Good Boss, Bad Boss
How to Be the Best ... And Learn from the Worst
By: Robert I. Sutton PhD
Published: September 7, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
ISBN-13: 9780446556088
ISBN-10: 0446556084
Publisher: Business Plus
"Bosses matter. Bosses matter because most employees have bosses, are bosses, or play both roles", writes Professor of Management Science at Stanford University, Robert Sutton in his well researched and landmark book Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best ... And Learn from the Worst. The author describes in detail, what makes a good boss or a bad boss, and how to become a great boss while avoiding the bad ones.
Robert Sutton begins with the premise that bosses want to be good ones, to achieve success, and to motivate their employees to accomplish their goals successfully. For the author, bosses really matter to their employees' success and their health, but they also are critical to the overall success of the organization. Robert Sutton demonstrates that the mindset of the best bosses is to achieve positive action for themselves, their employees, and their organization. The author lists the five common traits of great bosses:
* Walking the fine line of being constructive
* Continue to work toward achieving goals even against adversity
* Seek small continual wins and the reaching of mile stone goals
* Do not undermine their employees performance and dignity
* Protect and fight for the best interests of their staff
Robert I. Sutton (photo left) recognizes that a boss must be in charge, and indeed believe that to actually be the case. At the same time, however, a boss is not all powerful and often have a limited impact on decisions. Despite these limitations, employees will credit or blame the boss for either positive or negative outcomes. Since this is the reality of a boss's life, the author suggests using this ambivalence to best advantage. Robert Sutton recommends that bosses act as if they are in control of the situation, even if such is not the case. By utilizing this technique over time, it ceases to be a deception, and becomes a way of acting. Belief, writes the author, follows behavior. To achieve this change in mindset and becoming a good boss, the author suggests:
* Fueling the reality and illusion of control
* Be decisive - Say Yes or No
* Give and get credit
* Accept blame for failures
For me, the power of the book is how Robert Sutton provides proven advice for becoming a good boss based on extensive research. While much of what the author suggests may be construed as common sense, the concepts go much more deeply into how bosses think and behave. The book spells out what good bosses need to do each day to accomplish their goals, and to help their employees achieve success. packed with real world tested techniques.
The author provides a blueprint for not only becoming a great boss, but also how to avoid the pitfalls that can turn a good person into a bad boss. packed with case studies, and a complete review of the literature, Robert Sutton shines a spotlight on the best boss behavior, and how to internalize those best practices as part of the boss's way of thinking and acting. A key point presented in the book is how to transform even a smart boss into a wise boss, creating an even better boss. The author correctly recognizes that becoming a great boss is an ongoing process that is one of continuous learning and improvement, and of enhancing the best behaviors and adding new skills as well.
I highly recommend the insightful and must read book Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best ... And Learn from the Worst by Robert Sutton, to anyone seeking a results oriented and readily applicable guide to becoming a great boss in any organization. This book will turn any ordinary boss to a good one, and transform a good boos into a great one, while avoiding the behaviors that mark one as a bad boss.
Read the destined to become classic book Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best ... And Learn from the Worst by Robert Sutton, and become the boss you always wanted to work for and to become yourself. Your own productivity will increase, your staff will be more engaged and accomplish more, and your organization will benefit with higher profits as well.
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