The No Asshole Cure

Is it a shift of my karma ? But lately, life brought me the word "asshole" more frequently than in the past and more frequently than I would have wished.

I had some weird experiences of asshole attitude. From my work re-branded under an other guy's name, "because, you know Nicolas, an artist name will sell it better", to a trainee sharing each and every of my actions on social networks from 9 to 5. 2014 brought me a nice collection of assholes in different colors and shapes.

This brought me to reading this book from Standford University, Robert Sutton, the No Asshole Rule. I wanted to better understand what is really an asshole and more importantly, how to deal with assholes.

This book is actually more academical than I thought with a great bunch of figures, statistics and psychological definitions. Easy to read but I felt like it would make a great lecture at university, not a book.

The book is wicked from page 1. The author considers that most of Assholes are bosses and persons in charge who abuse their power position to bully underlings.

I have been an employee for many years prior to founding my company and managing people. As an employee, I met so many other employees who were serious assholes to our mutual boss, company and worst, other colleagues.

So, I felt the book is by default twisted when considering that only bosses are torturers and only employees are victims. It made it difficult for me to read it with trust.

If some people are permanent assholes, we can be anybody's asshole at anytime. Being an asshole to someone is subject to context understanding. Working is a pain for most of people and spending 8 hours per day receiving orders from a someone can bring the asshole label easily.

Everybody can be good friends when there is no hierarchical nor money relationships involved. It is far more difficult to make a friend from a guy who gives you orders all day long and controls your work quality.

The author has the forced honesty to admit that there would be no Apple, no Microsoft, no HP with gentle and soft people at the wheel.

Pushing a vision means imposing a vision. It is virtually impossible to convince each and every employee about launching a new revolutionary product.

The work place is not a democracy and for sure is a place of frustration. Like this book.