How to Be Useful

April 1, 2008
Futurists admit that the youngest U.S. generations (X and Y) are different than the boomers and other demographic groups. But are they different enough to warrant an office-navigating manual for dummies? Regardless, journalist Hustad has done her homework, reading dozens of how to succeed books, including some by such old-timers as Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill sandwiched in with suchrelative newcomers asStephen R. Coveyand Donald Trump. The writing is bright, brassy, and only occasionally awkward or annoying. Her nearly 10 categories of office commandments are geared to todays highly political corporations, filled with commonsense pragmatism, and divided into sections covering such topicsas finding something nice to say or winning friends by recognizing people are navel-gazers. More specifically, who could dispute her advice to use I feel phrasing? Or keep your mouth shut when you have nothing to say? Every once in a while, her tips and hints are off the wall or just plain wrong, such as dont be nice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)