Weak at the Top Book

Management gurus don't come much less inspiring than fictional diarist John Weak, marketing director of Smokehouse Plc and eponymous hero of Weak at the Top. When he's not trying to hire a prettier secretary or bump up his expenses, John spends his time deleting e-mails, avoiding phone calls and missing meetings. Confirming every suspicion those of us on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder ever had about directors and marketing in general, John Weak is a leader in the fine tradition of Francis Urquhart and Mr Burns; a twisted Bridget Jones forthe boardroom with a diary that reads like the rule book on professional misconduct.Working from races with Bill Peters today. The good thing about pagers, WAP phones, laptops etc is that you can be anywhere in theworld, turn all the buggers off and be completely incommunicado. Thus avoided twelve phone calls and ten emails from Smallwood copies to all directors. I have a golden rule that I never open CCd e-mail. I don't do copies--it's the original or nothing for me. I don't mind blind copiesof course because they're often rich in unsubstantiated office dirt. Infact, I often send messages as blind copies because they're guaranteed to get attention. Sound familiar? Written by Guy Browning, columnist for ManagementToday magazine and the Guardian newspaper, Weak at theTop is an entertaining satire on 21st-century corporate culture. And while you might not admire John Weak, you'll certainly recognise him, and the company he works for. If you've ever been accused of not living the company's brand, misinterpreting the mission statement or failing tothink sufficiently outside the box, this is the book for you. --SallyWhittleRead More