April 2007
By Rolf Crocker

Have you ever worked with or for a total jerk?  Not just an occasional jerk, but a certified, USDA Prime jerk?  Have you ever, in the recesses of your mind used another term instead of jerk?  And finally, have you ever wished there was a book that could, with empirical data and academic oversight, not only help you discern between the occasional and certifiable jerk, but could help you not just survive the experience but could also let you know if you were in fact ‘one of them?’  Have I got a book for you!

The No Asshole Rule – Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Robert I, Sutton, PhD (©2007 Robert I. Sutton/Warner Business Books).  Yes, you read the title right.  In fact, Stanford University Professor Robert Sutton explains in the introduction that this was a ‘half-hearted’ proposal to the Harvard Business Review that he would write an essay on the subject only if they printed the title exactly as it is here.  Much to his surprise, they not only accepted it, but it turned out to have such an overwhelming response from the readership that Sutton felt compelled to turn it into a full-length book.

You may call them bullies, jerks, buttheads or the above ‘term-of-art,’ but whoever they are, they can ruin a workplace and will proliferate if you let them.  One of the key tests as pointed out by Sutton I knew innately, but hadn’t verbalized it – how does that person treat folks with less power our stature – are they condescending, demeaning and demoralizing or are they polite, courteous and kind?  Well written and thoroughly researched, Sutton does an excellent job in covering every aspect of ‘assholism’, from the damage they cause, how to implement and enforce the Rule, how to stop your ‘inner jerk’ from getting out to surviving the experience.  He even offers (with many cautionary qualifiers) how it can be seen as a virtue.

His bottom line?  1)  Life is too short to waste it dealing with insufferable jerks and 2) there is something you can do about it.  Develop and enforce The Rule in your own life and/or workplace see what a difference it makes in you and in those around you.  5 Stars