Brutal Bosses: And Their Prey

The whole idea of taking back control of your professional life is explored in this short (149 pages) book. It has anecdotal feel to it and a list of types of abusive personalities as well as a questionnaire. Reads fast. Check out the extensive Bibliography. Can see how this type of book could be helpful to some of our clients in trying to identify their sense of betrayal after a poor match in their careers. I do not like the "victim" approach to anything, so I found it a little bit hard to accept that I could be in a position where I am not responsible for some of the results/outcome. I loved The Eight Daily Sins I could actually relate to them in a True Colours way i.e.: The green boss, out of esteem, in "Deification: Implying a master-servant status....they feel themselves to be superior people". I would use some of the type of bosses descriptions (i.e.: Conquerors, Performers, Manipulators, etc.) in a one-on-one situation to get clarification on how my client got the feeling of oppression or to help give name to a toxic situation. I also liked the Six Survival Skills particularly No.1 "Do not accept The Eight Daily Sins as natural ingredients of relationships at the workplace". In other words respect yourself.... So be it.

This book is very good at identifying and describing subtle abusive techniques used by some people in the workplace today. We have all worked with them, and sometimes don't realize what type of people we are dealing with until it's too late! Unfortunately, it seems that hard work and integrity don't always help you get ahead. However, I think realizing what we are up against is the first step to making a difference. This book challenges the reader to evaluate his/her own behavior at work, and to identify abusive behaviors of bosses (and coworkers). If you have any suspicions that someone is bullying you, backstabbing you, or manipulating you at work, I would recommend reading this book. I'd like to see this book updated for 1999.