Good Boss, Bad Boss by Robert Sutton – A Book Summary

SUMMARY OF GOOD BOSS, BAD BOSS

How to be the Best … and Learn from the Worst.

Probably the best book ever written on the tough parts of being a boss. Good Boss, Bad Boss by Robert Sutton (2010) from Stanford Business School. It contains great advice and wisdom for being a strong & assertive leader – a good boss – and tips for not being an ‘asshole’ while doing it. Robert Sutton also wrote the book “The No Asshole Rule”

THE MINDSET OF A GOOD BOSS

How would your people answer these questions about you?

1. Following the Fine Line (Lasorda’s law)

• Are you constantly thinking about and trying to walk the most constructive line between being too assertive and not assertive enough? Or are you neglecting to give people the guidance, wisdom, and feedback they need to succeed? Worse yet, are you obsessively monitoring and micromanaging every move they make?

2. Got Grit?

• Do you treat the work you lead as a marathon or a sprint – are you dogged and patient, pressing
  yourself and your people ever forward? Or do you look for instant cures, treat life as one emergency after
  another, and give up (or disappear) when the going gets tough?

3. Small Wins?

• Do you frame what your people need to accomplish as a series of small, realistic, and not
  overly difficult steps? Or do you usually propose grand goals and strategies without helping people break
  them into bite-sized pieces?

4. Beware the Toxic Tandem?

• Do you remind yourself that your people are watching you very closely – and do you act accordingly to avoid doing little things that undermine their performance and dignity? Or are you oblivious to this intense scrutiny and rarely (if ever) think about how the little things you do and say will be magnified in your followers’ minds?

5. Got Their Backs?

• Do you see your job as caring for and protecting your people, and fighting for them when necessary? Or do you consider it too much trouble to advocate for resources they need or too personally risky to battle idiocy from on high? When your people screw up, do you take the heat or hang them out do dry? When you screw up, do you admit it or point the finger of blame at your innocent underlings?

FEATURES OF A GOOD BOSS

• Performance.

  Does the boss do everything possible to help people do great work? The ultimate judgment about the quality and
  quantity of the work is best made by outsiders rather than insiders.

• Humanity.

  Does the boss do everything possible to help people experience dignity and pride? A boss’s humanity is usually best
  judged by insiders, especially followers.

BEING A WISER BOSS – ARE YOU SMART OR WISE?

Developing the Attitude of Wisdom – Smart versus Wise Bosses

SMART BOSSES: Have the confidence to act on what they know, but feel and express little doubt (in public or private) about what they believe or do.

Actions of a Smart Boss:

• Make definitive statements
• Answer questions
• Talk well
• Give help, but don’t ask for help and refuse it when offered
• Defend and stick to current course of action – have strong opinions that are strongly laid

WISE BOSSES: Have the confidence to act on what they know and the humility to doubt their knowledge

Actions of a Wise Boss:

• Make statements (often ‘backstage’) that reveal uncertainty and confusion
• Ask questions
• Listen well
• Give help, ask for help, and accept it when offered
• Challenge and often revise courses of action – have strong opinions that are weakly held.

12 Things Good Bosses Believe by Robert Sutton

1. I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me.
2. My success — and that of my people — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
3. Having ambitious and well-defined goals is essential, but it is useless to dwell on them excessively. My job is
   to focus on the small wins that enable my people to make a little progress every day.
4. One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between
   being too assertive and not assertive enough.
5. My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my people from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy
   of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well.
6. I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I
   am often going to be wrong.
7. I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my people to do the same thing.
8. One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a
   mistake?”
9. Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my people to generate and
   test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most
   of the good ideas, too.
10. Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive.
11. How I do things is as important as what I do.
12. Because I wield power over others, I am at significant risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it.

The 11 Commandments for Being a WISE Boss

1. Have strong opinions and weakly held beliefs
2. Do not treat others as if they are idiots
3. Listen attentively to your people; don’t just pretend to hear what they say.
4. Ask a lot of good questions.
5. Ask others for help and gratefully accept their assistance.
6. Do not hesitate to say, ‘I don’t know’.
7. Forgive people when they fail, remember the lessons.
8. Fight as if you are right, and listen as if you are wrong.
9. Do not hold grudges after losing an argument. Instead, help the victors implement their ideas with all your might.
10. Know your foibles and flaws, and work with people who correct and compensate for your weaknesses.
11. Express gratitude to your people.

 FAQs About Being a Great Boss (Inspired by Robert Sutton)

Robert Sutton Quote – “Don’t aim to be the hero. Aim to be the person who helps others do heroic work.:

Further Reading like Good Boss, Bad Boss

If you enjoyed Good Boss, Bad Boss by Robert Sutton, you’re likely interested in leadership that balances performance with empathy, fairness, and evidence-based management. Here are several books that share similar themes:

1. The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton

• A direct companion to Good Boss, Bad Boss, this book focuses on eliminating toxic behavior in the workplace.
• Emphasises how a single negative team member can destroy morale and productivity.
• Practical, witty, and based on extensive research.

2. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

• Explores how great leaders build trust and safety within teams.
• Strong on the importance of empathy, biological drivers of leadership, and long-term thinking.

3. Radical Candor by Kim Scott

• Offers a practical framework for giving feedback that’s both caring and direct.
• Helps managers become better coaches and build high-performing teams.

4. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

• Challenges traditional reward-based management models.
• Focuses on autonomy, mastery, and purpose as key motivators for teams.

5. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman

• Examines how some leaders amplify the intelligence and capabilities of those around them.
• Contrasts “Multipliers” with “Diminishers” — a concept similar to Sutton’s good vs. bad boss theme.

6. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

• A leadership fable that explores why teams struggle to work well together.
• Offers tools to overcome dysfunctions and build trust-based, cohesive teams.

7. Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet

• A former nuclear submarine captain shares his journey to transforming a command-and-control culture into a leader-leader model.
• Powerful message on empowering team members at every level.

8. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

• Promotes a calm, sustainable workplace culture.
• Challenges hustle culture and offers insights into leadership that values sanity and clarity.

9. First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman

• Based on research from Gallup, it outlines what great managers do differently.
• Provides actionable insights for hiring, performance management, and employee engagement.

10. Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle

• A tribute to legendary coach Bill Campbell, who mentored Silicon Valley leaders.
• Offers a people-first, values-driven model of leadership.