Walking Eagles - Bob Sutton

About

Subscribe to this blog's feed
Email Me
Follow Me @ work_matters

Book Me For A Speech

UTA Speakers

Top Articles and Videos On Our Work

Search

12 Things I Believe

1. Sometimes the best management is no management at all -- first do no harm!
2. Indifference is as important as passion.
3. Saying smart things and giving smart answers are important. Learning to listen to others and to ask smart questions is more important.
4. You get what you expect from people. This is especially true when it comes to selfish behavior; unvarnished self-interest is a learned social norm, not an unwavering feature of human behavior.
5. Avoid pompous jerks whenever possible. They not only can make you feel bad about yourself, chances are that you will eventually start acting like them.
6. Anyone can learn to be creative, it just takes a lot of practice and little confidence
7. "Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."
8. Sutton's Law: “If you think that you have a new idea, you are wrong. Someone else probably already had it. This idea isn’t original either; I stole it from someone else”
9. "Am I a success or a failure?" is not a very useful question
10. The world would be a better place if people slept more and took more naps
11. Strive for simplicity and competence, but embrace the confusion and messiness along the way.
12. Jimmy Maloney is right, work is an overrated activity.

My Writing and Ranting

Press Room

My Places

Stanford Executive Programs

Good Books

My Books

Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best... and Learn from the Worst
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense
Weird Ideas That Work: How to Build a Creative Company
The Knowing-Doing Gap
Robert I. Sutton & Huggy Rao: Scaling Up Excellence: Getting To More Without Settling For Less
Robert I. Sutton: The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt
Cross, Rob: Beyond Collaboration Overload: How to Work Smarter, Get Ahead, and Restore Your Well-Being
Burkeman, Oliver: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Catmull, Ed: Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Catmull, Ed: Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao: The Friction Project
Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao: The Friction Project
Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao: The Friction Project
Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao: The Friction Project

Interviews

« Notes on Directing: A Great Book for Any Boss | Main | In Praise of Simple Competence »

Walking Eagles

I just got a great email from Rod, who after a compelling discussion of the differences between good and bad bosses, added “A college friend of mine was a member of the Comanche nation and he had a saying for bullshitters and assholes: he called them Walking Eagles because they were so full of shit that they were too heavy to fly.”

I love that. Better than “all hat, no cattle.” Enjoy the holidays.

December 24, 2008 in The No Asshole Rule | Permalink

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Bob;

When I was growing up, my German father had a great saying to help keep me grounded; "You're talking like someone with a paper asshole." That usually did the trick for an impulsive son like me! Although it's meaning still escapes me.....

Mike

Posted by: Michael Sporer | December 24, 2008 at 02:42 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

15 Posts People Like

Video and Audio

Top 11 Things for Good Boss, Bad Boss

ARSE Tools and Tips

The No Asshole Rule:Articles and Stories

Reviews and Comments: The No Asshole Rule

Photography Credit

Claudia Goetzelmann Photography