It’s impossible to live very long without being the victim of one of the varieties of Bossholes. They are everywhere. It could be anyone with more legal, financial, physical, social, emotional, or psychological power. For almost everyone who has a job, it is a boss who wields economic power. Dr. Greg L. Alston (with his daughter, Valerie) has identified the behaviors and characteristics of a Great Boss. In the process, he has developed a guidebook, a workbook, a syllabus, and resources that anyone can use to become a more honest, complete, and effective human being who functions as a Great Boss. It can be learned by (almost) anyone who is willing to read and practice what Greg is teaching.

By using his wide experiences as a coach, pharmacist, entrepreneur, and business executive at many levels of management, he will take you through the steps to becoming a Great Boss. Greg compares the Bosshole’s constant negativity, lack of sensitivity and trust, inflexibility, and unconcern of other’s input and feelings with what a Great Boss brings to an individual’s and organization’s self esteem and effectiveness. What I liked most was his belief in a Great Boss as an ethical, moral model of right behavior. He expects that he will always take the high ground in his dealings with everyone - not just those with more power or those he can get something from. He treats everyone with respect and concern as he builds a reciprocal relationship with each person.

More than just a book for bosses or employees, it has a set of universal messages with concepts and skills that would help ANY relationship.

The BossHole Effect, Three Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow to Become a Great Boss and Lead a Successful Team, by Greg L. Alston and Valerie R. Alston, takes a look at the traditional management model and how to change it to create a more effective team. In the old traditional model, employees are generally treated as a disposable resource, which causes high turnover rates, bad morale, and of course less productivity or (as this book so nicely puts it) the Bosshole effect. The book gives some helpful steps to becoming a truly effective leader instead of becoming a Bosshole.

The first thing I thought when reading this book was do they know every corporate boss I have worked for? Because the things they describe about the Bosshole effect are so true and the effect it had on me was also accurate. I was so turned off within my corporate work that I would just go onto auto pilot from the time I arrived at work until the time I left. The guidelines the book offers to keep from becoming a Bosshole are really simple and can be applied not only in work, but in everyday relationships as well. I am working for myself these days but my small business is getting ready to hire a few new employees. I fully plan on utilizing the tips offered in The Bosshole Effect so that I do not become a Bosshole myself. I think that anyone who wants to learn how to manage groups (and even relationships) effectively should give this one a read.

The BossHole Effect, Three Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow to Become a Great Boss and Lead a Successful Team by Greg L. Alston introduces the reader to the world of leadership. Or rather, to the world of bosses that can either be bossholes or great bosses (or something in between). You don't want to be a bad boss and you don't want to work under one. This book aims to show people how to turn into a great boss, have a more efficient company (as big or as small as it might be), have a more motivated workplace, and even how to help a bosshole to improve.

What makes this book about leadership different is that it is written by someone who actually cares and does want to help you. Many other leadership books (and I've read a few during my studies in management and marketing) 'sound' like they were written by people who look down on you - people who might actually fit the description of a 'bosshole' themselves. The BossHole Effect is written in a way that is easy to follow and actually motivates you to make a difference.

The various chapters show you what qualities you need to be a good boss, what you should not do, how to motivate the people who look up to you (and how to even make them respect you) - overall: to have a successful career and help others to be successful, too. If it's your goal to improve your own quality as a leader, this is a book you should have a look at!

Trying to be the best possible boss that inspires positive action and positive thinking can be very difficult. However, with The Bosshole Effect, you can actually learn all about what you need to do. You’ll learn the skills that great bosses know and use every day and you’ll also learn the ‘skills’ that bossholes use as well. By understanding what people on both sides of the fence are doing, you can determine whether you’re part of the solution or part of the problem; whether you’re the boss or an employee. Everyone on the totem pole is important to achieving the end result and that’s what this book is about.

I picked up this book thinking there was no way that I personally was a bosshole (after all, I'm not a boss at all) but that maybe I could better understand them and how they impact on my job. What I found out is that, while I may not be a bosshole, I'm also not a great boss either and there’s more I can do to help my team. This book has a lot of great examples and analogies that will help anyone to better understand what it takes to have a successful business. Bosses aren’t the only ones that can sabotage results and they actually aren’t the only ones that can be bossholes either. I really think this is a helpful book for any leader (whether you think you’re a bosshole or not) and also for anyone working for a boss who wants to make a difference.

The Bosshole Effect: Three Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow to Become a Great Boss and Lead a Successful Team by Greg L. Alston and Valerie R. Alston is more or less a guide on how to be a successful boss and run a team professionally and successfully. The book covers the role of the boss and his ability to breathe positive thinking into the company. Bosses are also able to impart negativity and suck out all the joy of working in a company. These bosses can actually make working unpleasant and unbearable for employees. The book speaks about the different types of people you encounter while working and how important it is to strike a balance to be happy at work. The book is interesting and gives lots of advice which can be incorporated into your working life.

I really enjoyed this book. It has many valuable quotes and is written in an informal style. Anyone who wants to become a boss and lead a successful team can benefit from it. By the time you complete the book, you would know how to be a good boss and lead a successful team of workers. The book has some great guidelines, tips, meaningful quotes, and advice for those who are planning to lead a company or those who are leading a company. An excellent guide for the bosses out there to manage and run a company successfully. A copy of this book can be gifted and also kept for oneself because it is very useful, especially if you are in a managerial position.

In The Bosshole Effect, Greg and Valerie Alston take us into the world of corporate America, and dive into an issue that is at play in every single work environment: Bossholes. What is a bosshole do you ask? Well, bossholes come in many forms, but the main definition of a bosshole is a boss, who acts like an asshole. This is a kind of self-help manual, teaching you how to play the game with bossholes, and what you can do to help yourself in any given situation where you are dealing with a particularly awful boss. While the book is structured mainly for a boss to read to keep themselves from becoming a bosshole, I believe the stories and strategies work for everyone from the lowly employers, stay at home moms (who have to deal with bossholes at PTA, Community Outreach, etc), and anyone else who could benefit from good leadership skills.

One of the biggest things that I gained from this book was realizing that yes, I too work for a Bosshole. Mine is the devious kind (they go into detail about the various versions and flavors that bossholes can come in). My boss acts like he's not a bosshole, but is secretly a total jerk behind our backs.

I really enjoyed this book. Not only were the strategies helpful, funny, and logical, but I actually found real-life applications with my own boss and career. I am happy to say that some of the suggestions in the book were the catalysts in my decision to write some pretty pointed emails to my boss, resulting in a complete restructuring of our small business, and my "bosshole" boss, growing into a slightly better boss. He still may have bosshole tendencies, but we're working on it.