobook makes it really worthwhile and shows his commitment to the statement.
      The book lets you digest all the aspects of how to identify and deal with people who fall into this category. It is a relief to see that this issue occurs at every workplace, so it makes your day a bit brighter :)
      Thanks for Robert Sutton for that valuable and on the point contribution.
    • 5/5
      It's an eye opener.
    • 2/5
      Chapter 24 audio is scrambled. Please fix the scrambled audio.
    • 2/5
      Obvious and not terribly useful advice: don?t be a jerk, don?t hire jerks, don?t accept a job working for a jerk, and if you have to work with a jerk, try to avoid him or her as much as possible. The one interesting claim in the book is that research shows that negative interactions affect one?s mood about five times as strongly as positive ones.
    • 2/5
      Obvious and not terribly useful advice: don’t be a jerk, don’t hire jerks, don’t accept a job working for a jerk, and if you have to work with a jerk, try to avoid him or her as much as possible. The one interesting claim in the book is that research shows that negative interactions affect one’s mood about five times as strongly as positive ones.
    • 3/5
      While some won't look twice at this book due to the name, everyone who survives long enough to enter the workplace probably should read it at least once.

      Read again, again :)

      Probably I'm still an asshole sometimes.
    • 5/5
      I decided to read this to better prepare myself for the summer. Most of the time it read like instructions for someone opening a business but it had some interesting statistics and advice. Always treat the person in right in front of you, right now, in the right way. Negative interactions have five times the effect on mood than positive interactions (180). Everyone has their Steve-Jobs-the-asshole-story (156). Try using "we" in group projects or work settings instead of I or me. (108). Adopt a frame that turns your attention to ways in which you are no better or worse than other people. Do not be jealous of what others have, tell yourself "I have enough." These all seem to be good ideas to work on and I recommend this book .
    • 4/5
      An essential book that details the cost of workplace assholes. I read once that when there is a problem with an employee (such as those indicated in this book) it's important to address how the problem affects the company and the bottom line as opposed to one's personal feelings. This book details how to deal with assholes, how to handle them, and what to do if you can't get out of a bad work situation.What I like most about the book is looking inward. The first step should be looking at yourself, are you an asshole? How do you treat other people, how do they feel after interactions, are they avoiding you? This book doesn't have hard research or documentation other than the damage done to companies with toxic employees. There are other books that have come out in the same vein as Sutton's that I would recommend that addresses that research thoroughly. The Cost of Bad Behavior and The Civility Solution are both two books that deal with the more technical side of this problem and I think are useful in developing a strategy against toxic employees and workplaces. I have read Sutton's blog for many years so much of the stuff in the book is a repetition of that information. The book is quick read with solid points on how to identify if you are an asshole, how to identify assholes (especially the difference between people having a bad day or moment and those that consistently treat people poorly), and what to do if you cannot leave a job situation that is toxic. I would highly recommend this book even if you don't feel that you are working with toxic employees are people, but especially if you feel that you are. This book will help you get through it. Best Passages from the book: -Negative interactions has a fivefold stronger effect on mood than positive interactions--so nasty people pack a lot more wallop than their more civilized counterparts. p. 31...units with the best leadership and coworker relationships reported the most errors: units with the best leaders reported making as many as ten times more errors than the units with the worst leaders...nurses felt "psychologically safe" to admit their mistakes. p. 40"...powerful people construe others as a means to one's own ends while simultaneously giving themselves excessive credit for good things that happen to themselves and their organizations. p. 74Fight as if you are right, listen as if you are wrong. p. 81 (lessons for constructive conflict)the no asshole rule is meaningless unless you treat the person right in front of you, right now, in the right way. p. 89the first step is to view acting like an asshole as a communicable disease. Once you unleash disdain, anger, and contempt or someone unleashes it on you, it spreads like wildfire. p. 96Ruth's "Satan's Cesspool Strategy":Reframe the nastiness that she faced in ways that helped her become emotionally detached from the assholes--even downright indifferent to what was happening. Don't struggle against larger forces that she couldn't control. She focused instead on small ways to gain tidbits of control, including helping fellow victims cope with the jerks by teaching the victims her strategy, giving them emotional support, and concentrating on helping the good people in the company. She picked small battles she could win and took small steps to undermind the worst of her tormenters. p. 131Reframing: when people view difficulties as temporary and not their fault, and as something that will not prevade and ruin the rest of their lives, this frame protects their mental and physical health and enhances their resilience. ("learned optimism") p. 132...happiness reflects the difference between what you expect versus what you actually get in life--so if you keep expecting good things to happen, but they never do or take a turn for the worse, you will suffer constant unhappiness. The trick is not to expect jerks will change their behavior. Keep your expectations for their behavior low, but continue to believe that you will be fine after the ordeal is over. That way, you won't be surprised by your colleagues' relentless nastiness. p. 134detached indifference, simply not giving a damn, might be the best you can do to survive a workplace that subjects you to relentless humiliation. p. 138Rigorous research confirms that the feeling of control--perceiving that you have the power to shape even small aspects of your fate--can have a huge impact on human well-being. p. 139...find places and times where you can hide from your tormentors. Meet with them as rarely as possible. Schedule meetings that will be short...p. 142

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      There are many factors that contribute to a negative workplace but none is more obvious than abusive and selfish bosses, colleagues and clients. There are several themes that appealed to me in this book: negativity is poisonous and will infect even the most pleasant people; bosses aren't the only ones responsible for abusive behaviour (working in a client-focused area, I can confirm that clients are often the worst offenders); we are all guilty at some time or other of improper conduct (I know I am), the trick is to recognize it and work on it.Sutton develops these themes in a simple accessible style with many examples, some of them famous others more anecdotal, and he gives a few simple suggestions on how to avoid or diffuse unpleasant people and circumstances.I recommend this book most, however, for its self-test: knowing yourself is the best way to prevent harassment and abusive behaviour in the workplace (or at home for that matter) and developing techniques to control anger, sarcasm and aggression. Then, you can build your courage to call others on their asshole behaviour...

      1 person found this helpful