The Schmuck in My Office: How to Deal Effectively with Difficult People at Work

by Jody Foster, Michelle Joy

Everyone has a “schmuck” in their office---a difficult, disruptive person who upsets the workplace, confuses coworkers, and causes concern. It’s hard to understand why schmucks act the way they do, but one thing is certain---they seem to come in all shapes and sizes. . . .

- Narcissus---the condescending attention-seeker who carelessly steps on everyone’s toes
- The Flytrap---the bringer of chaos whose emotional instability causes an office maelstrom
- The Bean Counter---the orderly perfectionist who never gives up control, even when it’s full-steam-ahead to disaster
- The Robot---the unreadable stone wall who just can’t connect

Sound like anyone you know? These are just a few of the more prominent types of difficult people at work. In this book, Dr. Jody Foster explains the entire spectrum of people we may think of as schmucks, how they can decrease productivity, destroy teams, and generally make everyone else unhappy. Along with nailing down the various types, she looks at personality traits and explains how dysfunctional interactions among coworkers can lead to workplace fiascos. She helps readers understand schmucks as people, figure out how to work with them, and ultimately solve workplace problems. She also makes readers consider the most difficult thing of all: despite where your finger may be pointing, sometimes you are the “schmuck”! Let Dr. Foster teach you how to make your workplace a happier and more productive one.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Audiobook, Professional Development, Science, Psychology

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 4, 2017

About the author

JODY FOSTER, MD, MBA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Vice Chair for Clinical Operations in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Pennsylvania Hospital. She attained her MBA, with a concentration in finance, from the Wharton School.

Reviews

[Ansley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. I originally saw it at the airport and was amused by the title. I thought the idea of a book about dealing with different and challenging personalities and communication styles in a work environment sounded interesting and useful. Unfortunately the author's emphasis is too heavily on the psychiatry behind extreme personality disorders. The result is a book that would be useful for Human Resources staff in dealing with various types of workplace violence and threats. Nearly every personality type description includes a warning on violence and threats and a way to deal with this. It does not include much helpful information on handling various common workplace challenges or difficult personalities. It would be better titled "The Killer with a Personality Disorder in the Office".

[MS Haugen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Foster's book is an highly useful resource for all leaders who want to learn how to understand and find better ways to work with challenging people in their offices (or "schmucks" as she calls them). Having worked in the field of senior executive human capital optimization for over a decade I have seen all 10 of the types she describes, and her insights are spot-on. I've recommended this book to dozens of leaders and suggest it to anyone who wants to gain a practical layman's perspective on interpersonal dynamics with people in the workplace who might seem a little (or a lot!) unusual. I've also had the honor of knowing Dr. Foster personally and professionally (no, I'm not one of her patients!) for a number of years and she is both a good person and knows what she's talking about. Highly recommended.

[Eboni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, the title is what drew me in. However, when finishing this up; I realized that it's not relegated only to the office. We have "schmucks" in every aspect of our lives. Quite a bit of this information I was already aware of, but it does a good job of laying out the traits and addressing them in the best way possible. I think I would have enjoyed reading this more than listening to it. The narrator was great, but her inflections were sometimes distracting. When she would recite the different types of schmucks, she would say them in a unique way. It was cute at first, but after 10 times of hearing "woe is me" in a sing-songy voice; it loses it's luster.

[Michael Paradise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not about “schmucks” at all.

Dr. Foster does good work in this book in the area of acute psychiatric issues in the workplace, but they are often mislabeled throughout as “schmucks.”

I resent that sometimes severe and painful diagnoses such as dementia, ASD, borderline personality, and psychosis are blown off with this disrespectful term.

If you’re looking for a book for HR purposes on dealing with difficult personalities, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book out of intrigue on "difficult" personality types generally, not necessarily those limited to the workplace. It is interesting and in many places entertaining but in some places it could've been explained a bit more concisely. The audiobook narration was a bit melodramatic. The advice to workplace managers on how to manage various types of "difficult" colleagues was wise and well thought out but some of the strategies seem unrealistic in a corporate setting (especially the "suspicious" personality type; seems like the best strategy is to maximize employee safety and not bend over backwards so much to assuage this particular type of difficult employee). Good food for thought, though.

[Eryn Reads Everything · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the title, I was expecting a tongue in cheek type of book that made light of common personalities we see in the office.

But, this book was rather heavy. It was very clinical and dealt with personality traits as well as disorders.

It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

[MeLisa Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, but I feel like it discusses the extreme personalities vs what we typically encounter at work.

[Konstantin Smygin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Читал книгу на русском языке и остался абсолютно доволен.

Книга «Мудаки под контролем» представляет из себя дорожную карту по определению людей с деструктивным поведением. Позиция авторов по этому вопросу такова, что начальству не стоит сразу избавляться от таких людей, сотрудники не должны ставить крест на них. Важно понять причину неприятного поведения и научиться принимать такие решения, которые пойдут на пользу не только всему коллективу, но и людям, у которых есть отклонения.

Кроме того, различные нарушения могут наблюдаться и у нас самих в тот или иной момент жизни. Важно вовремя обратить на них внимание, понять, почему так происходит и сделать все, чтобы такое поведение не стало хроническим. Если ситуацию не получается исправить самостоятельно, стоит попросить помощи у руководства, коллег и близких людей. Авторы уверены, что все, кто осознает свои слабые стороны, рано или поздно начинают меняться к лучшему.

Книга хорошо структурирована, простая для понимания, легко читается и содержит множество полезных рекомендаций по общению с трудными людьми. 10 из 10!

Рекомендую прочитать полный обзор книги, в котором мы описываем два типа непростых людей, а также даем краткую характеристику остальным 8, о которых пишет автор — https://makeright.ru/blog/mudaki-pod-...

[Scott Sill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of getting to read a pre-release copy of Dr Foster's book as well as hearing her talk at Wharton recently. Amazon is full of books covering communications and personal dynamics but most of are shallow and without much clinical depth behind their recommendations. Jody's unique background ( MD in Psychiatry and a Wharton MBA ) provides valuable depth in understanding different behavioral profiles and presenting a clear framework for dealing with difficult people. I found myself reading each chapter and seeing why certain people at my business caused so much trouble and how to improve their performance. Every CEO should read the chapter on dealing with narcissists ( and maybe everyone that reports directly to the CEO! ). Highly recommended for both business and personal relationships.

[CL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FANTASTIC. It is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how to succeed at the water cooler and in the boardroom, and for anyone who wants to learn how to manage their inner schmuck! It was IMPOSSIBLE to put this book down. It is extremely well written with captivating anecdotes and a strong grounding in organizational science. Humorous, thoughtful, and intelligent, it is a valuable lens into interpersonal interactions and human behavior. It's the best book I've read all year!!!

[Elise Betz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a high level professional at the University of Pennsylvania, I found this book incredibly helpful in my never-ending quest for effective talent management. I have made it a must-read for the managers that I supervise and have recommended it as required reading for all managers at Penn, as it shines light on behaviors that we all observe and validates our conflicted feelings regarding these behaviors. Kudos to Dr. Foster for combining advanced psychiatry with humor and levity so that all managers can be more successful with managing a diverse work force!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addresses dealing with difficult colleagues through the lens of personalities and attributes that skirt close to various mental illnesses and personality disorders. The prose sometimes switches antecedent genders in the middle of a sentence, which is jarring and unnecessary. While I found the strategies helpful, it was weird that a mental illness would be described and then the author would back away from it. I see what she was trying to do, but I don't think it worked that well in helping people not do the armchair diagnosing.

[Yaakov Bernadyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll keep this brief. Waste of time. This is designed for someone that wants to analyze every employee psychologically. The premise of this book was to assist managers in dealing with disruptive employees. Instead, I got a primer in psychiatric assessment of employees. No dice. Three stars for effort.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, writing style wasn't my cup of tea. "Emotional Vampires" is still my favorite on this topic.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really mixed feelings about this one. Generally a good and thoughtful book, if not overly clinical.

My main issues are the categories of "the Lost" and "the Robotic." In these chapters she describes coworkers beginning to deal with dementia and coworkers who fit the description of or share traits with autistic people respectively. The names of the categories put such a bad taste in my mouth it kind of ruined the book for me.

People with dementia aren't lost and autistic people are robots. I am lost as to why, while other chapters felt very compassionate and understanding, the naming of these categories pulled at harmful stereotypes.

All and all, there are good strategies for dealing with many types of people you might encounter in life or in the work place within this book. The narrator has humor in the way she writes and is generally very compassionate towards the struggles of the anecdotes she presents. I wish greater care had been taken in other cases.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book and it started great, some schmuck who smears feces in a "z" patter on the inside of a stall in the men's room, and by the way who would do this? I was expecting more stories like this, like the person who doesn't cover his/her food in the community microwave and does not clean-up after the mess or the person who is always playing pranks on the office or cube mates even though I am a remote worker. I was expecting some humor and some funny stories and how to deal with people who are like this.

Instead this book comes across as a PhD dissertation, references and all, and is clinically sterile, and cold. If I were reading the hard copy I would have thought I was reading the DSM-IV or V which is referenced a few times in this audibook.

I found the book horrible and I cannot recommend this book.

[Tamar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author begins by conceding that it's unhelpful to pathologize every annoying behavior... and then proceeds to pathologize every annoying behavior. But hey, it's totally not problematic in the least bit because she uses cutesy nicknames for people with mental illness, like "The Venus Fly Trap" instead of a "a human being who sometimes exhibits behaviors reminiscent of borderline personality disorder." This is not my own inference. The author explicitly defines her terms this way.

While I have misgivings about her approach, I found myself being persuaded that it truly IS effective to apply research about cognitive, mood, and personality disorders when interacting with colleagues who exhibit common, far less extreme versions of symptoms of these disorders. It encourages me to think of other people as struggling/suffering, not evil/annoying.

[Julie Tennille · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter your industry, office personalities can upend productivity. This hilarious yet empathic account of troubling co-worker types reminds us that we can have a laugh while discovering new ways of working things through. I have already incorporated "schmuck" references and coping strategies in my workplace. This is an enjoyable and impactful read. Buy two today, one for yourself and one for the schmuck in YOUR office ;)

[Marie MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a little misleading, but it is a very good work. This book is actually about different types of difficult behavior/personality disorder, and how to deal with them without losing our cool or how to maintain our sanity with people who's personally either cannot be change or they are literally just out to make life difficult for us.

[Kristine Parrish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but the title is a bit misleading. I was expecting more on how to deal with different personalities within the workplace but it seemed to focus more on personality disorders from a medical/psychotherapy perspective with the business angle sort of thrown in.

If I had known this from the beginning I might have liked it a tad more, but overall, it's a fine book.

[Tina Panik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and extremely well written. You'll learn about different types of disruptors, their behaviors, your response, and how to handle the situation. Kudos to the authors for including chapters on coworkers with memory issues, as our workforce continues to age and few resources address this.

[Gopal Katragadda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh!!! It was okay. The title is a bit misleading.

If you are looking for the merely irritating then this isn't for you.

You get a description of the various psychological personalities that aren't conducive to our current work environment and how to deal with them personally but with a larger emphasis from a business and HR perspective.

[Rob Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on different profiles of people at work. Most of the anecdotes dealt with how things were handled as a psychiatrist. Wish there was a bit more anecdotes of how co-workers / managers handled things well.

One thing that threw me was the changing gender references. Within a single sentence, the gender would switch and it threw me a little.

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audio book and did not love the narrator's style, a factor that influenced my rating downward. Enjoyed the descriptions of various types of difficult personalities and how they show up at work. Useful for HR and managers/supervisors. Less geared to dealing with a difficult colleague.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the setup of this book . . . with a description of each personality type, a case study, a section on how they affect the office, strategies to deal with them, a case study follow-up, and then a checklist of the strategies. This might have been more helpful if I had read it earlier, before some of these schmucks stopped working for me.

[Konstantin Bobov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Главная проблема этой книги - её сугубо узкая применимость. По большому счёту, это справочник типов психозов, с которыми можно столкнуться в жизни - и то, как они проявляются в работе. Полезно будет только тем, кто очень много и часто решает проблемы сотрудников в крупных многоуровневых организациях. Остальным будет скучно и довольно бесполезно.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

No advice really, just labeling personalities, which I should have guessed from the title alone. Soo soooo gimmicky also with all the goofy personality labeling– insert major eye roll- info is the same I’ve gotten from other books.

Picked this book up to brush up on dealing with a major schmuck/asshole/narcissist …and got nothing in return.

DO NOT RECOMMEND

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compliments can help coworkers feel less threatened.

Sandwich a request in between two slices of positivity.

Encourage coworkers to consider someone else's perspective.

Define and reinforce boundaries.

Acknowledge the acceptability of gradual improvements.

Avoid getting pulled into the drama at all costs.

Minimize distractions.

[Elaine Goldhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful

Having insight into people's personalities is really useful at work, socially and with familiar members. I see myself referring to this bock in future when encountering difficult people.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely interesting as a I saw myself in some of the types and definitely saw at least three or four of the types in previous and current co-workers. It was an interesting listen and definitely has some practical advice in terms of dealing with difficult co-workers.