Assholes Beware!
PW Talks with Dr. Robert I. Sutton
by Matthew Longo -- Publishers Weekly, 1/1/2007
In his provocative second book, The No Asshole Rule (Reviews, Dec. 18), Stanford professor Sutton addresses the great scourge of the workplace—see title—and gives advice on how to handle them.
Where did you get the chutzpah to write this book?
I didn't see it as controversial; nobody likes living and working with assholes. First I wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review. It got such a positive reaction—they printed the word "asshole" eight times, and I received over 300 e-mails from people who felt oppressed at the workplace—I realized there was a market for it.
What is the next social taboo you plan on breaking down?
I want to be able to say the world "asshole" on the Dr. Phil Show. I don't think they'll let me.
In an ideal world, what would you like to see come out of this argument?
I would like to completely eliminate the myth of the "asshole superstar." It should be considered an oxymoron. There is a great deal of evidence that people overestimate the value of superstars. They decrease the productivity of the rest of the workplace, and when they leave, usually the whole organization suffers. Some workers are so angered by asshole bosses that they exact revenge. I just received an e-mail from a woman who put Ex-lax in her boss's coffee. This is a form of asshole tax. It is a devil's bargain: should you fire someone, even if they bring in lots of money?
Do you think your advice is applicable to the world outside the office?
Absolutely. For example, if you are on a line in a post office, and you are talking loudly on your cellphone, you're being inconsiderate to everyone around you. It's the same if you order a complex beverage at Starbucks and then berate the attendant for making mistakes. All of us are capable of being assholes on a temporary basis. This is human nature. But we need to be conscious that it does not become a pattern.
What does your family think about the book?
I am not sure my wife has read any of my first three books, even though she pretends to. This one she loves. She is a lawyer, and so a great part of her work has been asshole management. My kids thought it was hysterical, although they have been careful about which teachers they show it to, since some are more uptight than others.
