The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
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- Create Date：2021-09-08 09:56:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert I. Sutton
- ISBN：1600245854
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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 bestseller。
"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 bestseller。
Reviews
Cassie Buckner
，
There were some great points made in the book， however I was stressed out the whole time thinking about my first employer out of college。 Full of assholes - and what’s worse？ They were unashamed about it。
Paola！
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Lots of facts， lots of studies， but little actionable advice。 I read it mostly because I am looking for some sympathy。
Sam Wilkinson
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Good opportunity to reflect on ways that I've potentially been an asshole， but there was no real depth to the book - seemed like basic common sense and to me fairly obvious "insights" - perhaps when it was written it was more relevant Good opportunity to reflect on ways that I've potentially been an asshole， but there was no real depth to the book - seemed like basic common sense and to me fairly obvious "insights" - perhaps when it was written it was more relevant 。。。more
Emanuel Steininger
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It's a nice book to read to bet some background on how to evaluate if someone is a temporary or permanent/certified asshole。 I honestly didn't expect much from the book， because I thought that it's a quite known and also subjective topic。 But I wanted to read it to become more aware of assholes and better suited to spot them and their behavior early in my company。 Therefore this book is quite good。 I only gave it 3 stars， because it's not a very fascinating book but serves his purpose， if you wa It's a nice book to read to bet some background on how to evaluate if someone is a temporary or permanent/certified asshole。 I honestly didn't expect much from the book， because I thought that it's a quite known and also subjective topic。 But I wanted to read it to become more aware of assholes and better suited to spot them and their behavior early in my company。 Therefore this book is quite good。 I only gave it 3 stars， because it's not a very fascinating book but serves his purpose， if you want to dig deeper （but not too deep） into the topic。 。。。more
Yangzi Jiang
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Not relevant or actionable - only describe how asshole sucks， did not prescribe anything。 listened on 3x so I didn’t waste too much time
Angtburg
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Hard part is getting it contained once one is in the crew
Diana
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Useful for people entering the workforce to identify toxic bosses and narcissists。 For the bunch of us who had experienced some of the things in the book is just a reminder to keep our boundaries up。 I didn't find useful advice on how to deal with the situation and the rest is pretty common sense， don't engage， leave if you can and just try to be a good person， don't be the a_hole yourself。 Useful for people entering the workforce to identify toxic bosses and narcissists。 For the bunch of us who had experienced some of the things in the book is just a reminder to keep our boundaries up。 I didn't find useful advice on how to deal with the situation and the rest is pretty common sense， don't engage， leave if you can and just try to be a good person， don't be the a_hole yourself。 。。。more
Alessandro Piovaccari
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Some great， some obvious and sometimes too simplistic adviceThis book bring some good point and certainly great great values。 Nevertheless， sometimes it is too simplistic。 For instance， it does not explain how to handle the situation where you have to confront multiple a*。 What would be the solution？ Just walk away？
Deanne Oickle-Conrad
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Some good points in this book。 A quick read。 Its an older management book but it is still relevant。 If you are not a hiring manager and do not work in private industry， the strategies will be out of reach。 Say you work in government or a union environment， well， harder to make changes。
Dawn
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This book has some really helpful tips for hiring and for managers when dealing with an asshole。I was reading it a little at a time over this past year， but my life situation has changed and thankfully now it looks like I won't need to finish it ;） This book has some really helpful tips for hiring and for managers when dealing with an asshole。I was reading it a little at a time over this past year， but my life situation has changed and thankfully now it looks like I won't need to finish it ;） 。。。more
Odgerel Boldbaatar
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Utter dissapointment！ Honestly i don't think it had to be a book。 An 2 page article would have sufficed to express all the ideas from this book。 The topic itself is very important and it is very good that Mr。 Sutton advocates for it， but the book was for me simply not worth it。 Even though it is a thin book with 188 pages， it was quite an ordeal for me to finish it。 Was very dry， overstreched， repetitive。 The most obvious things are dragged and explained in pages and pages。 i do have to say that Utter dissapointment！ Honestly i don't think it had to be a book。 An 2 page article would have sufficed to express all the ideas from this book。 The topic itself is very important and it is very good that Mr。 Sutton advocates for it， but the book was for me simply not worth it。 Even though it is a thin book with 188 pages， it was quite an ordeal for me to finish it。 Was very dry， overstreched， repetitive。 The most obvious things are dragged and explained in pages and pages。 i do have to say that there are some good points， tips but simply a dissapointment。 I don't even remember when was the last time that i have suffered this much to finish a book。 。。。more
Mette Lund
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I can't rate this book， because it would be unfair to the avarage。 I don't think I'm really the target audience for these kind of books， but was encouraged to read it by my manager。I thought it was lengthy repetitive and I'm pretty sure a summary article in HBR would have been enough。 I can't rate this book， because it would be unfair to the avarage。 I don't think I'm really the target audience for these kind of books， but was encouraged to read it by my manager。I thought it was lengthy repetitive and I'm pretty sure a summary article in HBR would have been enough。 。。。more
Frieda
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We have all worked with one jerk or another during the course of our working lives。 The author offers several valuable tips - 1。 Reframe the situation and avoid self-blame。 The other person's behavior is more about them than it is about you。 2。 Lower your expectations - "happiness reflects the difference between what you expect versus what you actually get in life"。 If you think that creep is going to change， forget it！ 3。 Emotional detachment - "linking your self-worth to how people treat you a We have all worked with one jerk or another during the course of our working lives。 The author offers several valuable tips - 1。 Reframe the situation and avoid self-blame。 The other person's behavior is more about them than it is about you。 2。 Lower your expectations - "happiness reflects the difference between what you expect versus what you actually get in life"。 If you think that creep is going to change， forget it！ 3。 Emotional detachment - "linking your self-worth to how people treat you and putting your effort and emotional energy into your workplace is a path to exploitation and self-destruction"。 This mainly refers to toxic work environments。 4。 Look for small wins - "perceiving that you have the power to shape even small aspects of your work life can have a huge impact on well-being。" 5。 Limit your exposure to those who bring misery to the workplace。Great read with many stories and examples that helped give credence to the advice provided in this book。 。。。more
David
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Saggio
Stacy Snyder
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Gave up after a few chapters。 Despite the alluring title，it didn’t have the punch I expected。
Hsinju
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Not bad but way too long。I never speed up audiobooks， but The No Asshole Rule was kind of a drag so I listened at 1。5 times the original speed。 Here are the key points:1。 Who are assholes？- People who belittle and insult those who are less powerful。2。 How do we detect assholes？- Assholes are people who always leave others feeling demeaned， de-energized， and their victims generally have less power and/or social standings than they do。3。 What damage do assholes bring？- Negative interactions have 5 Not bad but way too long。I never speed up audiobooks， but The No Asshole Rule was kind of a drag so I listened at 1。5 times the original speed。 Here are the key points:1。 Who are assholes？- People who belittle and insult those who are less powerful。2。 How do we detect assholes？- Assholes are people who always leave others feeling demeaned， de-energized， and their victims generally have less power and/or social standings than they do。3。 What damage do assholes bring？- Negative interactions have 5 times the effect of positive interactions。- Bystander ripple effects: It is not just the victims who are affected。- Fear of assholes in an organization leads to self-preservation instead of working to help the company。- Total Cost of Asshole （TCA）: The invisible cost that an organization pays to deal with assholes， including the distractions they cause， legal fees， replacing other employees driven away by said assholes， etc。- Assholes will hire other assholes。4。 How to survive working with assholes？- Refrain from being nasty。- Don’t waste energy fighting。 Look for small wins for a sense of victory。- Develop indifference and detachment。- Keep expectations low。5。 How to deal with assholes？- Respond with calmness and respect。- Deescalation and reeducation。I think that pretty much sums up the book。 This is an assigned reading of my research group。 。。。more
Ania Gaska
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I found this book problematic， it is vague and the thinking is very shallow。 The author also mentions all the times he's made other people cry which feels like he's trying to argue he's not an asshole while telling us all the rude things he's done at work。 I found this book problematic， it is vague and the thinking is very shallow。 The author also mentions all the times he's made other people cry which feels like he's trying to argue he's not an asshole while telling us all the rude things he's done at work。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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main theme: bullying behavior in the workplace worsens morale and productivity。 he describes the cost and damage one asshole can do in the workplace after doing extensive research。 "survey of 800 employees found that 10% witnessed daily incivility on their jobs and 20% were direct targets of incivility at least once a week。 The book also affirms that employees perceive "upward" nastiness – i。e。 directed toward bosses – as the rarest form and occurring in only 1% of the cases， while perceived "do main theme: bullying behavior in the workplace worsens morale and productivity。 he describes the cost and damage one asshole can do in the workplace after doing extensive research。 "survey of 800 employees found that 10% witnessed daily incivility on their jobs and 20% were direct targets of incivility at least once a week。 The book also affirms that employees perceive "upward" nastiness – i。e。 directed toward bosses – as the rarest form and occurring in only 1% of the cases， while perceived "downward" nastiness is estimated to account for 50%–80% of occurrences， with 20%–50% occurring among coworkers of roughly the same rank"overall very important message。 doesn't describe how to hire for fit exactly。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
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Excellent book。 Really enjoyed this。 Very powerful read。 All should read this， really！I found this better （but similar） to Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People -- and Break Free。 Not only does this book help to identify issues in a workplace， but it can also uncover issues in the reader - possibly making their workplace worse。 By reading this book， you are making work better for everyone！I will definitely check out Sutton's other book on the same topic， The Asshole Excellent book。 Really enjoyed this。 Very powerful read。 All should read this， really！I found this better （but similar） to Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People -- and Break Free。 Not only does this book help to identify issues in a workplace， but it can also uncover issues in the reader - possibly making their workplace worse。 By reading this book， you are making work better for everyone！I will definitely check out Sutton's other book on the same topic， The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt！Highly recommended。4。7/5 。。。more
Jackie Lemer
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My favorite quote from this book is “passion is an overrated virtue in organizational life， and indifference is an underrated virtue。 Self preservation sometimes requires us to practice indifference and emotional detachment。” We always hear how we should do what we are passionate about。 But sometimes it’s important to remember that self preservation means being indifferent to the situation especially when dealing with nasty people。
Brian Elswick
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It's a good rule （deserving of an article， not a book）。 It's a good rule （deserving of an article， not a book）。 。。。more
Jessica Biggs
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Good ideas， but no real world solutions to dealing with difficult people。 The author himself seems like he’d be a difficult person
Joseph Herman
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This book defines "assholes" as those who treat subordinates significantly more negatively than they treat superiors， largely due to the power that they hold in such situations。Great depiction of the impact that "assholes" have on the people around them in the workplace。 The author points out that even those that aren't targets of the asshole are impacted。 Clearly articulates the corrosive impact that assholes have on an organization， and why leaders should care about it。Only part of the book I This book defines "assholes" as those who treat subordinates significantly more negatively than they treat superiors， largely due to the power that they hold in such situations。Great depiction of the impact that "assholes" have on the people around them in the workplace。 The author points out that even those that aren't targets of the asshole are impacted。 Clearly articulates the corrosive impact that assholes have on an organization， and why leaders should care about it。Only part of the book I found lacking was real and concrete strategies for how to effectively deal with assholes in the workplace， other than avoid， selectively confront， and think of better days in the future。 。。。more
Alex
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This short book starts out like just another expansion of an article from the Harvard Business Review。 It states， succinctly， its premise （that assholes are bad for organizations and should be rooted out）。 It then goes on to tell *why* its premise is true。 Mix in a little of what I call "success porn" by cherry-picking examples of companies that happen to be on the upside of their business cycles on the date of publication， and we're on our way to a two-star review。So far， so bad。 I could have j This short book starts out like just another expansion of an article from the Harvard Business Review。 It states， succinctly， its premise （that assholes are bad for organizations and should be rooted out）。 It then goes on to tell *why* its premise is true。 Mix in a little of what I call "success porn" by cherry-picking examples of companies that happen to be on the upside of their business cycles on the date of publication， and we're on our way to a two-star review。So far， so bad。 I could have just read the article in the HBR。However， the book goes on to add real value in later chapters when it addresses two questions I thought it wouldn't: what to do if you're the asshole and what do to if you have to work with one or more assholes and can't leave。 I loved this。 Many business and leadership books assume the best of the reader， as well as assuming the reader occupies a C-Suite office。 While this book begins along those lines， it comes back to reality by dealing with unpleasant truths: sometimes， we're the problem; sometimes there isn't much we can do about the problem。This， at least， is different and gives us something to work with。 'The No Asshole Rule' may not be the best leadership book you read this year， but it will give you something to think about。 。。。more
Haidee Cardoso
，
I ended up reading this for my Library Management class。 While it does make interesting points and observations， it is certainly outdated to today's times。 For example， this book was published in 2007， before Facebook became huge and before the internet was filled with internet trolls。 I think his compare and contrast with a "temporary a**hole" and "certified a**hole" was intriguing。 I liked reading about the data of certain companies Sutton talks about， particularly Costco and how they keep a** I ended up reading this for my Library Management class。 While it does make interesting points and observations， it is certainly outdated to today's times。 For example， this book was published in 2007， before Facebook became huge and before the internet was filled with internet trolls。 I think his compare and contrast with a "temporary a**hole" and "certified a**hole" was intriguing。 I liked reading about the data of certain companies Sutton talks about， particularly Costco and how they keep a**holes to a minimum。 But based on personal observations， this creates a new set of challenges for outsiders like how it's impossible to get a job with the company because no one seems to ever quit。 I would recommend this book to anyone who works with a**holes。 It doesn't really provide much solutions， but it does provide a closer look into this workplace phenomenon。 。。。more
Miki DeLaFleur
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Easily the worst book I've ever read。 I would have put it down after the first few pages， but it was for a class， so I was forced to keep at it。This book is zero help。 I think a good chunk of that is because the author， himself， is what normal people might consider an asshole， so his own concept of being an asshole is so far and beyond what is acceptable in a workplace。 He quantifies physical and verbal abuse under being an asshole， and condones an employee who makes Ex-Lax-laced candies to get Easily the worst book I've ever read。 I would have put it down after the first few pages， but it was for a class， so I was forced to keep at it。This book is zero help。 I think a good chunk of that is because the author， himself， is what normal people might consider an asshole， so his own concept of being an asshole is so far and beyond what is acceptable in a workplace。 He quantifies physical and verbal abuse under being an asshole， and condones an employee who makes Ex-Lax-laced candies to get back at a boss who helps himself to her food （which I'm fairly sure is assault in its own right） and bus drivers talking/fantasizing about hitting other motorists to "teach them a lesson。" Oh， and he has a personal anecdote where he screamed at airline employees because he wasn't satisfied with his service and he "had to do it to get their attention。" And this promised advice for surviving a workplace with assholes？ Keep your head down， potentially poison your boss （see above）， or join a "secret society" of other victims of the workplace。 He even says at one point that complaining with others is often pointless if you aren't going to do anything。 I just。。。I feel bad for anyone who works with this man。 Or who works with someone who read this book and thought to themselves， "I'm not so bad！ Look at what all these other people do！" He even has a quiz to see if you're an asshole in the middle， but you'd have to be above and beyond to score on it。 Honestly， even answering yes to one should make you an asshole， rather than the 5 - 15 he claims you need to simply be a "borderline certified asshole。" Because this book is useless， here's my advice: If you're dealing with an asshole at work， go talk to HR。 If you're dealing with someone who screams， calls you or your coworkers names， throws things， resorts to humiliation， or threatens or resorts to violence， report them to HR and insist that their ass is fired。 These are not acceptable behaviors， even though Sutton paints them as if they are （if you can't do anything about them， that is）。 。。。more
Steve Scordino
，
A good read for managers or owners of businesses。 For the rest of us， it gives more reason to think someone should be removed， but still be as impotent to do anything about it。 Perhaps you can use its reasoning to help the owner understand the negatives of employing the bad apple even if that person produces individual results。
Simple
，
- The difference between how a person treated the powerless versus the powerful is a great measure of human character。- When people feel mistreated and dissatisfied with their jobs， they are unwilling to do extra work to help their organizations- Happiness = What you expect – What you actually get- Talking face to face is often the best way to resolve conflict。
Artsiom
，
Много воды и просто историй о мудаках。Первый шаг - признать мудаком себя。
Thrillers R Us
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