3 Answers, 1 Question, with Bob Sutton

May 4, 2017 Pivotal Software

We chatted with Bob Sutton, Stanford d.school professor and author of “The No Asshole Rule” and the upcoming “The Asshole Survival Guide.”

We're kicking off "3 Answers, 1 Question", a series of brief chats to peer into brilliant minds across a variety of fields. #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

We have @work_matters aka Bob Sutton, @stanforddschool & author of the upcoming "The Asshole Survival Guide". https://t.co/uicmZEvlXa #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

@work_matters We have 3 questions for you, then leave us one for our Twitter community to get in on the answer action. #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

Let's go. I love the format of "Three Answers & a Question" #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

Q1: @work_matters, what's the most important ingredient to happy, productive teams? #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

A1: Fight like you are right, listen like you are wrong. The Incredibles director @BradBirdA113 calls this "loving conflict". #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

Q2: @work_matters, your first book, "The No Asshole Rule", is now 10 years old. Are we better people in the workplace today? #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

A2: Alas, worse. We interact more via the web, and not seeing or hearing others undermines empathy and compassion. #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

A2: We're more harried and interact more via tools that don't entail eye contact. It breeds rude, sometimes nasty, behavior. #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

Q3: @work_matters, what would you suggest to someone trying to be a better team member? #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

A3: @Pivotal Your most precious friends will tell you when you've failed or treated others like dirt. Thank them and return the favor! #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

Agree that empathy & compassion goes far in the workplace. So what question do you have for the @Pivotal community, @work_matters? #3A1Q

 — @pivotal

If you could acquire one superpower to protect you from assholes or enable you to vanquish office bullies, what would it be? #3A1Q

 — @work_matters

So go on folks, answer Bob’s Question by responding to us on Twitter. We’ll add the best answers to this post.

Change is the only constant, so individuals, institutions, and businesses must be Built to Adapt. At Pivotal, we believe change should be expected, embraced and incorporated continuously through development and innovation, because good software is never finished.


3 Answers, 1 Question, with Bob Sutton was originally published in Built to Adapt on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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