100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of Your Boss

Peter R. Garber
Multi-Media Publications (2006)
ISBN 9781895186987
Reviewed by Bette Daoust for Reader Views (2/07)

 

Sometimes it does not take much to be on the wrong side of your boss, just look at anyone’s track record, even my own! Do you have a boss that you want to avoid because you always get negative feedback? Is your boss one that only speaks to you if something goes wrong? Are words of praise lacking at your workplace or if there are some, it is only destroyed by the fact that they want more and more from you all the time? As with most businesses, we navigate a world of minefields and to make things even worse, we all find many ways to get on the wrong side of the boss.

Peter Garber’s book details all the things we do to ourselves to ensure that things do go wrong and how we put ourselves into jeopardy in every aspect of our life. Yes, there is a boss at home too. At first the title seemed like it was subversive, but once I started reading the book, a whole world of connecting why things go wrong and how to improve situations came to light. Giving insight to the problems and offering solutions is one of the key elements that provide the reader with ways around creating aggravation.

What this book does is give sound practical advice for everyday situations. The advice can be applied in almost any situation. If you read between the lines, the advice given is sound and practical. Tip number 69 talks about making unrealistic requests and the problems that are created as a result. Your credibility goes down the drain each time you make another request and the perception of your work also comes into question. The solution provided is to ask for exactly what you want to provide that you and your work are credible. It reminds me of the budgeting problem in most organizations. You have to ask for money beyond your needs in order to get exactly what you want. The reason this happens is for the same reason, the corporation is used to people making unrealistic requests and in turn, reduce your budget by half or more. Would it not be better to put in a budget that accomplishes exactly what is intended and demonstrate the truth? Garber puts this point across through a solution that requires you to plan well and not to bluff your way through the process.

The book has a solid foundation on good approaches to making your work environment a place for solutions rather than problems. Garber makes excellent points on what makes a boss crazy and even better yet, suggestions on how to perform and work within an organization. “100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of Your Boss” is a must-read for anyone that has a boss or wants to be one.

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