The No Asshole Rule

Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't

By: Robert I. Sutton Ph.D.

Narrated by: Robert Sutton

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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 best seller.

©2007 Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Sutton's work is sure to generate discussions at watercoolers around the country and deserves influence in corporate hiring and firing strategies." (Publishers Weekly)

I wish it had been read by a professional

At the risk of sounding like an @$$hole, this reading was terrible. I'm certain he's a brilliant man, but his pronunciation is difficult to listen to- "exspecially" when he is emphatic about something, which he seems to be about everything. The tone is overexcited and the text is mediocre.

Not as much useful information as hoped for

This book has a promising start but then gets into some questionable psychology about why people are assholes (i.e. bullied or abused as a child makes them assholes in life are the only offerings). I've known assholes in my life, (and I've probably been one), and neither of those explain the "why?" which would be helpful for people who have been told they are assholes. I think I was hoping for a book that would help people labeled as assholes see themselves in this book and see different ways of responding to people. But most of the examples were of some pretty extreme behavior -- eating employee's food, outright bullying and intimidation, etc. when in fact, most asshole behavior is more subtle, slowly eroding people's self-esteem. The assholes don't even realize they are being terrible.

I also don't like meeting assholery with assholery. The story where the subordinate employee makes brownies with chocolate flavored Ex-Lax because her boss kept eating her food, while entertaining, is not really how I want employees handling things at work. There is no mention of using others, like other leaders or the HR rep, for help. That is typically a good starting place, as they can often help with coping mechanisms or better yet, have influence to discipline or fire the abuser. The coping solutions for people who can't walk away were pretty limited, and the case for firing assholes were pretty basic. I was just hoping for more.

Not bad....

WOW I realize the title is "*sshole but he really over says it! It was entertaining but not sure if I really got anything useful out of it.

Good book but annoying reading.

Dear Author,

There is no such word as ecscape or ecspecially. As least you didn't have any reference to nukular. Otherwise it's amazing book but it's nail grinding to listen to this butchery of the language. The audio engineers should have caught this. Besides the reading no complaints at all.

aged very well and remains relevant.

aged very well and remains relevant. hated the editing that added music over the narrator at the end of each chapter.

Workplace Culture

We’ve been working pretty hard on improving our workplace culture and this book helped me a lot with definition, labeling and correcting my own actions to help with workplace culture! A must read for managers and influencers alike.

great book

this book touches on a number of topics that I am certain can exist in every workplace. it have valuable data based on factual events and also helps you better yourself.

A Must Listen for Every A#&hole

What did you love best about The No Asshole Rule?

This book helps you understand the horror that poor attitude cah heap on a company. Learn what you can do, even if you are a natural a-hole to stop it.

What does Robert Sutton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He gave hope to a-holes. He let them know that there is an out and a way that you can survive and in fact be effective in a company with this rule. A Must Listen and note that it is short. If you don't like what you are hearing it will be over soon, just like your career.

Greater than great

loved it. could not wait until the next chapter and the next and the next. excellent writing and listening experiemce

Real informative and funny

Everyone who has a job should listen to it. Especially bosses and managers who want to keep their employees.