<p>This September we started the month with the statement that <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/08/learning-is-not-just-for-kids-1.html" target="_blank">learning is not just for kids</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; I promised you a look behind the scenes at some great books that we grown ups can use as tools to tune up our leadership and business skills.&nbsp; That's right, the kids are not the only ones who have the opportunity to&nbsp; learn something new this Fall.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>We started the series with a look at <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/09/the-secret-to-building-a-great-team-get-the-recipe.html" target="_blank">Amilya Antonetti's The Recipe a fable for leaders and teams.</a> Antonetti's book is a fable, set in a fictional bakery - demonstrating leadership lessons through the eyes and experiences of the characters.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now let's shift gears and look at what happens when you study real life bosses up close and personal.&nbsp; That's just what Stanford Professor Robert I. Sutton has done in his new book, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=riZ8RAAACAAJ&amp;dq=good+boss+bad+boss&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=VXKBTMWMIYqosAPYl5j3Bw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=1&amp;ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA" target="_blank">Good Boss Bad Boss:&nbsp; How to be the best...and learn from the worst</a>.&nbsp; </p> <p>Sutton is no newbie on my business bookshelf.&nbsp; His last book, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=u-12HAAACAAJ&amp;dq=no+asshole+rukle&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=R3OBTKv9M4n2swPM27D2Bw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=1&amp;ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA" target="_blank">The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't</a> was a&nbsp; smash hit in management circles this year.&nbsp; As a matter of fact, he got so much feedback from <em>The No Asshole Rule</em> that <em>Good Boss, Bad Boss</em> was written as a result.&nbsp;&nbsp; Dr. Sutton was kind enough to reach out to me on Twitter (he's <a href="http://twitter.com/work_matters" target="_blank">@work_matters</a> ) and to share an early copy with me before the official launch&nbsp; this September 7th.&nbsp; So, I got a head start in reading the book.&nbsp; What a treat! <em>Good Boss, Bad Boss</em> is a great read - full of real life stories and situations that many of us can relate to from our own workplace experiences.&nbsp; I'll tell you more in a bit, but first, here's a clip where you can hear more about the book from Bob Sutton himself:&nbsp; </p>[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmp-4l_Gfr0&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1]  <p>(video credit: Stanford Graduate School of Business - via YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmp-4l_Gfr0&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">video link</a>) </p> <p>Dr. Sutton's <a href="http://hbr.org/search/Robert%25252520i%25252520sutton/" target="_blank">guest posts at The Harvard Business Review</a> have always been favorites of mine because he does not just spout theory or opinion, he bases his statements on real people and real life examples. <em>Good Boss, Bad Boss</em> follows this same winning formula.&nbsp; </p> <p><img title="Front Cover" border="1" alt="Front Cover" align="right" src="http://bks2.books.google.com/books?id=riZ8RAAACAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;img=1&amp;zoom=1&amp;sig=ACfU3U1CN6KAXFQR0UdnO19szWddgOOYQA" width="128">As bosses we all have to do a bit of a balancing act, and I loved the example of the see-saw with "love" in one side and "$" on the other that he shared in his discussion about David Kelley, Chairman and CEO of <a href="http://www.ideo.com/" target="_blank">IDEO</a>.&nbsp; (I've been a big IDEO fan for years and hope that someday I have the opportunity to work with them at one on my companies.) </p> <p>Further in there is a great reminder to all of us to "Protect Yourself from the Energy Suckers." (p.120-121) This is one of the lessons I have learned the hard way over my career.&nbsp; If only I had read this chapter a few years ago!</p> <p>In Chapter 7 - "Don't Shirk from the Dirty Work" I found great examples including stories about experiences <a href="http://peopleink.com/about.html#AnnRhoades" target="_blank">Ann Rhoades</a>&nbsp; (founder of PeopleINK and another of my favorite leaders) had at Southwest and later at Jet Blue that illustrate that <strong>how</strong> you deal with a tricky situation makes all the difference.&nbsp; </p> <p>Well, I'm getting close to my word limit (self imposed) or I could go on and on.&nbsp; But the point is to give you a taste so you will want to check out this book.&nbsp; Hopefully I have succeeded in whetting your appetite.&nbsp; It really is worth the read.</p> <p>Thanks for stopping by.&nbsp; Stay tuned... There are more peeks inside some great business books coming this September.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Joan Koerber-Walker</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="display:inline;margin:0;padding:0;" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b4c1b877-0cd2-43c2-bb47-a92485c582a5" class="wlWriterSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Robert%20I%20Sutton" rel="tag">Robert I Sutton</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Good%20Boss%20Bad%20Boss" rel="tag">Good Boss Bad Boss</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/No%20Asshole%20Rule" rel="tag">No Asshole Rule</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Business%20Books%202010" rel="tag">Business Books 2010</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Joan%20Koerber-Walker" rel="tag">Joan Koerber-Walker</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CorePurpose" rel="tag">CorePurpose</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Amilya%20Antonetti" rel="tag">Amilya Antonetti</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The%20Recipe%20A%20Fable%20for%20Leaders%20and%20Teams" rel="tag">The Recipe A Fable for Leaders and Teams</a></div>