4 Types of Assholes
Tony Fadell, in his book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, identifies two primary, broad categories of "assholes" in the workplace, with one being something to aspire to and the other being a toxic liability.
He also breaks down the bad category into more specific types.
1. The "Good" Asshole: Mission-Driven
This is the type of difficult person Fadell believes you should work with and for.
• Focus: The mission (the product, the customer, the company's success).
• Behavior: They are crazy passionate and will push you hard, criticize your work (not you personally), and be unrelenting about details and quality because they genuinely care about delivering the best possible product. They are open to changing their mind if presented with better facts or data.
• Outcome: They push their team to do the best work of their lives, and the team ultimately respects and trusts them.
2. The "Bad" Assholes (Ego-Driven)
This is the group whose motivation is personal ego and power, not the work. Fadell suggests you should "run a million miles away" from managers and colleagues who fit these descriptions. Their behavior makes work miserable because they always make it personal.
Fadell further categorizes these bad actors into three common subtypes:
Ego-Driven Assholes
• The Core Problem: Their actions are driven by insecurity and a desire to be the smartest person in the room. They use their power to shut down others' ideas and are resistant to feedback. They are micro-managers because it's their way or the highway.
Political Assholes
• The Core Problem: They are primarily concerned with advancing their own political agendas within the organization, often at the expense of the project's or the team's success.
• Behavior: They focus on appearances, avoid risks, engage in Machiavellian behavior, craft gossip, and protect less-competent people in exchange for allegiance. They thrive in large organizations.
Asshole Assholes (Controlling/Insecure)
• The Core Problem: They are mean, jealous, insecure, and generally suck at their job.
• Behavior: They are unproductive and focus on deflecting attention from themselves by lying, gossiping, and manipulating others. Fadell notes that the only good thing about them is that they tend to be fired quickly once their lack of value becomes undeniable.
See also:
Tony Fadell —
Stories of Steve Jobs, Product Design, Good Assholes vs. Bad Assholes, and More
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