From the Bookshelf: The 6-and-a-Half Habits of Highly Defective Bosses

A Must-Read for Anyone Who Manages People

What’s not to like about a book entitled “The 6-and-a-Half Habits of Highly Defective Bosses“?  I thought it was a fabulous nod to Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – but it is so much more than that.  Author Joel Hilchey wrote this book “as a crash course for people like me: accidental managers who are out there every day with their teams, trying to do good work, and trying their best ‘not’ to be terrible.  I love that.  No one wants to be a bad boss, but….we can all be better, can’t we?

Hilchey offers a “Highly Defective Boss Assessment,” which is a roadmap to improvement!  That alone is worth some self-reflection.  But then he shares the 6.5 habits, along with some ideas and reflections on how to be a less-terrible boss.

What I most loved about this book is Hilchey’s style – to make us not feel miserable or less than.  But challenges us to be better.  That it’s not our fault (we really want to be a good boss!), but some things get in the way.  The footnotes, BTW, are delightful tangents that make the book feel conversational without being demeaning or demanding.

Highly recommend for anyone who manages people.

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Kristin Arnold

KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame, CPF | Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 30+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.