You Cant Win a Fight with Your Boss

By Tom Markert

This is a very well written and practical handbook in my view. Personally, I can see how people
fall into many kinds of traps like getting into a fight with your boss as soon as they started working in the
corporate world. A couple of topics that I liked were Put in the Hours and Accept Politics. These
would mainly suit people who dream of climbing up the corporate ladder because this book focuses
more on people working in the corporate world. It also lets you know that some mistakes are so bad,
you might have to change career whether you like it or not. So here goes a quick list of rules that you
should not break or at least consider before breaking them.
Rule 1 Work Hard and Smart. The title explains itself. Lets proceed to the next rule.
Rule 2 No One is entitled to anything. Business is about achievement not entitlement. You do well,
you get a promotion, and you get a paid more. If you dont deliver; youre out of the job.
Rule 3 Be Motivated. There are few factors that could motivate us such as money and fame. Find your
motivation factor and use that to drive you further. Ego and money can be good. Lets not pretend
otherwise.
Rule 4 Put in the Hours. You cant cheat the clock. If you want to be the Rock Star of a company,
forget your lunch break, snacks break, getting to the toilet every 2 hours. Realized that, someone else is
climbing the CEO position faster than you and you couldnt keep up when you are in the toilet. Time is
money and in the corporate world, its your future.
Rule 5 Do Whatever It Takes. Keep in mind that competitions are strong. You need t do whatever it
takes to win even if it requires you to do things that are unnatural to you.
Rule 6 Be Charming. In short, sell yourself. Smile even if its an insincere smile. Fake it till you make.
Rule 7 Find Good Bosses. Bosses come in all sizes, shapes and flavors. These are the people that will
help you feel home even in a hectic office life.
Rule 8 Respect Your Boss. The most important person in your career is your boss. Avoid crisis with
your boss. Be nice or get fired. Well at least until you become a boss yourself.
Rule 9 You Cant Win a Fight with Your Boss. A regular healthy debate is good for the company but
getting into a fight with your boss can be a really horror experience. With a good solid point, your boss
can lose the fight says no one. You are in his office. So no matter how hard you try, you can never win.
Rule 10 Know Your Boss. Every boss is different. Get to know how your boss perceives something.
Thats how you win your boss on every encounter.


Rule 11 Stay on the Right Side of the Bosss Spouse. If your boss is the head, then his/her spouse is
the neck. A bad impression to your bosss spouse and she will give the boss an earful on the drive home.
Rule 12 Look the Part. Always look sharp. Dress professionally like a CEO even if you are not. Look the
part so you could be the part.
Rule 13 Smile, its Infectious. Smile is a gods gift to every living person on earth. People notice and
respect those who are confident and in control. So be happy and get in control.
Rule 14 Stay Healthy. Try to eat a well balanced meal. Food is fuel. When you are not eating well,
energy levels fall and works become harder. Exercise a lot. It doesnt matter what kind of exercise as
long as your body moves, it counts.
Rule 15 Become an Expert. It doesnt take long to be a pro. All you need to do is to be resourceful and
use that to your advantage. Surely in meetings, you will shine like a star.
Rule 16 Read Books. Wonderful things are said and written every day. Find those things and absorb
them. This will generate idea and trends to help you and your corporation.
Rule 17 Get an MBA. This is generally done to promote your name. Wouldnt it be nice to have an
extra title next to your signature? And if the HR were to choose between a MBA and a non MBA student,
I need not tell you who will leave the room first.
Rule 18 Write Well. Every bit is as important as personal communication. Nothing makes a good CEO
than the ability to write a well crafted letter to inspire your bosses. Always be smart with letters and
emails.
Rule 19 Know Your Numbers. The numbers never lie and they dont! Being good in math doesnt
necessarily mean being the next Alan Turing. Try to understand financial reporting as it is very important
in a corporate structured world. You must be ready to answer questions and defend your position
regarding financial matters.
Rule 20 Find a Mentor. A mentor must be someone who is older than you and who have far more
experience in business than you do. They will give the perfect advice in your time of needs. Find the
right one and when the time is right, be a mentor yourself.
Rule 21 Start and End Meetings on Time. Meetings must be done to discuss important items only. I
we get off track, it will take long. Consider these factors if you need to have a meeting:
1. Create and agenda
2. Make sure attendees know what you want them to contribute
3. Allocate a specific amount of time on the agenda for every item
4. Run meeting according to timed schedule
5. Follow up with written summary.


Rule 22 Answer Your Own Phone. Never leave the phone on voicemail because at the end of the day,
you still have to call back the person and this would definitely takes up your valuable time and effort.
Besides every missed call is an opportunity wasted. You never how valuable the call youve ignored may
be.
Rule 23 Dont Pad Your Expense Report. Claims are important but extra claims can take you straight
to the front door of the office. Stay on the safe side (within the companys reimbursement).
Rule 24 Prepare for Plane Trips. As you move up in a big company, you are likely required to travel.
Avoid that tourist-like attitude that watches movies and reading airport novels. Use this opportunity to
take a nice nap or work. But beware; make sure you know who is sitting beside you. You do not want
your competitor to be sitting right next to you while you write a classified report of a billion dollar
company.
Rule 25 You Are on Your Own, Baby! Not in a sense that you need to step on others to get that CEO
position. Well maybe just that bit. Generally, you are responsible for who you are and where your career
will take you. So be the you you want to be and climb up the ladder of success, proudly!
Rule 26 Take the Best Job. Passion beats paycheck every time. Confucius once said, choose a job you
love and you will never work a day in your life again.
Rule 27 Choose Your Employer Carefully. Pick your employer carefully and wisely because he/she will
be with you from the very beginning to the day you become a manager yourself.
Rule 28 Ask for a Performance Review. Always be open to critics as these will help you throughout
your career. If you disagree about the review, deal with it by talking to your boss about the
misconceptions occurred.
Rule 29 Do It by the Book. Rules are never meant to be broken. Never. Follow the business ethics,
work hard and smart and you will be rewarded. Do it by the book. No excuses.
Rule 30 Embrace Challenge. To get to the top, you need to have courage. Change is vital in a
competitive working environment. If you believe you can do better, apply for a new position or job but
not immediately. Never apply for a job that you havent first discussed with your boss. If the opportunity
is good, your boss will support you. Also, be prepared if your boss ask who will fill your position if you
leave. Find a clear successor for the job. Just dont apply for jobs you arent qualified for.






Rule 31 Resign the Right Way. You never know if one day you would want to get back to your old job.
So make sure you leave with your boss supporting you. Heres how:
1. Never surprised your boss
2. Never resign via email
3. Resign when the time is right for your boss
4. Dont take anything that doesnt belong to you at the office
5. Be flexible about your departure date
6. Never tell your colleagues you are looking for a new job. It never goes well after that.
7. Most importantly, make sure the job offer is secured before resigning. You never want to
get back to your old office one day after your resignation.
Rule 32 One Kick at the Can. As you got promoted or have a new job, you will receive many offers and
incentives. Be realistic, choose the right one. It is better to go for the increase in stock options or other
performance based incentives.
Rule 33 Befriend your Legal Counsel. You will reap huge benefits with them. Legal counsel will save
you to the potential career-destroying threat. Get a cup of coffee with them. Its never a bad idea.
Rule 34 Prepare for Your Big Presentation. You dont always have the chance to present to the top
executives. Make it count. Your audiences are king, Remember:
1. Prepare you presentation
2. Know your audience
3. Simply your message
4. Make recommendations
5. Summarize well
6. Finish presentation on time
7. Say thank you
Rule 35 Surround Yourself with Talent. We can never be good everything. Know our skills and our
colleagues. Diverse skills are beautiful! Orchestrate them to work as one and youll have a killer
combination. Besides you will strengthen your position better with a team rather than being a so called
lone wolf.
Rule 36 Listen for What You Dont Hear. As you rise up the corporate food chain, information is being
more sanitized then theyll ever be. Some will even try to coat the truth with their meaningful lies. Try to
listen carefully what people say. This will help you out greatly in making decisions and delivering results.
If you dont deliver this year, someone else will be sitting in your chair next year. Simple as that.
Rule 37 Coach Your Team. Its not just about you. Its about the team performing and winning. Your
role as a coach is to make sure that the team is happy. Hear their opinions. People naturally want their
opinions to be heard. Make them feel that they are part of the group.


Rule 38 Take Care of Your Best People. Those are the tribe leader who will feed you so you need to
treat them like gold.
Rule 39 You Cant Say Thank You Enough. Compliment everyone except yourself. Its very simple and
easy to do. Make sure its sincere thank you. As the coach, credit the team and you will be loved.
Rule 40 Beat Stress Back. Stress will bring down your productivity. Clear the stress by taking a five
minute walk, write down on paper everything that causes stress, smile, or visit a comedy club. Be happy,
life is just too short to be tortured every day.
Rule 41 Dont Get Too Full of Yourself. Even if you are a CEO of a company, its never wrong to be a
normal guy. Words spread really fast so if you do something good, you can bet that you will be amazed
by the reaction of people around you.
Rule 42 Understand People Differences. People are different in many sorts of ways. Know those
differences and use that to your advantage as a manager. The better you understand these people, the
better you will be able to motivate them effectively.
Rule 43 Hire Right, Fire Fast. As a manager of the company, you are required to hire the right person
to fill a job position but dont neglect to fire them when things go wrong. It can be a challenging and
daunting task to fire a person but for the sake of your business you have to really just do it.
Rule 44 Succession Planning: Do It. Good succession plan means you have options. Do not
overcomplicate the process. Being organized holds the success of your business In the foreseeable
future.
Rule 45 Never Grandstand. Be passionate, not grandstand. Its never good to be a self-serving
loudmouth. People wont respect you for that.
Rule 46 Skip the Spin, Tell the Truth. Spin doctors doesnt tell the lies but they wont exactly tell truth
either. Stop layering the truth so your organization can deal with it effectively because sooner or later,
the truth will be reveal and by that time, you will be in big trouble.
Rule 47 Take Intelligent Risks and Admit When You Fail. When coming to the issues in a business,
they will always be risks involved. Find an idea that will make it through those issues by providing fewer
risks. If the idea was a good one and the management knew in advance what was happening, the risk of
damaging your career will definitely be lower.
Rule 48 Never Write and E-mail Out of Anger. Possible death threats are never a good idea. Keep in
mind that the person you may want to assassinate today may come back to haunt you in years to come.
Win battle without making lifelong enemies.
Rule 49 Know Your Opponent. Study your competition even if they are working under the same roof
as you do. That way you can climb the ladder of the corporate world faster and stronger. In short, be the
alpha bear of the company.


Rule 50 Disarm Your Opponent. Its not wrong to disagree on someone elses opinions, as long as you
do it appropriately. Can I Challenge That is a perfect artillery to help you disarm your opponents
opinions.
Rule 51 Accept Politics. Politics exist everywhere even in the corporate world. That is a fact that you
just have to accept. Stay on the right side of these people or at the very least, stay neutral with them.
Rule 52 Leave Your Emotional Baggage at the Door. Make sure you are 100% fit to be in the office.
Never look depressed and emotional as this would make you vulnerable to those around you. Being in
the office is a dangerous game. Play the game well or dont play it at all.
Rule 53 Party, But Know Your Limits. Everyone likes to party and have a good time together.
However, there are times where you need to stop partying and start working. That is why its never a
good idea to have friends at work.
Rule 54 You Wont Win Popularity Contests. Popular decisions arent necessarily the best of decisions.
However in most cases, popularity beats good decisions all the time. Its extremely difficult to fight
those assumptions. For the greater good, always make the right decision, no matter how unpopular it
may sound.
Rule 55 Be Discreet. Be smart about what you say and whom you say to it. Being one of the top
management, you never knew that the thing youve commented would end up in tomorrows tabloid.
Rule 56 Its Not All about You. The last lesson in the book. You are merely a small part of the
corporation. Dont get to the point that you are more than the corporation. The ugly truth in business is
that you are replaceable, just like everyone else.
The author of this book is a successful executives and he believes that whatever he and the
people he know have faced is the true path to success. While I may not agree with everything, this does
not change the fact that it was a very fun and interesting read. I do advise everyone who wants to do
well at their career to give this book a try.

Reviewed by
Mohamad Nor Aidil Bin Puzi
KLC1360061