Final Thoughts
In the present age of intense competition and rapid change, conflict in the workplace has become more intense. Not only do you have to handle the day-to-day tasks of work, but you have to constantly develop your skills, often at your own effort and expense.
(EN: A good case in point is the exercise the person who is reading this book: chances are, the reader had to purchase the book out of their own pocket and to read it outside of working hours.)
In such an environment, bosses are encouraged to do more rather than less, and even a person who intends to be a "good" boss is encouraged to practice tyrant behaviors. Squeezing "more" out of human resources is a sign of good management, and the negative consequences to the employee are inconsequential to the business.
And to that end, the employee who is seeking to regain some control or mitigate the detrimental effects of tyrants must speak to their effects not on their own quality of life, but in terms of their impact to the success of the business: the quality of work suffers when employees are overworked and have insufficient resources, the competitiveness of the firm suffers when good people leave. To be effective, a manager must work to mitigate rather than exacerbate these problems.
The author encourages the reader to react to problems in the workplace with the same expediency and efficiency with which a firm seeks to react to problems in the marketplace: with the recognition that it is a problem that undermines success - and that fast action is necessary because the longer the situation perpetuates, the more you will lose and the greater the danger of ultimate failure.
The author mentions the work-life dichotomy: that people in general see their "work life" as something self-contained and separate from their "real life" outside the office. The unpleasant conditions of the modern workplace make it even more tempting to compartmentalize in this way - to adopt the mindset that work is "just a job," a means to earn a living, and that the unpleasant nature of work is just the nature of the situation. Given that we spend a considerable amount of our lives in the workplace, it merits more consideration than that, and improving your experience in the workplace can have a positive impact on your overall quality of life.
Likely, the reader who invested their time in reading this book already agrees to some extent. While the reader may have been seeking advice for dealing with the situation - the daily depression and the periodic outrages - it's important to recognize that tyrant bosses and toxic cultures are not merely to b abided, but that with effort, the situation can be improved.
Security, acceptance, and a sense of accomplishment are valid human needs (EN: No mention of Maslow, but it correlates neatly) that the workplace once sought to recognize and fulfill, and it is still taught in management courses that these things must be provided to employees to maintain a stable, happy, and productive workforce. In general, these principles are accepted, but are laid aside for the contingencies of the here-and-now and the pressure to achieve short-term results, even to the detriment of the long-term health of the organization.
And it is in the power of employees to contribute to a more positive working environment. The author suggests a simple experiment: look for an opportunity to pay someone a valid compliment, and pay attention to the way they react to it. In many corporate environments, you will witness surprise that borders on shock - people are so used to being ignored or criticized in the toxic corporate culture of the present age that a kind word is unusual, and leaves them at a loss of how to react to positive remarks from others in the workplace.
(EN: I'm reminded of a professor in HR who suggested that a boss should make an effort to "catch them doing something right." Your attention shouldn't be focused so entirely on fixing problems and making improvements that you don't periodically take time out to recognize the good work your people are doing.)
This is the sign of a deep-rooted and widespread problem, but also a sign that by very little effort, you can make someone's day a little brighter. If you were to make a custom of doing this, and if others reciprocated, this small habit would do much to improve the morale in the workplace.
The same is true of your relationship with your superiors in the office: small steps can lead to greater progress and an overall improvement of the situation. The author attests that "I have enjoyed watching people turn their work relationships around, see new choices materialize, and find work-life balance ... I hope this book, in some way, ahs done the same for you."