Great workplace cultures don't happen by accident. You can't fake one and you sure as heck can't buy your culture at IKEA (no one would understand the instructions anyways). It requires an intentional commitment on everyone's part to think about how their attitudes, words, and behaviors either detract from, OR contribute to, a more collaborative, inspiring workplace.

On that note, a journalist interviewing me for my latest book, The Jerk-Free Workplace, asked me, "Is a jerk-free workplace really possible?" To which I answered, "Uh huh." 

OK, I was a bit more eloquent than that. "Of course, it's possible!" I replied. "Your workplace culture is only as good as the lowest common denominator behavior you tolerate. If you have jerks at work it's because you're tolerating their behavior, or worse, rewarding their behavior!" 

How do jerk-free workplaces achieve their status? Jerk-free workplaces don't hire jerks. They establish high expectations for how everyone interacts. They embed those behaviors in their values and talk about them - a lot! Leaders hold everyone accountable for how employees contribute to their workplace culture because they understand that every employee needs to step up as a leader and contribute to their workplace in a positive way.

A study by professor Will Felps from the University of New South Wales in Australia, in fact, found that even when teams were made up of exceptionally talented and intelligent people, just one jerk or one under-performer brought the whole team down. And those teams with just a single jerk performed worse than other teams by a whopping 30-40%!

WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!

I wrote The Jerk-Free Workplace to remind people that life is too short to work in a soul-sucking, fun-sucking workplace. I wrote it to remind employees that leadership has nothing to with your position or job title - that everyone has the capacity to step up and make a positive difference in their workplace. And I wrote The Jerk-Free Workplace to remind bosses that to create an inspiring, happier, and more collaborative workplace you need to encourage as many leaders as possible - not more followers!  

Yes, The Jerk- Free Workplace is now available for purchase! (I am SO glad you asked!)  And yes, we are offering discounts for bulk orders (starting at 10 or more copies) with a special bonus offer: Purchase 25 or more copies and I'll host a free coffee Zoom Q and A with your team! 

Respond to this email for details for bulk orders or signed copies or you can purchase directly from Amazon  or download onto your Kobo. 


For more details on the book, hop on over to The Jerk-Free Workplace.