Wall Street Journal ""Why jerks get ahead in the workplace." by Jeffrey Zaslow,

~~` As I is a musician , I am not familar with the term "workplace ".
But I thought the article might be of interest to some.
Come on, really , there are people this self centered ?!?
I am shocked, just shocked to find this out!!!
{ To paraphrase "Louie" in Casablanca.}~~ ~~~TP

"Why jerks get ahead in the workplace."

By Jeffrey Zaslow,

of the Wall Street Journal.

Mar. 29, 2004 10:45 AM

Are you sometimes a conniving weasel at work? Do you notice

yourself stepping on other people's fingers as you scamper up the

corporate ladder? Have you rudely ignored colleagues who can't

help you advance?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you probably

aren't the biggest jerk in your office.

That's because the really big jerks almost never acknowledge their

devious behavior. In many ways, that's the secret to their success.

"Jerks are just normal folks carried to extremes," says Gloria

Elliott, an organizational development consultant in Roanoke, Va.

Having helped over 100 companies deal with obnoxious employees

through her "Jerk Training" seminars, she sees a pattern: "I've

never met a chronically difficult person who owns up to his actions."

So while the rest of us question our motives and behavior - and try

to resist our most ruthless impulses - the really big jerks just keep

plowing through the workplace, single-mindedly focused on

furthering their own careers.

To understand why a lot of them rise higher than the rest of us, you've got to understand their mind-sets.

They tend to be narcissistic, arrogant, manipulative and goal-

oriented. They trust no one and refuse to collaborate. They lack a

capacity for empathy but are skilled at politics. Though they

purposely disregard how they're coming off to colleagues or

subordinates, they're often very good at sweet-talking bosses, who

remain oblivious to their dastardly ways. The result: Good people

get fed up and leave companies, while jerks get promoted.

"I have seen entire departments wiped out, and the only ones left

standing are the boss and his jerk," says John Hoover, an

organizational leadership consultant whose new book is titled "How

to Work for an Idiot."

Successful jerks make the most of what they've got. If they're

tall, they use their height to intimidate you. If they're good-looking,

they seduce the boss in ways that remind him that you're less

attractive. If nepotism makes them untouchable in their jerkiness,

they make sure their daddies are aware of your jerky tendencies.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/29/financial0936EST0035.DTL