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Irrational commitment to an anointed start who is really a loser can happen to any boss, no matter how experienced they are or how high the stakes.

In an ideal world, bosses would always manage work they understood deeply. But it isn’t always feasible.

…if you want to incite action… Get people angry by naming the enemy, or get them excited by identifying compelling dreams and goals.

If you are a boss, protecting yourself from intrusions may be a lost cause… management work requires dozens – sometimes hundreds – of brief and fragmented tasks each day.

Embarrassing your crummy boss is a good way to get yourself fired in many places.

When… it is difficult or impossible to punish employee misdeeds or remove poor performers, imaginative bosses sometimes still find ways to persuade people to change their destructive behavior.

…trying something creative rather than punitive may be the most promising path – no matter how much the perpetrators may deserve to be punished and sent packing.

Research on employee theft shows that ridicule, ostracism, and nasty gossip by peers is 250 percent more effective for deterring stealing than forms of punishment by supervisors.

…the best bosses master the fine art of emotional detachment. They learn to forgive people who lash out at them, especially those hurt by their dirty work.

The best [bosses] take seriously how others judge them – and accept the uncomfortable fact that followers’ perceptions are often more valid than their own.