Book Titles

There is strong evidence that power turns people into insensitive jerks who are oblivious to subordinates’ needs and actions.

There is also convincing evidence that subordinates are hypervigilant about superior’s moves and often assume the worst about their intentions.

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

Freaking out about time pressure causes people to focus on the task at hand and tune out everything else.

If you are a boss with a history of treating followers with dignity and have built up a lot of ‘love points,’ your people will probably forgive you if you get nasty now and then…

…if you are a known asshole, don’t expect much sympathy – or extra effort – from followers when the shit hits the fan.

…a lack of sleep causes people to make lousy decisions and turns them into impatient jerks – and when deprivation is severe, people turn irrational and fly into wild rages.

Beware when people are already in bad moods, heat magnifies crankiness and aggression.

Emotions are remarkably contagious. When people are surrounded by jerks, they usually mimic such behavior and don’t realize they are doing so.

When the top dog can remain calm and civilized – even when the pressure is on and the chips are down – this antidote to asshole poisoning rolls down the hierarchy as bosses and others follow suit.