The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Getting Along with Just About Anyone

225 Pages·2007·3.72 MB·English

by  Patricia J. Addesso

THE BOSS
FROM
OUTER SPACE
AND OTHER ALIENS AT WORK
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THE BOSS
FROM
OUTER SPACE
m
AND OTHER ALIENS AT WORK
A Down-to-Earth Guide for Getting Along with
Just About Anyone
Patricia J. Addesso, Ph.D.
AmericanManagementAssociation
NewYork*Brussels*Chicago*MexicoCity*SanFrancisco
Shanghai*Tokyo*Washington,D.C.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Addesso,PatriciaJ.
Thebossfromouterspaceandotheraliensatwork:adown-to-earthguidefor
gettingalongwithjustaboutanyone/PatriciaJ.Addesso.—1sted.
p. cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN-13:978-0-8144-7443-3
ISBN-10:0-8144-7443-8
1.Officepolitics. 2.Personality. 3.Interpersonalrelations. 4.Conflict
management. 5.Emotionalintelligence. I.Title.
HF5386.5.A33 2007
650.1’3—dc22
2007020569
(cid:2)2007PatriciaAddesso.
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PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
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1601Broadway,NewYork,NY10019.
Printingnumber
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1: Co-Workers from the Sun 17
CHAPTER 2: Mercurial Messengers 35
CHAPTER 3: Venusians in the Workplace 51
CHAPTER 4: Down to Earth 67
CHAPTER 5: The Moon Landers 83
CHAPTER 6: Martian Colleagues 99
CHAPTER 7: Employees from Jupiter 115
CHAPTER 8: Saturn Is So Different 131
CHAPTER 9: The Boss from Uranus 147
CHAPTER 10: The Team Strength in Neptune 163
CHAPTER 11: Plutonian People 179
CHAPTER 12: Back to Earth 195
Notes 209
Index 211
v
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THE BOSS
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Introduction
To be happier, more successful, and more stress-free at work,
you only have to do two things well. Sounds pretty simple,
doesn’tit?Youhavetogetthejobdone,andyouhavetohandle
the relationships with the people around you. Getting the job
done tends to be the easy part. Most of us are trained for that;
we went to school, or took classes, or received training once we
were hired. But to handle a demanding boss, deal with difficult
co-workers or clients, or manage employees who squabble like
children—those are the kinds of things that make a job stress-
ful, demanding, and sometimes impossible.
We have always been interested in what makes other people
tick; we have just not always been very good at figuring it out.
We have all had bosses, co-workers, employees, and customers
whosometimesseemlikealienbeings(nottomentionneighbors
and family members, but that is a different book). How can we
explain it? Is it gender, age differences, astrological signs, cul-
tural differences, or possibly even brain disorders?
Let’s flash back several thousand years.
1
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