Am I the Only Sane One Working Here?: 101 Solutions for Surviving Office Insanity

by Albert J. Bernstein

Book Overview

". . . the most comprehensive guide I have ever read for solving any conceivable trying scenario "
--Julie Jansen, bestselling author of You Want Me to Work with Who? and I Don't Know What I Want, but I Know It's Not This

You can't stop office madness, but you can stop the madness from getting to you.

Gossipy coworkers, unmanageable managers, and cranky clients have got you pulling your hair out and gnawing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071608729
• ISBN13: 9780071608725
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Bernstein does it better!!!!

Dr. Bernstein is Practical yet profound. He has an answer for almost everthing. The book like all his others offers skill after skill on how to deal with difficult people and difficult situations. The problem with most books like this is the solutions they offer are almost impossible to apply . The exact opposite is true with this book. Once you begin doing these techniques there impossible to stop!!!! They are habit forming and will stay with you the rest of your life. Dr. Bernstein is no armchair philosopher and its clear that he has a firm grasp on what he is talking about. Its a rare find, somone who can teach, and knows what the heck they are talking about. That is what we have here. Dr. Bernstein offers us not just a book but a new lifestyle at work. Like Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond Tiger Woods or anyone else who is great at what they do this man has truly found his calling and it shows. - C.Hall

Tactics that empower you at work

Everybody plans out the hours of the work-day to attend meetings, see clients, work on projects and so forth. But what do you do when you are constantly encountering co-workers who get you off-course and sap your energy, or worse, interfere with your productivity and hurt your reputation? They are out there, but usually so self-absorbed they don't know they're a problem. Bernstein identifies the full range of troublemakers, from liars and toxic gossipers, to depressed complainers and racist or sexist jokesters. He's dead-on in describing their M.Os.--the patterns of what they say and do--and how they become quicksand: the more you try to deal with them, the more stuck you are. Dr. Bernstein gives the tactics you need, both what to do and what to say. The book is filled with great one-liners that are polite but also keep you safe from the quicksand effect: for example responding to the woes of a depressed-complainer by saying, "So what are you going to do about it?" or saying to a sexist, "What you just said makes me uncomfortable." As I've practiced these tactics I've come to realize how right Dr. Bernstein is in saying that no matter what you do, these people will not change. They have only one way of swinging the bat, and you've got to learn to throw pitches they can't hit. When you can do that, you can control these encounters. No business could survive without a strategic plan--that is, a plan that takes into account conditions in the market. Spending a day with a bunch of nutso co-workers also needs a strategic plan which Bernstein's book provides. Cross reference this book with your day-planner. You'll be working on your own terms and you'll get more done.

I'm reading it again and again.

I feel empowered and smart after reading, Am I the only SANE ONE working here? Dr. Albert Bernstein offers practical solutions to everyday problems in the workplace. The solutions include guidance on how I can make the change happen without expectation of others changing first. I recall following the survival solutions for defusing anger and had immediate results because my actions changed the other person's response. The book is well written, easy to understand, and memorable. It is the kind of book you will want to reference when issues arise. I was amazed at how this author could come up with something so useful. It's a must read for anyone who wants to understand how to survive and even thrive in the workplace. Kate Kelley

The ultimate survival guide for the workplace jungle

There are a million different books out there telling people how to better deal with the workplace, but this is the only one you'll need. Always insightful and often humorous, this book is laid out so that one can go straight to their own singular problem at work or find overall strategies for dealing with the entire workplace culture. Whether you are the everday worker bee or the top dog, this book provides plenty of examples, solutions and strategies to best deal with the workplace, and one's place in it. Truly, a survival guide for the madness of everyday work!

Insightful and entertaining

I have read other books by Dr. Bernstein. His grasp of the realities of the workplace is superb. His presentation is understandable and frequently humorous. I enthusiastically recommend this book for its wisdom and its entertainment value.