Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees: or, How to Deal with Idiots at Work by Thomas Erikson

Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees: or, How to Deal with Idiots at Work is a workplace leadership book by Thomas Erikson. It draws on Erikson’s four-colour behavioural system, previously used in Surrounded by Idiots.

Key details

• Author: Thomas Erikson
• Uses a four-colour behavioural framework
• Focuses on understanding both managers and employees at work
• Written in a humorous, warm style

Synopsis

Thomas Erikson explores why effective leadership can feel uncommon and why some managers are harder to work with than others. He addresses situations such as micromanagement, unrealistic expectations, and being given responsibility without authority, with an emphasis on managing upwards.

Using his four-colour system, Erikson explains how recognising your boss’s behavioural tendencies, alongside your own, can support a more harmonious and productive workplace. He also outlines what he considers an exemplary leader type and describes how to adapt your behaviour to model it, while also examining why some colleagues underachieve and what can be done to change this.