Sometimes in business, and life in general, we come across people who are, well, assholes. Robert Sutton, keynote speaker New York Times bestselling author of The No Asshole Rule, defines “asshole people” as those who leave others feeling demoralized, demeaned, de-energized, and generally screwed over.

In a recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald, Robert answers the question, is there power in knowing you’re an asshole? Robert says “those who have some awareness that they’re arseholes have a leg up on those who don’t.” A person will be much more respected in business if they at least have an on and off switch for their rude behavior.

Robert Sutton is an organizational change virtual keynote speaker, Stanford Professor, and the New York Times bestselling author of The No Asshole Rule. Sutton’s research focuses on organizational change, leadership, innovation, and workplace dynamics.

The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t (Business Plus, 2007), is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com (as the #1 non-fiction book), and BusinessWeek bestseller—and has been translated into more than 20 languages and sold over 800,000 copies. The Asshole Survival Guide (HMH, 2017) was selected as book of the month by the Financial Times, and was featured in outlets including The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, and The Guardian. New York Magazine, INC, and Vox.

Read on for Robert Sutton’s stories dealing with “asshole people” and why it’s good to at least be aware of it if you are indeed an asshole. 

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