In his book Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, CEO Howard Schultz identified what leadership keys he believed were important to the transform of his company. The mind map below gives the highlights.
Leadership Keys
The stock price for Starbucks is back over $30 a share so it would appear that the hard decisions that Schultz had to make after his return have paid off. Telling your story and Don’t embrace the status quo are two of my favorites.
Which ones do you use in your leadership roles? Or aspire to achieve?
I read this book several months ago. It was first published in 2007 by Stanford University professor Dr. Robert I. Sutton. The book grew out an of article he wrote for the Harvard Business Review. The response to the initial article was overwhelming, Dr. Sutton was flooded with correspondence from people who had stories to tell about their experience with working with an “asshole” in the workplace. Not surprising really since we have all at one point worked with or for an “asshole”.
The book is broken down into 7 chapters. The first of which I’ll go into is chapter 1 since it discusses “What Workplace Assholes Do And Why You Know So Many“. According to the author there are two tests you should use in order to identify if you are in fact dealing with an “asshole”.
Test One: After talking to the alleged asshole, does the “target” feel oppressed, humiliated, de-energized, or belittled? In particular, does the target feel worse about him- or herself?
Test Two: Does the alleged asshole aim his or her venom at people who are less powerful rather than at those who are more powerful?
At one time or another I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with individuals who fit these criteria and not just at work.
What the author calls the “dirty dozen” – the weapons an “asshole” uses is quite interesting because I’m sure at one point we have all committed one of these 12 behaviors. No one is immune to being an “asshole” on occasion. Or as the author prefers to call a “temporary asshole”. It’s the frequency and degree of the behavior that is a problem. This is when someone enters the “certified asshole” arena.
The Dirty Dozen Common Everyday Actions that Assholes Use
Personal Insults
Invading one’s “personal territory”
Uninvited physical contact
Threats and intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
“Sarcastic jokes” and “teasing” used as insult delivery systems
Withering email flames
Status slaps intended to humiliate the victims
Public shaming or “status degradation” rituals
Rude interruptions
Two-faced attacks
Dirty looks
Treating people as if they are invisible
The author doesn’t advocate for a conflict free environment but rather one where demeaning others isn’t the status quo. Aggression and bullying in the workplace happens so we need to know how to handle it.
The book is well balanced in that it covers not only how to identify “asshole” behavior but how it impacts both the person being demeaning as well as the “asshole” dishing out the behavior. Both people suffer in different ways. One might have their spirit broken while the other might experience career/relationship setbacks as a result of their behavior.
Many organizations enforce the no asshole rule, but some do it with a lot more zeal than others. In most places, certified assholes are tolerated, but up to a point. People can get away with being run-of-the-mill jerks and might even score kudos and cash as a result. The rule is applied, but only to flaming assholes, who are punished, “reeducated”, and then expelled if less dramatic measures fail. The imaginary line between an ordinary and a flaming asshole depends on local quirks and customs. An “über jerk” might be crowned after costing the organization a fortune, driving coworkers to the edge of madness, creating horrific PR problems, or exposing the organization to massive legal risküeven though hordes of ordinary jerks continue to get off scot-free – Dr. Robert I. Sutton
I love that the author not only covers organizations, customer/client behavior but also how to deal with our own “Inner Jerk”.
Admitting you’re an asshole is the first step – Dr. Robert I. Sutton. In a nutshell to avoid being or becoming an asshole yourself you need to examine your past and current behavior…know thyself.
It is no secret that when it comes to wages that women on average make less than men doing the same job. Back in my programmer days I once worked for a company where my salary was several thousand dollars less than a man who had less experience that I did. I actually used to help this man debug his code on a regular basis. He was pretty frank about being clueless. This post isn’t about man-bashing…so relax…
Since the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, the wage gap has been closing at a very slow rate. In 1963, women who worked full-time, year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 2009, women earned 77 cents to men’s dollar. That means that the wage gap has narrowed by less than half a cent per year!
A recent White House reports notes that women’s gains in education and increased participation in the labor force have not yet translated into wage and income equity; at all levels of education, women earned about 75 percent of what their male counterparts earned in 2009.
It would be easy to say that all the blame lies with men. But that would be over-simplifying the issue. It certainly isn’t only an issue that applies exclusively to women either. Underearning is a disease. You can blame the recession if you want but there are a lot of well-known businesses that have started in recessions and are still around today for example Trader Joes, FedEx, GE and Hyatt. Or you can say there are no jobs but I know a lot of people who have thrived not starved in the current economic downturn.
If you’ve never heard of Barbara Stanny, she’s the daughter of the “R” of H&R Block. That alone would make you assume she knew alot about money but she didn’t. Check out her financial journey on her website.
I heard about her book – Overcoming Underearning®: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life from a friend about a year and half ago. I’m a book junkie and I will consume any knowledge necessary to get me to where I want to go. I’ve read A LOT of books on personal finance but besides Women & Money and Secrets of the Millionaire Mind I’d have to say this book like no other reminds me that money like any relationship is a mind game. If you think you don’t deserve it or have negative beliefs about something odds are good that you will live into that story.
Until I really believed I deserved what I was asking for in salary I didn’t get it. I started saying “no” to jobs when I didn’t have prospects and usually a job that paid better would come along as soon as I let go of the crappy opportunity. And when I did say “yes” to jobs that didn’t feel right I usually paid the price in the health department.
Underearning has little to do with the amount of money you make. But it has everything to do with your attitude. An underearner is anyone who earn less than she needs or desire despite her efforts to do otherwise. – Barbara Stanny
Barbara’s book is broken down into three sections:
Getting Started – illustrates how to use the book in order to get maximum impact and help you figure out what your barriers are to earning what you desire
Taking the Steps – covers the 5 steps that are needed to overcome underearning
Ensuring Success – helps you create a plan for continued success and how to track your progress
Overcoming Underearning is a doing book. If you just read it you will not get much out of it. Don’t borrow it from the library either. You want to be able to go back over the exercises to see how much you’ve changed!
The reason most people don’t make what they should isn’t because they aren’t capable of doing so. It’s because they don’t truly believe they deserve it.
One of my favorite quotes says it best…
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” – A Return to Love
Being broke isn’t fun….people who say they don’t care about money usually are broke. Stop dimming your light, get out of your own way and go make some money. For no other reason than you deserve it!
First off the complete title is 
from a friend about a year and half ago. I’m a book junkie and I will consume any knowledge necessary to get me to where I want to go. I’ve read A LOT of books on personal finance but besides Women & Money and Secrets of the Millionaire Mind I’d have to say this book like no other reminds me that money like any relationship is a mind game. If you think you don’t deserve it or have negative beliefs about something odds are good that you will live into that story.
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