Now in paperback, the acclaimed guide by a leading workplace expert that offers essential advice about how to succeed at work by avoiding the pitfalls of pervasive credit-grabbing and finger-pointing.
In this important book, praised by bestselling management expert Robert Sutton as "a modern management classic; one of the most well-crafted business books I have ever read," psychologist and workplace consultant Ben Dattner reveals that at the root of the worst problems at work is the skewed allocation of credit and blame. It's human nature to resort to blaming others, as well as to take more credit for successes than we should. Many managers also foster a "blame or be blamed" culture that can turn a workplace into a smoldering battlefield and upend your career. Individuals are scapegoated, teams fall apart, projects get derailed, and people become disengaged because fear and resentment take hold. But Dattner shows that we can learn to understand the dynamics of this bad behavior so that we can inoculate ourselves against it.
In lively prose, Dattner tells a host of true stories from individuals and teams he's worked with, identifying the eleven personality types who are especially prone to credit and blame problems and introducing simple methods for dealing with each of them. The rich insights and powerful practical advice Dattner offers allow readers to master the vital skills necessary for rising above the temptations of the blame game, defusing the tensions, and achieving greater success.

Starting a business is easy. Growing a successful business: not so much. The statistics are grim: less than 20% of the businesses started each year survive their 5th anniversary. Jay Myers, founder of Interactive Solutions, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee is one such survivor. Jay has built a company that, by tapping into the demand for high-tech video conferencing and communication equipment, continues to grow even beyond the 10 year anniversary. Finding the way, however, wasn't easy. Facing cash flow problems, a partnership divorce and even an embezzling employee, there were many days that Jay thought he was going to end up just another statistic. Actually, he did: Interactive Solutions, Inc. is part of an elite club that has made the INC 500- INC magazine's list of America's fastest growing private companies-twice Jay shares his lessons on how he did it in "Keep Swinging" a story of overcoming adversity and achieving small business success.