The Schmuck in My Office

How to Deal Effectively with Difficult People at Work

By: Jody Foster MD, Michelle Joy

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

Everyone has a "schmuck" in their office - a difficult, disruptive person who upsets the workplace, confuses their coworkers, and causes concern. No one is safe from a schmuck. They come in many sizes and shapes, such as:

• Narcissus - the self-centered, condescending, attention-seeking peacock who tramples on others
• The Flytrap - the bringer of chaos who can flip from angry to happy in an instant, creating an office maelstrom
• The Bean Counter - the orderly perfectionist who never gives up control even when it's full-steam ahead to disaster
• The Robot - the inflexible stone wall who is incapable of adapting, even in the face of much-needed change

Sound like anyone you know? These are just a few of the more prominent schmucks. In her new audiobook, Dr. Jody Foster explains the entire spectrum of schmucks and how they can decrease productivity and generally make everyone else unhappy.

After delineating the various types of schmucks, she looks at personality traits and explains how interactions among coworkers can become maladaptive, leading to workplace disasters. She helps listeners understand the schmuck as a person, figure out how to help him or her, and effect a positive solution. Dr. Foster also helps listeners understand the most difficult thing of all: Sometimes you are the schmuck.

Let Dr. Jody Foster show you how to help the schmuck, know if you are the schmuck, and make your workplace a happy and productive one.

©2017 Jody Foster, MD, with Michelle Joy, MD (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Shmucks!? You might be the schmuck!

Would you listen to The Schmuck in My Office again? Why?

It is a very easy listen and gives insight to personalities in the workplace. It gives both high level psychology & lower level psychology. It can be a simple how too. It can also bring to light things about oneself and others we might not see or are not ready to face in a workplace setting. Worth a listen or purchase.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Schmuck in My Office?

Not one memorable moment but I like how the author seeks to thread the need to really work with others to resolve and reconcile. It shows the need to regard others not just fire them.

Have you listened to any of Christina Delaine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't know.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No..

Useful and insightful book.

I loves this book. It gives such detail on dealing with difficult people, and does it in a way that would be effective for people with diagnosable conditions as well as everyday average people. I started to use the techniques immediately in my business and have seen immediate results.

Adapt this for listening outside of just the APP

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This audible book, is not listener friendly outside of the app. Trying to listen to it at work on the audible website is such a hassle because you cannot reliably rewind it if you need to. instead it would go back to the beginning. The chapters cannot be chosen either, you need to fast forward in 30 sec increments. WHY?

Too Much Terminology

When someone who doesn’t know all those medical terms reads this book, will think that is more for someone who studied psychology. When the narrator had to made her point on some terms, she would be loud, too loud for me.

Not on par

This book does go into detail about the psychological issues with "schmucks" and how to understand them. I felt it went into way to much detail , with a lot of studies being referenced. Detail is good , but it did drag on. Which is my main issue with this book.