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

The No Asshole Rule was awarded a Quill Award as the Best Business Book of 2007.

When Robert Sutton's No Asshole Rule appeared in the Harvard Business Review, readers of this staid publication were amazed at the outpouring of support for this landmark essay. The idea was based on the notion, as adapted in hugely successful companies like Google and SAS, that employees with malicious intents or negative attitudes destroyed any sort of productive and pleasant working environment, and would hinder the entire operation's success.

Now using case studies from these and many more corporations that have had unquestioned success using variations of The No Asshole Rule, Sutton's book aims to show managers that by hiring mean spirited employees regardless of talent saps energy from everyone who must deal with said new hires.

Such insights will come from:

- Seattle law firm Perkins Coie, which instituted a no jerks allowed policy, helping them earn a spot on Fortune's100 Best Companies to Work Fo list.

- United States Supreme Court Fellow Robert Clayman, who noticed that assholes in the highest branch of government turned a blind eye to initiatives that would curb abusive and violent behavior.

- Testimony from a former American Airlines manager about how former CEO Bob Crandall's abusive tough love behavior actually caused psychological harm to those he was attempting to motivate.

FEATURING A NEW CHAPTER ON THE RULE AND ITS SURPRISING IMPACT! In this new version of The No Asshole Rule, Bob Sutton provides an uproarious account of the world wide reaction to his best selling book. As he writes: I didn't plan it. I never wanted it. I didn't believe it at first. And it still make me squirm. Sutton's talking about having been branded as the asshole guy. But beyond the initial shock value of the provocative title, Sutton's epilogue goes on to detail the kind of impact this important book has had on corporate organizations and employees everywhere. His book has provided a major wake up call to those individuals in the business world and beyond who somehow have lost sight that a little civility goes a long, long way when it comes to dealing with our fellow human beings - and leading an effective organization. This is one epilogue that is definitely worth reading.

‘’Did the Harvard Business Review really print an article that used the word asshole eight times? Apparently so, and from it evolved this audio book, a handy guide to the domineering bullies found in the workplace, on the sports field, and in the government. The author reads this abridgment in a friendly, informative style, making it one of the stronger business titles this season’’.