Good Boss, Bad Boss Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Audio available

Brief Summary

Good Boss Bad Boss talks about how to learn from the mistakes and successes of other bosses in order to improve your own performance. Because let's face it: sometimes being the best boss means you need to learn from the worst. Learn why being rude in staff meetings comes with a price tag, what crushing birds have to do with good management, how to get rid of “bad apples” and more to aid you on your journey towards becoming the best boss ever!

About the Author

Robert I. Sutton is the professor of management science at Stanford School of Engineering and researcher in the field of evidence-based management. He is a New York Times best-selling author.

He received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He works as a Fellow at the designing consulting firm IDEO and has a courtesy appointment as a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Topics

Entrepreneurship Management & Leadership

Good Boss, Bad Boss Book Summary Preview

Learning from your own mistakes is important, but learning from the mistakes of others is just as important. Just ask the COO of an unnamed firm who loudly announced on the subway a list of attorneys who he was going to fire. Unbeknownst to him, a passenger heard him and wrote a blog post naming all of the attorneys he had loudly fired off. Bet he wishes he had been warned! While his mistakes cost him his job, they can prevent you from losing yours.

Being rude comes with a price tag

In a business meeting, the CEO was being loud and rude, talking over everyone and refusing to engage any dissenting opinions. Everyone in the room was glad to say negative things about him behind his back and complained about his poor leadership abilities. However, once the CEO left the room, the next most powerful person, the CFO, began acting in exactly the same way. What gives?! Upper management sets the tone for lower management, and the way the CEO acts has a trickle-down effect. The solution? Engage in a constructive conflict strategy. That means allowing conflicts to arise, while also not putting yourself above any of your employees. This style has many benefits. Research shows that CEOs who engage in constructive conflict make better decisions because they are open to the opinions and ideas of others. You’ll also prevent that nasty trickle-down effect and improve the tactics of those who work below you. If you chose a constructive conflict-oriented management strategy, you’re in good company. Abraham Lincoln was also a fan of this: he had his top three opponents and critics in his cabinet after winning the election.

Don't crush the bird

Imagine holding a bird in the palm of your hand. If you hold it too tightly, the bird is crushed. If you hold it too loosely, the bird escapes. This is exactly how you should manage: strike a balance between being aloof and micromanaging, two methods which can lead to problematic outcomes. If you’re too assertive, you will damage relationships. If you are not assertive enough, people will not be pressed to follow through on goals. Moderately assertive bosses were rated most effective by MBA students.

Micromanagers often believe they are creating more successful outcomes, but research shows they don’t. Think of it like being a doctor at the birth of a baby: your job is not to be a parent, your job is simply to be present and correct an issue if it comes up.

Grit gets you there

Grit, a term coined by Angela Duckworth, is “perseverance and passion towards long term goals” that does not subside, regardless of failure or adversity. Great bosses inspire their employees to be gritty: to refuse to give up in spite of challenges. Gritty bosses...