Elizabeth R. (esjro) -
A fortune cookie will give you better advice than this book will. In fact, much of the author's advice sounds like it came directly from a fortune cookie... actually, maybe not, since fortune cookie writers are more creative and resort less frequently to cliches than does Dr. Graham.
Each chapter follows the same format. She begins by describing in painstaking detail some scenario involving a difficult person. I would have been satisfied with a brief summary of what the problem was, but instead the author treats us to pages of "he said" "then she said" dialogue, and vivid descriptions of how the persecuted person feels about each of the "he said" and "she said" statements. I suppose in a way this technique did make me sympathize with the non-difficult person in the scenario, because after reading the accounts I started to hate the difficult person too.
After the lengthy setup, the author then asks the reader what he or she would do in that situation. She presents a variety of possible actions, some of which are clearly stupid (the equivalent of cussing someone out in a meeting) and others which might be advisable. However, she gives no clear guidance as to the best course of action, which made me wonder "Why am I reading this book?"
At the conclusion of each drawn out chapter are "take home messages," which sound like they came from the author's local Chinese takeout place... I suspect that she eats a lot of Lo Mein, and builds each chapter around whatever vague advise her fortune cookie offers that night.
I cannot say enough bad things about this book. At least I got it through PBS rather than paying $15 for it at the bookstore.
Each chapter follows the same format. She begins by describing in painstaking detail some scenario involving a difficult person. I would have been satisfied with a brief summary of what the problem was, but instead the author treats us to pages of "he said" "then she said" dialogue, and vivid descriptions of how the persecuted person feels about each of the "he said" and "she said" statements. I suppose in a way this technique did make me sympathize with the non-difficult person in the scenario, because after reading the accounts I started to hate the difficult person too.
After the lengthy setup, the author then asks the reader what he or she would do in that situation. She presents a variety of possible actions, some of which are clearly stupid (the equivalent of cussing someone out in a meeting) and others which might be advisable. However, she gives no clear guidance as to the best course of action, which made me wonder "Why am I reading this book?"
At the conclusion of each drawn out chapter are "take home messages," which sound like they came from the author's local Chinese takeout place... I suspect that she eats a lot of Lo Mein, and builds each chapter around whatever vague advise her fortune cookie offers that night.
I cannot say enough bad things about this book. At least I got it through PBS rather than paying $15 for it at the bookstore.
Nancy W. reviewed A Survival Guide for Working with Humans: Dealing with Whiners, Back-Stabbers, Know-It-Alls, and Other Difficult People on + 54 more book reviews
The most important thing I learned from this book was that don't confide in any work place people unless it is something that you do not particularly care if everyone knows.
