Crazy Bosses

June 25, 2007
Fortune
columnist Stanley Bing offers listeners a two-for-one audio package that combines the newly updated edition of Crazy Bosses
with his recent title Sun Tzu Was a Sissy
. In Crazy Bosses
, Bing sketches five prototypes of dysfunctional leadership: the bully, the paranoid, the narcissist, the wimp and the disaster hunter (a self-destructive amalgamation of multiple misbehaviors and misjudgments). Bing draws from both his own climb up the corporate ladder and current headlines to provide vivid examples of each category, and he offers concrete strategies for riding out the workplace storm with aplomb. In Sun Tzu Was a Sissy
, Bing displays his characteristic tongue-in-cheek wit in examining why lessons from the ancient Chinese philosopher’s Art of War
may not apply to contemporary business struggles. Bing delivers his works smoothly, projecting tones of deadpan sarcasm and animated mockery befitting the often irreverent content. His references presuppose considerable familiarity with the business media, and his point-of-view assumes a decidedly managerial or professional stance. Those who work to live rather than live to work do not represent the core audience for whom Bing serves up his red meat. Simultaneous release with the Collins hardcover (
Crazy) and Collins paperback (
Sun Tzu).

September 1, 2007
"Fortune" magazine columnist Bing ("Rome, Inc".) now applies his well-known satirical skills to this odd combination of two works that join the already oversaturated business/management theory genre. In "Crazy Bosses", now updated and rethought for this latest audio edition, Bing explores the strange relationship between authority and madness and his uniquely sardonic view of obnoxious managers. This work is mostly humorous and sometimes too true, and Bing's biting wit shines as he explains how to spot, serve, and survive such pathological leaders as the Bully, the Paranoid, the Narcissist, the Wimp, and the self-destructive Disaster Hunter, all created, in his view, by the relatively new globalized culture of international business.

Bing's satirical "Sun Tzu Was a Sissy" advises listeners to eschew Sun Tzu's ancient Chinese philosophy in "The Art of War" (sixth century BCE) and take a more current approach. While Sun Tzu taught that those who fight best are those wise enough not to fight at all and are thus revered as warrior-sages, Bing instead thinks that these people would now more aptly be defined as suckers. He also explains how to wage war, win, and enjoy the plunder in the real world and how to plan and execute battles that hurt other people a lot while advancing one's own flag and those of one's friends. Once again, Bing's sharp sense of humor and keenly honed tongue-in-cheek skills are used to reinterpret management literature on current business personalities, as well as the classic Chinese philosophy of Sun Tzu, proving that sometimes learning can come from cynicism. Bing's work will appeal to fans of Dave Barry but should be balanced with other legitimate management/leadership titles and historical approaches to Sun Tzu. Recommended for public libraries and wherever business guides of this type are popular.Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.