How to Make Your Boss Happy on Boss's Day

A guest entry from my boss:

Today is boss's day. How do you make the boss happy? Take her out to lunch? Give him a card? Those things are nice, but the best way to please the boss is to not be a PITA. It's really not hard--show up on time, do good work, and stay on top of your projects. Nothing makes me happier than someone who takes initiative and gets things done.

My 85-year-old father, an electrician for 35 years, talks about being complimented by his boss for good work. Dad eschewed the praise by saying, "You're paying me to do a job."

In these days of layoffs, salary freezes, and, yes, PITA bosses, it's hard to expect employees to show complete love and loyalty toward their employer. But if you're getting paid to do a job, do it. And save the pitas for that boss's day lunch.

Another Bread Analogy in Honor of Rosh Hashanah

Author Laurence Shatkin totally digs the PITA type metaphors in our book. Today he's sharing an e-mail meme that relates different types of bread to different types of sins to be atoned for:


On Rosh Hashanah, there is a ceremony called tashlich. Jews traditionally go to the ocean or a stream or river to pray and throw bread crumbs into the water. Symbolically, the fish devour their sins. A few years back some wag came up with suggestions for breads most appropriate for specific sins and misbehaviors. Although most Jews with e-mail have seen this list at least once, it may be new to a lot of your readers. Anyway, here's the list:

• For ordinary sins: White bread
• For complex sins: Multigrain
• For twisted sins: Pretzels
• For sins of indecision: Waffles
• For sins committed in haste: Matzah
• For sins of chutzpah: Fresh bread
• For substance abuse: Stoned wheat
• For use of heavy drugs: Poppy seed
• For committing auto theft: Caraway
• For tasteless sins: Rice cakes
• For ill-temperedness: Sourdough
• For silliness and eccentricity: Nut bread
• For not giving full value: Shortbread
• For excessive irony: Rye bread
• For particularly dark sins: Pumpernickel
• For dressing immodestly: Tarts
• For causing injury to others: Tortes
• For being holier than thou: Bagels
• For dropping in without notice: Popovers
• For overeating: Stuffing
• For raising your voice too often: Challah
• For pride and egotism: Puff pastry
• For sycophancy: Brownies
• For laziness: Any long loaf
• For trashing the environment: Dumplings
• For telling bad jokes/puns: Corn bread

PITA Boss Story: You Make the Call

Bill writes in to tell us a story of a PITA boss:

I once was required to report to a supervisor who was known throughout the company as a vicious incompetent who would sell her own mother in the street if it meant her next promotion. This person had so little grasp of workplace ethics that she called me [offensive epithet] behind my back, and was so poorly educated that when I asked her if a new company policy was a fait accompli, she flew into a rage and angrily demanded that I not speak French to her.

You make the call: What kind of PITA was this boss? How would you have dealt with her? If you said "Talk to HR," that's good. But that's what Bill did and nothing happened. He ended up having to leave the company to get away from her.

BusinessWeek on Dealing with Toxic Bosses

We found during last week's radio tour that a lot of people are especially interested in learning how to cope with toxic bosses. Bob acknowledged that having a PITA boss is particularly challenging because of the power diferential between you and him (or her). He suggested pursuing PITA interventions from the book with extra tact and respectfulness.

Meanwhile, an anonymous contributor to BusinessWeek has some great suggestions for managing a particular Crusty/Rigid Combo PITA. Read all about it here.

Penn State Live Article

Penn State University's alumni news source, Penn State Live, profiles The PITA Principle this week (read the article here).

Bob and Dulin Meet Joey Reynolds Tonight

Late-night radio talk-show host Joey Reynolds has summoned the PITA guys to New York to join his Royal Order of the Night People tonight. You can tune in to hear the interview between 10:45 and 11:45pm ET on WOR-AM 710 in New York, and syndicated across the nation. If you're like me and just don't stay up that late, you can find podcasts of past shows here.

Joey's motto (and the title of his memoir) is "Let a smile be your umbrella--but don't get a mouthful of rain." He's a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and even has his own cheesecake.

Join Joey, Bob, and Dulin tonight as they explore what makes a person a pain in the ass and how to deal with him (or her).

Radio Support Has Been Overwhelming

Well, Pita man and I have currently done 3 radio shows with the major radio tour occuring later this week on Thursday and Friday. We continue to be fascinated with how well we are being received and how much our hosts just love the topic. Its seems that practically everyone can get in touch with the hassles of working with a PITA. It was very liberating for Cynthia from Starstyle to say "pain in the ass" over the radio. We are glad we could help her over that hurdle. :-) She was a great sport! Most importantly, the radio programs are generating some incredible discussions about ways to effectively intervene with our most problematic employees, supervisors, coworkers and even clients. We are very excited to be reaching audiences all over the nation this week as we discuss the nuances of this very important topic.

Saturday with Maury

Readers in Cleveland, be sure to tune in tomorrow morning at 8am for Maury's Market on WERE-AM (1490).

Maury Feren has been a fixture on the Cleveland business scene for decades. He's best known as an expert on the food industry, but he also likes to interview book authors.

And that's where we come in. Even though our book isn't about edible pitas, we're sure there will be some lively conversation about the different PITA types!

Orndorff and Clark on Starstyle with Cynthia Brian

Be sure to listen Thursday night at 6pm ET (3pm PT) for Bob and Dulin's live interview with Cynthia Brian on Starstyle (listen to the broadcast here or look for the archived podcast on the various syndication networks listed on her site).

You're in for a treat as our authors meet personal growth success expert Cynthia Brian, whose show focuses on various topics related to lifestyle, personal growth, animals, show business, health, travel, design, gardening, finance, success, business skills, children, philosophy, and adventures.

Starstyle is part of the largest radio network in the world, with a reach of over 5.5 million listeners and currently syndicated on 13 other networks and podcasts.

Five Things the Chicago Tribune Learned from PITA

There was a very nice article by Stephanie Reynolds in yesterday's Chicago Tribune (read it here). The five things she learned from the book are these:

1. Anyone can get along with hardworking, good-natured co-workers, but a true professional has decent relationships even with sullen, disorganized or self-centered colleagues.
2. Emotional intelligence––a solid self-awareness of thoughts, feelings and behaviors as well as how one's actions affect others––is the basis for effectiveness in the workplace and particularly as a supervisor.
3. Different work styles are suited for different job functions. "There are salesmen and bean-counters, those who plan the party and those who are the life of the party."
4. It's not the job of the supervisor or co-worker to diagnose how the PITA came to be a PITA, only to develop a strategy for dealing with that person.
5. Successful managers stay calm and confident under stress, take responsibility for errors and are able to get along with different types of people.

LeadershipNow's Leading Blog Features PITA

Michael McKinney on the Leading Blog recently wrote about The PITA Principle in his post, "Are You a PITA?" He says the "PITA" moniker has been around since the '80s, but that it still resonates today--perhaps even more so than it did then.

McKinney also includes our self-assessment for determining your own PITA type and tendencies.

You can buy the book from LeadershipNow's LeaderShop, as well as all local and online retailers.

A Young Blogger's Take on The PITA Principle

Victoria, who blogs at sexy-mexy thinks..., advocates that we all recognize and embrace our inner PITAs. She likens it to the Biblical parable of removing the plank from your own eye before you try to remove the speck of dust from your neighbor's eye. She totally gets it--one of the main points of the book is that although other people might be bugging you, you might be playing a role in that and bugging others as well.

Thanks for the shout-out, Victoria!

Media Blitz Is Coming

Bob and Dulin are gearing up for their radio tour on August 27 and 28. See the sidebar to the right for stations and shows. We will add more stations as they are confirmed.

The authors will also be in New York City on August 29 for an appearance on Weekend Today in New York, as well as The Joey Reynolds Show. Be sure to tune in!

Publishers Weekly Reviews The PITA Principle

Publishers Weekly is the trade publication for the publishing and bookselling industry. We are thrilled to announce that they have reviewed our book today. Here's the text of that review:

The PITA Principle: How to Work with and Avoid Becoming a PAIN IN THE ASS

Robert Orndorff and Dulin Clark. JIST Works, $22.95 (224p) 9781593575519

Despite some self-help jargon and overuse of quotation marks, this book will educate readers about personality types and how to work with them. The authors work the PITA acronym (Pain In The Ass) in seemingly every way imaginable, for example designating people Sealed (closed-off), Crusty (grouchy) or Overstuffed (self-important) PITAs. Happily, these metaphors work, describing accurately and simply common defense reactions and how to manage. Psychologist Clark and long-time educator and consultant Orndorff are gentle in their approach, encouraging readers not to attack or dismiss difficult coworkers: “[It] helps to understand that defense reactions are to a degree shared by everyone. No one is exempt from feeling defensive.” Most surprising is the authors’ emphasis on self-reflection and accountability in their readers, offering easy-to-understand methods to change your own PITA qualities. This traditional, considerate and well-organized handbook should prove valuable for people struggling to spend their work days more peacefully. (Aug.)

A Perilous Time to Be a PITA

Thanks to author Laurence Shatkin for his guest post today:

According to the BLS, June was the sixth straight month in which employers trimmed their payrolls. The loss of 62,000 jobs marked the worst four weeks of job losses since 2003. As of the end of June, the blizzard of pink slips that began in January had piled up 438,000 deep. July is not expected to turn this trend around.

In a book that will be coming out in October, 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs (JIST), I offer some pointers about how to recession-proof your career. For example, I recommend focusing on the core mission of the business rather than playing a peripheral role. I talk about the need for high productivity, visibility, and mentoring.

And I also point out the importance of being pleasant--in other words, not being a PITA. Being a PITA in a time of economic downturn can cost you your job. If I’m an employer who needs to lay off a worker, I’m going to lay off the PITA rather than a comparably skilled worker who is easy to get along with.

Then there’s the problem of finding that next job when openings are scarce. We’d like to think that a good resume will work wonders. But wrapping a soggy PITA, a crusty PITA, or any other kind of PITA in fancy paper doesn’t make it any more appetizing to employers--at least, once they’ve checked your references and found out that you don’t fit in well with co-workers.

The PITAs Made Him Do It

Today more light was shed on the situation of that San Francisco IT guy who was jailed because he wouldn't give anyone the passwords to the city's network. Why did he do it? He says he was "surrounded by incompetents and supervised by a manager who he felt was undermining his work."

So, the question becomes this: Are Mr. Childs' coworkers a bunch of Sloppy PITAs, and his boss is an Overstuffed PITA? Or is Mr. Childs just a Sealed and/or Crusty PITA?

The story goes on to explain that there is a lot of sympathy for him among his coworkers because he is under pressure because his department had suffered cuts and was demoralized.

See the full story here.

Jerks at Work

Nancy Germond writes on AllBusiness about the hidden costs of employing jerks (read the article here). The jerks described in this article (which quotes heavily from Robert Sutton's No Asshole Rule) are of the Crusty variety.

Costs associated with allowing jerks free reign in the workplace are the risk of losing other valuable employees, alienating customers, and downgrading everyone's productivity.

Although this type of PITA is the most visible, everyone knows that the workplace is filled with many other types of PITAs who can run off good employees and drag down the entire operation. They might not be throwing tantrums, but they are every bit as counterproductive as those who are.

Listen to the PITA Podcast

You can hear authors Bob Orndorff and Dulin Clark discussing The PITA Principle in their Book Expo podcast. I was eavesdropping outside the booth as they recorded it and I thought they did a great job!

PITA Now Available at Amazon

The PITA Principle is now available online from Amazon.com (see here). It shipped from the printer a little earlier than expected. You will be able to find it at major bookstores in August.

Obama's Emphasis on Personal Responsibility serves as a major underpinning of The PITA Principle

The Reverend Jesse Jackson’s crude remarks about Barack Obama undoubtedly resembled crusty behavior; the real story in this current saga, however, is the emphasis on responsible personal behavior – a topic which serves as the foundation and underpinning of The PITA Principle. While Senator Obama’s discourse on personal responsibility predominately resides in the context of fathering, personal responsibility serves as the springboard for success in the workplace as well. The purpose of The PITA Principle is to encourage and empower professionals to take personal responsibility for managing relationships with difficult coworkers (Pain In The Ass coworkers) and for minimizing their potential to become a PITA coworker themselves.

So, in addition to offering success stories for working with crusty coworkers, let us know what you think about the importance of personal responsibility in the workplace. I'm glad it's getting the attention that it is, for it reinforces the reason why we wanted to write this book in the first place!