You Can't Win a Fight with Your Boss

April 15, 2005
Drawing on 20 years of experience with such companies as Procter & Gamble, Citicorp, and, most recently, information-giant ACNielsen, Markert presents a set of 56 rules of survival for working your way to the top in the corporate world. Designed more as snippets of inspiration to draw on randomly than as a book, these concise rules are a somewhat Zen approach to what otherwise might be a challenging and competitive environment. In rule number 26, "Take the Best Job," Markert advises, "Never go for the money, always go for the best job. The two are not necessarily linked." Topics include mentoring, looking the part, coaching your team, smiling and saying "thank you" as often as possible, and embracing change. In the title rule, which is number 9, he cautions that picking a fight with your boss is the quickest way to destroy your career. "It is a fight you cannot win under any circumstances, so why bother?" Sage advice indeed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)