Professor Lawrence Wetherhold might be imperiously brilliant, but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as downright flummoxed as the next guy.

His teenage daughter is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian literature in which he's an expert, Lawrence seems to be sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age.

When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay just as he accidentally encounters a former student, Janet, the circumstances stir him from his deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking consequences for himself and everyone around him.

Political skill is a characteristic that can facilitate good things for individuals and their organizations. Yes, it is possible that political skill can be used and to get away with self-serving acts at the expense of others, but contrary to the stereotypical perceptions of being political, political skill is about more than manipulation. In fact, political skill enables people to build trust and forge positive relationships, and leaders often need it to influence others and access resources critical to their teams' success. This edition has been revised and updated with more than 15 years of additional research on political skill, as well as new examples that demonstrate why, in today's organizations, career success depends more on political skill than on almost any other characteristic.