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Rating: 
Summary: The careers bible
Review: I first must admit I haven't finished it (I almost never finish a business book...) but anytime I've been reading a page I found some really useful advice !
Rating: 
Summary: A Winning Playbook for Office Politics
Review: Simply put, this was a very well-organized, comprehensive, straightforward though plainly-written book about corporate politics. If you want to avoid political blunders, outwit opponents, and survive career setbacks, then there are chapters for you here. If you're ambitious, there are chapters on grabbing power and influence, as well as chapters about devious techniques that may be used against you and how to defend against them. Yes, corporate politics can seem petty at times, but unfortunately it's a reality. And given increasingly competitive work environments, this book should have something for everyone, from powerless office minions to the most Machiavellian managers.
On the plus side, the book is comprehensive, well structured, and makes a good reference. There are many sub-sections and very descriptive section headings, so you can easily find a section that applies to you. Also, you can absorb most of the main points by just by looking at the section headings. The supporting text is clearly written, and contains mostly examples.
On the downside, the text itself isn't particularly lively - the prose is plain, factual, and straightforward, so while it's not difficult to read, it's slightly dry. Next, given the very strong outline and descriptive headings, you could skip the text & just read the headings and get just as much out of the book. So in retrospect, reading the entire book seems redundant. Also, if you've worked in corporate America a while, many of the suggestions aimed at novices will seem blindingly obvious (i.e. don't yell at your boss). Also, a few of the supporting examples seem ludicrous -- for example, on p. 103, he recommends that if you want to impress coworkers at the office picnic, you should bring an extremely attractive person as a companion, "even if you have to rent one." This hired help then is supposed to flirt with your coworkers and flaunt their looks. Suggestions in this ilk are in the minority, though.
If you're still not sold on this book, then here's some of the tips Dubrin goes delves into that may interest you:
First, one should size up your boss, understand his/her objectives, get him/her on your side, be loyal & help him/her succeed. To grab power, he recommends that one should look powerful, network and form alliances & coalitions with powerful people, target getting key jobs and roles that control important corporate projects. To impress superiors, one should shine at meetings, be cool under pressure, be polite and loyal, and flatter your superiors without being too obsequious.
DuBrin also outlines how to avoid basic blunders such as bypassing your boss or yelling at him/her, being disloyal, complaining about an ex-boss or old employer, deviating too far from custom or organizational beliefs, dumping well-connected people and burning your bridges. Instead, one should be a consistent performer, in control of ones emotions, appear committed to the job & your organization, be visible to upper management. One should also find a mentor, toot your own horn softly, take sensible career risks, work for a strong boss and help him/her succeed, and avoid weaker managers. Additionally, speak directly & honestly, stop malicious gossip and rumors, resolve conflicts early, and share credit, information, favors, gossip, and recognition. During career setbacks, one shouldn't panic, but should get support from others, sell yourself to people who can help you, and take action to plan your comeback.
For the Machiavellians out there, there are chapters that outline devious tricks, such as backstabbing, double-crossing, discrediting your rival, stealing credit, exclude rivals from meetings or abolish their jobs or transferring them to "corporate Siberia," giving negative references, and giving self-serving advice. Dealing with difficult people also poses a challenge, and DuBrin's strategy is to leverage their weaknesses, taking over part of their jobs, and to give them negative but honest feedback either individually or with a group. To defend against retaliation, he recommends exposing dirty tricks and confronting critics who bad-mouth you.
Overall, I think this book would make a good reference for anyone working in an office. I think it can provide lots of tips for novices, and valuable reminders for corporate old-hands. It's well-organized, comprehensive, and straightforward, despite a few negative points. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, REALLY COMPREHENSIVE Book!
Review: The most important thing to know about this book is that it is REALLY COMPREHENSIVE. Not only does it cover everything you hope it does, but it also covers it from BOTH the perspectives of lower-level employees, and higher-up employees. I bought this book after finding out that working hard, and STAYING OUT of office politics was getting me NOWHERE, AND HURTING MY CAREER. Especially since I work in an organization where it seems that office politics is all that many employees are thinking about! The book discusses the ineveitability of office politics, and gives you an extensive test to find out how "political" you are yourself. The results surprised me in that I was not quite the "dolt" I had previously presumed myself to be! Once you have examined your own potential at office politics, the book tells you every possible strategy to get on your boss's good side, and every possible strategy to gain the support of lower-ranking people, as well. One example they gave that I would NEVER have thought of is to pay careful attention to whether your boss prefers written, or oral, communication. I never paid attention to that before-I was giving my boss written memos, because written information is more comfortable for ME, when he prefers to hear things ORALLY. The book then goes on to describe techniques to grab power in an organization, how to use political information, devious political tactics, political blunders, outwitting difficult people, bouncing back from career adversity, surviving a corporate takeover, and defending yourself against unfair politics. It discusses ALL of these topics from the perspectives of lower-level,mid-level, and upper-level positions. So no matter if you work in the mail room, in the executive suite, or anywhere in between, this book is for YOU. One of the best, most comprehensive books I've recently read.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, REALLY COMPREHENSIVE Book!
Review: The most important thing to know about this book is that it is REALLY COMPREHENSIVE. Not only does it cover everything you hope it does, but it also covers it from BOTH the perspectives of lower-level employees, and higher-up employees. I bought this book after finding out that working hard, and STAYING OUT of office politics was getting me NOWHERE, AND HURTING MY CAREER. Especially since I work in an organization where it seems that office politics is all that many employees are thinking about! The book discusses the ineveitability of office politics, and gives you an extensive test to find out how "political" you are yourself. The results surprised me in that I was not quite the "dolt" I had previously presumed myself to be! Once you have examined your own potential at office politics, the book tells you every possible strategy to get on your boss's good side, and every possible strategy to gain the support of lower-ranking people, as well. One example they gave that I would NEVER have thought of is to pay careful attention to whether your boss prefers written, or oral, communication. I never paid attention to that before-I was giving my boss written memos, because written information is more comfortable for ME, when he prefers to hear things ORALLY. The book then goes on to describe techniques to grab power in an organization, how to use political information, devious political tactics, political blunders, outwitting difficult people, bouncing back from career adversity, surviving a corporate takeover, and defending yourself against unfair politics. It discusses ALL of these topics from the perspectives of lower-level,mid-level, and upper-level positions. So no matter if you work in the mail room, in the executive suite, or anywhere in between, this book is for YOU. One of the best, most comprehensive books I've recently read.
Rating:
Summary: The careers bible
Review: This book is a bible for those who want to boost a career. Life is too short to learn from all mistakes. So this books helps you do prevent mistakes and leads to insight how to use the best office politics without losing your self-respect. It's full of clear real-life situations to make office-politics-rules understandable. I should have had this book when a started my career after the University. It would have saved me time, being fired and frustration. Iv'e recommended this book to all my brothers and my best-friend.
Rating:
Summary: Self Improvement?
Review: Working hard, keeping your nose clean and the promotions will come and you will be successful. NOT. The book is filled with REAL LIFE EXAMPLES of why working hard doesn't always work. This is the best book on the market today if you want to protect what you have and earn what you deserve. The book will also help those who want to move ahead and steer clear of the traps and potholes. Very easy to read and apply.
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