The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Getting Along with Just About Anyone

Chapter . Introduction

To be happier, more successful, and more stress-free at work, you only have to do two things well. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? You have to get the job done, and you have to handle the relationships with the people around you. Getting the job done tends to be the easy part. Most of us are trained for that; we went to school, or took classes, or received training once we were hired. But to handle a demanding boss, deal with difficult co-workers or clients, or manage employees who squabble like children—those are the kinds of things that make a job stressful, demanding, and sometimes impossible.

We have always been interested in what makes other people tick; we have just not always been very good at figuring it out. We ...