If you have a boss, he or she is imperfect. If you’re a boss, you’re imperfect. That’s how human beings are and why you should buy Overcoming an Imperfect Boss by Karin Hurt.

I’m not kidding. If you have a good boss, with a strange quirk or two or a raging lunatic or the best boss ever, this book will help you get the most out of the situation. Here are some ways you can use the book.

Work through the whole book to learn how to deal more effectively with your bosses. This is a short book, but don’t let the fool you. There are a lot of material that will get you thinking and exercises to help you sharpen your learning.

Dip into the book to get ideas of how to deal with a particular troublesome situation. Karin’s made this really easy. Chapter three describes ten “scenes” that may be just like what you’re facing. I’ve been in business as a boss and with bosses for more forty years, I nodded, “Yep, I know that one” to every scene.

Karin has devoted whole chapters to particularly vexing and scary problems. Chapter four is “When a Good Boss Relationship Goes Too Far.” Chapter five is “What if he’s really a jerk?”

If you aspire to be a great boss, do the exercise in chapter six: “Be the Boss You Wish You Had.” Chapter eight will help you put the others to work. It’s “Holding a Real Conversation.” As Karin says at the start of the chapter, “The best way to have a healthy relationship is to keep the conversation open.”

Bottom Line

Overcoming an Imperfect Boss will help you get the most from good and bad bosses. It will also help you become “the boss you wish you had.”

Extra Credit

If you’d like to know more about how this book was written, check out my post on the story of Overcoming an Imperfect Boss.