Robert I. Sutton and the assholes

“Two tests are specified for recognition of the asshole:

1. After encountering the person, do people feel oppressed, humiliated or otherwise worse about themselves?
2. Does the person target people who are less powerful than he?”

17 Things I Believe by Robert Sutton

* 1. Sometimes the best management is no management at all — first do no harm!
* 2. Indifference is as important as passion.
* 3. In organizational life, you can have influence over others or you can have freedom from others, but you can’t have both at the same time.
* 4. Saying smart things and giving smart answers are important. Learning to listen to others and to ask smart questions is more important.
* 5. You get what you expect from people. This is especially true when it comes to selfish behavior; unvarnished self-interest is a learned social norm, not an unwavering feature of human behavior.
* 6. Avoid pompous jerks whenever possible. They not only can make you feel bad about yourself, chances are that you will eventually start acting like them.
* 7. The best test of a person’s character is how he or she treats those with less power.
* 8. Err on the side of optimism and positive energy in all things.
* 9. It is good to ask yourself, do I have enough? Do you really need more money, power, prestige, or stuff?
* 10. Anyone can learn to be creative, it just takes a lot of practice and little confidence
* 11. “Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.”
* 12. If you are an expert, seek-out novices or experts in other fields. If you are a novice, seek out experts.
* 13. Sutton’s Law: “If you think that you have a new idea, you are wrong. Someone else probably already had it. This idea isn’t original either; I stole it from someone else”
* 14. “Am I a success or a failure?” is not a very useful question
* 15. The world would be a better place if people slept more and took more naps
* 16. Strive for simplicity and competence, but embrace the confusion and messiness along the way.
* 17. Jimmy Maloney is right, work is an overrated activity.”

His blog.