If your boss isn’t talking to you about your future, then you probably don’t have one. – Ronna Lichtenberg
Okay, listen. This book is old. It wasn’t old in 1998, when I got it. But it’s old now. You may therefore think that it’s not relevent. Au contraire!
I’ve told a million-bazillion people about this book. My own copy is kinda a wreck because I’ve read it a dozen times… at least… highlighting and underlining new things every time I do. Some of the pages are torn.
I’ve read a bunch of books about succeeding at work and have kept a handful of them. The rest were stupid. Well, that’s harsh. But let’s just say… not helpful. Why does this one resonate so deeply? I think it’s the light-hearted way it tells profound truths, like: Friends are what you have outside the office. You just never know when even your best friend is going to decide that, hey, you were never really that close.
The book is written in short, easy to digest chapters. One part will be from Ronna “the good” and at the end of the chapter, there’s always a little something from Ronna “the bad”… her evil twin. (Cue Dr. Evil.) That’s where you’ll read: The death of a thousand cuts is more effective than an open stab to the heart. Revenge strategies should be so fast and clean that the victim doesn’t even notice until he walks out of his office and wonders whose blood is seeping over the carpet.
As if you can’t tell: I loooooove this book. That’s why I say it’s my “work bible”. It’s not only highly entertaining and funny as hell, but damn serious. She talks about everything from how you dress to your bathroom habits… and “zipper problems” which actually warranted a “zipper problems II”. There’s a quiz at the beginning to see how you feel about office politics. Because, baby, it’s real. And how you deal with office politics is directly in proportion to how you will fare in the company. Trust me…. er, her!
Work Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the People by Ronna Lichtenberg
A small disclaimer: Yes, we’ve become more enlightened over the years… and certain things in this book may offend… like the chapter on how to suck up. My advice? Take what you want and toss the rest. And remember, what people think of you may be none of your business… but in business… it pays to pay attention. You may quote me. 🙂
Originally posted on October 30, 2017
The Self-Help Whisperer® 