John Hoover

Survive & Thrive-- Without Killing Your Boss

How to Work for an Idiot

Survive & Thrive Without Killing Your Boss

Lacy W

3.5 stars!


  Not every boss is an idiot and not every idiot is a boss.


I will admit: I don't read a lot of self help books. I certainly don't have anything against them, they have just never been my cup of tea. There have been a few I've been wanting to try but there are just so many other books out there and I don't want to waste my time struggling through a self help book when I could be reading a book I know I will understand and enjoy. 

As part of my brand new segment, Mom Mondays, that is on my blog, my mom picked this book out for me. This was a purchase from our spring time thrift store shopping adventures. Mom was really into finding books about leadership. I pulled this one out and she bought it right away. When I told Mom about this idea, she immediately knew what book to give me. 

Hence why my first Mom Mondays book is a self help book. 

Okay, on to the actual review of this book. This book wasn't terrible but it had a really hard time keeping my attention. I often had to re-read paragraphs because my brain did not comprehend what I had just read. However, it actually brought up a lot of good points about what kind of boss your boss is and how you can work with them best. 

But one of the major problems it suffered from was weird organization in the first chapter. The first chapter was just a mish mosh of ideas that get expanded on in later chapters. By the time I understood that was what was happening, I was already halfway through the book and it left a bad taste in my mouth and made it hard to focus on the rest of the book. 

But this book brings up good points, like I mentioned above. The main theme of this book is attitude. Your attitude towards your boss will determine your boss' attitude towards you. Sure, you are going to have some horrible bosses. That is just life. I don't think I know anyone that has had nothing but good bosses. But when you figure out who you boss is (in terms of personality) and how they work, you can enjoy work (or at least get through the day long enough to get your check). 

Overall, as far as self help books go, this wasn't too bad. The author, John Hoover, was from Iowa and talked a lot about Iowa (where I am from!). He injected stories (often true but there were a few fabricated just so he could get his point across.) with what he was trying to teach. That added bonus points in my eyes and made it more personal and the material a little more easier to understand. So, in conclusion, if you are struggling with getting along with a boss or just want to improve your job quality, check this book out today!

How to Work for an Idiot Survive & Thrive-- Without Killing Your Boss

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