[My New Book] Mean People Suck: How Empathy Leads To Bigger Profits And A Better Life

I am so excited to let you know that today you can purchase Mean People Suck: How Empathy Leads To A Bigger Profits and A Better Life. You can buy it on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and the audiobook is also out available.

When most people hear the title, they typically say, “yeah, mean people really do suck!” Then I can see them reflecting. And some of them admit that they are wondering, “wait, is he talking about me?”

Best answer I can give you: If you are wondering if you have empathy, you probably don’t. And if you are wondering if you are mean or suck, well who doesn’t? I tell a few stories in the book about times when I was not at my best. Just ask my wife. She’ll tell you. We’ve all been there.

I can tell you that I am not talking about you. In fact, I don’t name anyone directly in the book as being someone who sucks because that would be mean. And all the characters and experiences of mine reflected in the book (except one…you’ll have to read it) are generalized combinations of events to try and protect the innocent.

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Why Did I Write Mean People Suck?

I’ve been lucky to have had many great roles, and fun companies, working for really good managers. But when I looked back and counted all those jobs, the number was more than 50 titled roles at various companies. I started asking myself why did I  have so many jobs.

And what I realized was that I often left because I wasn’t feeling engaged in my job. Yeah sometimes the company sucked. Sometimes my manager sucked. Sometimes the job sucked. But in every situation, I realized a little more empathy would have allowed me to get what I want and to make the impact I wanted.

Then I looked at some of the data. I saw that as a society we are experiencing a crisis of empathy and engagement. Not just at work, but in politics, and for some of us in our personal lives. Depression, suicide, drug overdoses are up around the world. We can certainly point to the rise of digital, social and mobile internet for bringing us together briefly. But slowly over the last decades it has started tearing us apart.

We can now break up with our boyfriends or girlfriends via text. We can use all social platforms to be mean to people we never have to meet. We have become as powerful as mainstream media and we use that power to be mean like it’s our job. So that has creeped into our daily lives (and our politics.)

So I looked at my own experience in creating content for companies – content that doesn’t promote but instead, content that helps people. Those companies sell more stuff!

I looked at some examples in my industry, in loads of research, in other professions. And I read a lot of other great authors!

And I started to see a surprising pattern, when people put themselves above others, they started to rise above their own pain. Empathy is the counter-intuitive secret to success in business and in life.

Here’s the problem. Most people are not happy. They don’t like their job. As I tell my speaking audiences, we largely work on marketing content and campaigns or other projects that simply don’t work. We can point our finger at a negative work culture, a mean boss… co-worker… or customer. Because, you know, Mean people suck.

Some leaders even believe that they need to be mean in order to be effective. Their lack of compassion creates negative relationships that lowers performance and profits across the board!

What’s in Mean People Suck?

So in this book, I use real-life experience and proven research to show why instead of blaming others, we can look inside ourselves, and learn how to use empathy to defeat “mean” in every situation. This insightful guide shows leaders, and employees how more emotional communication increases profits and enhances lives.

In the book, I talk about

• Why employees are unhappy and the power of empathy to turn things around.
• How organizational charts disengage employees by neglecting the human element.
• Why empathy seems counter-intuitive to success.
• The secrets to a happy, meaningful and impactful career.

Chapter 1: Your job sucks. I talk about the illusion point we all face when we get asked to do things that we know won’t work. And I show you the key to stopping wasted efforts.

Chapter 2: Your company sucks. We break the typical org chart and present a new organizational model.

Chapter 3: Your manager sucks.  I discuss the role of champion leaders who support and encourage their teams. Maybe it’s time we start reviewing our managers instead of the other way around?

Chapter 4: Our customers know we suck. Our companies and the things we sell aren’t curing cancer. They might even be causing it. So relax and focus on what your customers actually want.

Chapter 5: Don’t suck. Asking questions is the key to understanding others and starting relationships.

Chapter 6: Empathy wins. How empathy is a proven model for better business results and a better life.

Chapter 7: Tell the story. We’re all storytellers. Isn’t time we embrace it?

Chapter 8: Sell the story. We all have to learn how to present our ideas in a better way.

Chapter 9: Be kind. Be cool.Be you! The final chapter provides 5 tips for deeper empathy and the secret questions that will help you understand how to live your best life.

If you’re ready to enjoy a more gratifying professional and personal life. I really hope that this book’s stories and tips will help get you there – even if Mean People Suck.

What Can You Do to Support Mean People Suck?

People have asked me how they can help. The best support you can give is to help me spread the word. So buy the book, and then tell your friends. Please consider a positive review on Amazon if you think it’s worthy.  And if you think it sucks, just tell me privately. Haha! No, really! 😉

Think about how funny it would be to send a bunch of these to some managers, customers. or co-workers who have really been getting on your nerves? No. Just kidding. That would be mean. Or would it?

Or finally, you can hire me to speak! I just gave my first two keynotes in as many weeks on this book and they have BOTH turned into additional clients, book sales, and speaking engagements. So book now for your next event! 

Mean People Suck Review on The Marketing Book Podcast

And don’t just take my word for it. Check out this amazing review from Douglas Burdett at the Marketing Book Podcast.