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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.

…as a boss, you need trusted advisors, mentors, and followers who feel safe telling you when you are being a schmuck.

…learn the fine art of emotional detachment and indifference – don’t let their poison touch your soul.

Embarrassment and pride are perhaps the most powerful antidotes to asshole poisoning.

Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung. We make rules that frustrate achievement. We prematurely write people off as failures.