Mean People Suck Blog

Unfortunately too many people are looking for work. So if you’re interviewing for a new job, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the excitement. And It’s tough to know what it’s really going to be like once you start. First, you should realize that the biggest...

With a long career in sales and marketing, I’ve had direct experience of how persuasive storytelling can be. But storytelling is a useful tool not just for selling things. It can be an effective tool for learning, too. This won’t be a surprise to anyone with a...

What’s the most desirable trait every company today wants boatloads full of? Innovation. In the post-digital era, no matter what industry you’re in, your company is probably constantly looking for creative ways to apply new technologies so you can become more...

How many people do you know who truly love their jobs and are happy at work? How many times have you come home from work and complained about your boss, a coworker, or a difficult customer? You might think the key to being happy at work is to change your boss or even...

In chapter four of Mean People Suck, I talk about the link between empathy and sales. Because digital technologies have disrupted the way we do business and customers have developed a distrust of brands, traditional advertising has lost its effectiveness. The growth...

Before I sat down to write Mean People Suck, I read a lot of books that looked relevant to my research. When I first saw this title – Hug Your Haters – I thought, “Are you nuts? Why should I hug my haters?” I mean, aren’t haters the very definition of mean people? And...

When I was researching Mean People Suck, I came across this research by Fortune. Many people are already familiar with Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies, but for the last three years, Fortune has also asked survey respondents to give their personal...

In the first chapter of Mean People Suck, I discuss “The Illusion Point” – the concept that many people think they understand marketing and have great ideas, even when they’re going against the evidence provided by data. This is especially true in the case of CEOs,...

Does your company put the needs of employees ahead of self-preservation? Is employee engagement or customer satisfaction measured and rewarded? Do you force contracts to pay your vendors in 45 days and then pay 3 weeks late? Have you defined a purpose for your...

In case you haven’t heard, empathy in the workplace has made a big splash in the business world. Turns out, making empathy a priority at your workplace is incredibly profitable for business. Skeptical? Read on. Quick Takeaways Empathy has become the newest workplace...

Show me your company’s organizational chart, and I’ll show you everything that’s wrong with your company culture. You’re probably familiar with the traditional organizational chart – a neat, orderly visual representation of the hierarchical structure at your company....

It's The Key To Happiness. With 53 different jobs under my belt, I’ve seen my share of bad bosses. I’ve also seen some co-workers who undermine their colleagues every chance they get. Part of the reason people yell at, gossip about, and undercut others at work is...

When was the last time you cried at a movie? Or felt compassion when a co-worker told you his child was getting bullied at school, or that his father just passed away? Does your heart go out to the neighbor’s three-legged dog when you see her hobble along the sidewalk...

"Want the secret to getting what you want in life?" It's a question posed by every online life coach, fad diet, and late-night infomercial. However, the solution I have for getting what you want in life is not a product or a diet. It may be as simple as kindness and...

Imagine you are hired as a marketing manager at Company 123. One of your first tasks is to analyze the ROI of digital marketing campaigns from the past six months. You look at the numbers and think your eyes are fooling you. Not one of those campaigns has resulted in...