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Mean People Suck: How Empathy Leads to Bigger Profits and a Better Life
Are you happy? Like your job? Most people report low engagement and enthusiasm in their careers. And point their finger at a negative work culture, a mean boss... co-worker... or customer. Mean people suck.
Some leaders believe that they need to be mean in order to be effective. Their lack of compassion creates negative relationships that lowers performance and profits!
Michael Brenner's Mean People Suck uses 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. You'll learn:
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. If you're ready to enjoy a more gratifying professional and personal life, this book's stories and proven tips will help get you there - even if Mean People Suck.
Some leaders believe that they need to be mean in order to be effective. Their lack of compassion creates negative relationships that lowers performance and profits!
Michael Brenner's Mean People Suck uses 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. You'll learn:
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. If you're ready to enjoy a more gratifying professional and personal life, this book's stories and proven tips will help get you there - even if Mean People Suck.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
166 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2019
21 people are currently reading
583 people want to read
About the author
Michael Brenner
25 books16 followersMichael Brenner has been recognized as a Forbes top CMO influencer, a Top Business Keynote Speaker by the Huffington Post and a Top Motivational Speaker by Entrepreneur Magazine. He is CEO of Marketing Insider Group, where he has worked with more than 75 brands in building effective content marketing and employee activation programs.
A sought-after speaker and co-author of two other books, Michael held 50 different jobs prior to starting his company. Much of his insight and the advice he shares stem from these experiences and a myriad of situations dealing with virtually every type of person: from empathetic – to mean – to everyone in between. These daily encounters, along with his innate emotional intelligence, make him an authority on how to use the power of empathy to get what you really want.
Michael’s motivating words have helped countless others live happier, more fulfilling lives by inspiring people just like you to take action that creates true impact. Learn more at MeanPeopleSuck.com.
A sought-after speaker and co-author of two other books, Michael held 50 different jobs prior to starting his company. Much of his insight and the advice he shares stem from these experiences and a myriad of situations dealing with virtually every type of person: from empathetic – to mean – to everyone in between. These daily encounters, along with his innate emotional intelligence, make him an authority on how to use the power of empathy to get what you really want.
Michael’s motivating words have helped countless others live happier, more fulfilling lives by inspiring people just like you to take action that creates true impact. Learn more at MeanPeopleSuck.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 4, 2019
Full Review at https://yellowmajesty.com/mean-people...
4.5/5 stars
“Mean People Suck” is a book that mainly highlights about empathy and how it can help a business or an individual in a job. It also talks about experiences of individuals who have used empathy in various different ways that gives them success in their careers. In addition, it emphasizes on sub-topics that relate to empathy. And that makes the book interesting and a lot easier to digest.
Stumbling upon this book and just being curious of what it is about lead me to realize a lot of things. Things I didn’t even imagine. The book answers the questions mentioned above. Since I have just started working, it crossed my mind that I am doing something that I don’t enjoy. Something that I don’t love and that I am not happy of. The ending of the book really touched me in a way that made me rethink of the things that I am trying to change. I think heeding the advises at the end of the book will surely make a difference. Not only to the perspective of life but also to be a better person.
4.5/5 stars
“Mean People Suck” is a book that mainly highlights about empathy and how it can help a business or an individual in a job. It also talks about experiences of individuals who have used empathy in various different ways that gives them success in their careers. In addition, it emphasizes on sub-topics that relate to empathy. And that makes the book interesting and a lot easier to digest.
Stumbling upon this book and just being curious of what it is about lead me to realize a lot of things. Things I didn’t even imagine. The book answers the questions mentioned above. Since I have just started working, it crossed my mind that I am doing something that I don’t enjoy. Something that I don’t love and that I am not happy of. The ending of the book really touched me in a way that made me rethink of the things that I am trying to change. I think heeding the advises at the end of the book will surely make a difference. Not only to the perspective of life but also to be a better person.
February 11, 2020
Mean people suck is an idea that we have been taught since we were children (it was stated in gentler terms back then), but it is a lesson that gets fuzzier the older we grow. Many professionals feel that the practice of empathy is not crucial for effective leadership or production. Michael Brenner persuasively uses real world examples and stories to highlight how one can achieve greater success by enhancing their empathetic side.
I received an ARC of this book via BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC of this book via BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.
September 27, 2019
Empathy is something everybody is talking about. How to is the question? Good examples and practical advice application of empathy in life and work. The book is engaging and easy to ready. My favorite part was comparison of a hero journey and Pixar story telling. Very well structured and I'd recommend to read to everyone who is looking to see how empathy can be applied in business and life situations.
December 29, 2019
4 1/2 stars. Yes, mean people suck, but how do they get that way? Lack of empathy. Michael does an excellent job describing why empathy is such a hugely important factor in marketing, leadership, and life. Chock full of solid examples, the book really shines in the second half, giving guidance on what questions to ask when determining whether to do something, in understanding why it matters, what the impact is, and how to measure it. If you know Michael, and I do, you know he’s a fantastic example of the principles he puts forth in the book - he’s kind, compassionate, and inspiring. A solid read for any business leader or human being.
April 16, 2024
"Mean People Suck" by Michael Brenner offers profound insights into the detrimental effects of lacking empathy. Brenner's engaging writing style effectively underscores the importance of empathy in fostering positive change. Through real-life examples of individuals, executives, and leaders, he demonstrates the impact of empathy versus its absence. His compelling arguments and practical strategies provide guidance for navigating interactions with mean people and prioritizing empathy.
In a world often driven by self-interest, Brenner advocates for the power of caring for others as a means to achieve personal goals. Drawing on examples like Satya Nadella, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp of Lego, and Larry Matteson of Kodak, the book highlights how empathy, or its absence, shapes outcomes.
"Mean People Suck" is essential reading for those seeking to promote kindness and compassion in personal, societal, and business contexts.
Illusionpoint
Bullseyeorgchart
Learnitall
SatyaNadella
Customercentricleadership
Lego
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp
Employeeactivation
In a world often driven by self-interest, Brenner advocates for the power of caring for others as a means to achieve personal goals. Drawing on examples like Satya Nadella, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp of Lego, and Larry Matteson of Kodak, the book highlights how empathy, or its absence, shapes outcomes.
"Mean People Suck" is essential reading for those seeking to promote kindness and compassion in personal, societal, and business contexts.
Illusionpoint
Bullseyeorgchart
Learnitall
SatyaNadella
Customercentricleadership
Lego
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp
Employeeactivation
November 6, 2021
Full transparency: I worked for the author Michael Brenner during his time at SAP.
I loved this book. I love the real world examples and advice. I couldn't agree more that empathy goes a long way at building bridges and not silos.
I loved this book. I love the real world examples and advice. I couldn't agree more that empathy goes a long way at building bridges and not silos.
April 7, 2025
A must read if your manager sucks
December 19, 2019
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
I think it can be safely agreed by everyone that mean people suck. That said, I think most people would likely not consider themselves to be mean people. They might think of themselves as people in bad situations, or people who might be a bit irritable sometimes, or people who are put in difficult positions, but by and large people would not think that they are mean people or bullies even when they are. The author throughout this book considers empathy to be the cure for meanness, but his idea of empathy requires the sort of moral imagination that few people can do particularly well. Genuinely speaking, real empathy comes from personal experience and being able to genuinely feel what someone else does because one has been there too and can relate. The sort of empathy the author recommends is a vicarious act, a mental experiment, and depends highly on the imagination of the person in being able to guess how something would feel like in the absence of knowing exactly what something is like, and this is less than ideal.
This book is between 150 and 200 pages long and is divided into nine chapters. The author begins by talking about his varied job experience in an introduction and then moves on to discuss why most people have sucky jobs by looking at wasted efforts and the illusions that exist in how we spend our time (1). After that the author talks about why companies suck in terms of org charts, alignment between customers and job tasks, and why Kodak failed (2). The author discusses why managers suck (3) and why customers know we suck because they think of goods and services as largely replaceable (4). The author urges the reader not to suck by getting closer to customers (5) and then seeks to sell empathy as a winning strategy to making us better people and making businesses more profitable (6). The author then spends the rest of the time in the book promoting ways of using empathy to tell a story (7) the way that Pixar does, sell the story (8) by recruiting one's bosses and pushing back, and giving tips on how to be kind, be cool, and be genuine (9), after which the book has some endnotes.
Overall, this book does a good job at diagnosing why it is that institutions like companies frequently fail to serve their employees or customers well. The author speaks from a wellspring of personal experience involved in more than 50 jobs. The author is also particularly well-read in terms of what makes companies and their innovation successful [1]. Where this book stumbles is in its use of empathy to describe what is sympathy and compassion, which is more a question of definition than anything else. This world would be considerably better if we approached others with kindness and compassion, but our empathy is limited by our own experiences and the ability to which we are able to vicariously relate to the suffering and struggles of others, which we may not be particularly prone to do very well. Likewise, the author's emphasis on activism and its benefits comes off as more political than some readers will be in agreement with. As is often the case, this book does better at pointing out what is wrong about the way things are than it is about providing a suitable and practical path to make things right, but that is often the case and does not make this book any less useful for one's reflection about the role of compassion as an aspect of corporate strategy and culture.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2019...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2019...
I think it can be safely agreed by everyone that mean people suck. That said, I think most people would likely not consider themselves to be mean people. They might think of themselves as people in bad situations, or people who might be a bit irritable sometimes, or people who are put in difficult positions, but by and large people would not think that they are mean people or bullies even when they are. The author throughout this book considers empathy to be the cure for meanness, but his idea of empathy requires the sort of moral imagination that few people can do particularly well. Genuinely speaking, real empathy comes from personal experience and being able to genuinely feel what someone else does because one has been there too and can relate. The sort of empathy the author recommends is a vicarious act, a mental experiment, and depends highly on the imagination of the person in being able to guess how something would feel like in the absence of knowing exactly what something is like, and this is less than ideal.
This book is between 150 and 200 pages long and is divided into nine chapters. The author begins by talking about his varied job experience in an introduction and then moves on to discuss why most people have sucky jobs by looking at wasted efforts and the illusions that exist in how we spend our time (1). After that the author talks about why companies suck in terms of org charts, alignment between customers and job tasks, and why Kodak failed (2). The author discusses why managers suck (3) and why customers know we suck because they think of goods and services as largely replaceable (4). The author urges the reader not to suck by getting closer to customers (5) and then seeks to sell empathy as a winning strategy to making us better people and making businesses more profitable (6). The author then spends the rest of the time in the book promoting ways of using empathy to tell a story (7) the way that Pixar does, sell the story (8) by recruiting one's bosses and pushing back, and giving tips on how to be kind, be cool, and be genuine (9), after which the book has some endnotes.
Overall, this book does a good job at diagnosing why it is that institutions like companies frequently fail to serve their employees or customers well. The author speaks from a wellspring of personal experience involved in more than 50 jobs. The author is also particularly well-read in terms of what makes companies and their innovation successful [1]. Where this book stumbles is in its use of empathy to describe what is sympathy and compassion, which is more a question of definition than anything else. This world would be considerably better if we approached others with kindness and compassion, but our empathy is limited by our own experiences and the ability to which we are able to vicariously relate to the suffering and struggles of others, which we may not be particularly prone to do very well. Likewise, the author's emphasis on activism and its benefits comes off as more political than some readers will be in agreement with. As is often the case, this book does better at pointing out what is wrong about the way things are than it is about providing a suitable and practical path to make things right, but that is often the case and does not make this book any less useful for one's reflection about the role of compassion as an aspect of corporate strategy and culture.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2019...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2019...
March 9, 2020
Got a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. A book about business, leadership and empathy. The leading theme in the book is that using empathy in every aspect of business increases the revenue and yields better results than not using empathy.
The writer's background and focus in marketing is clearly visible, for most of the examples are related to marketing, but still the examples are interesting and diverse. Yet some of the examples and conclusions are slightly weak, or could use more proof: in some cases I think the example shows correlation, but as we know, correlation doesn't imply causation.
Still, I think the book was good, well written and interesting, and would be extremely useful for many leaders, but also for "normal" workers.
The writer's background and focus in marketing is clearly visible, for most of the examples are related to marketing, but still the examples are interesting and diverse. Yet some of the examples and conclusions are slightly weak, or could use more proof: in some cases I think the example shows correlation, but as we know, correlation doesn't imply causation.
Still, I think the book was good, well written and interesting, and would be extremely useful for many leaders, but also for "normal" workers.
January 18, 2020
Awesome book. Get lot of informative information from the book . Business related info my favourite.Just love it. thanks to the author.
October 10, 2019
Mean people suck! This book showed so many examples of how and why they do in the workplace. As a practice manager, I requested this book to see if it would give me any insight on how to better myself in my position in the work field. I wasn't disappointed. Brenner gives some great examples on how empathy can create a better working environment in even just the slightest forms. He creates graphs and diagrams to further help his examples and enlighten people. His many years of experience, in many different areas of the work field, only profited his research. I would recommend this to anyone in a leadership role in the workplace.
For a full review click link below.
https://somewherebetween4.blogspot.co...
For a full review click link below.
https://somewherebetween4.blogspot.co...
February 6, 2020
We are not born with empathy, as Michael points out. It is a learned trait, and as a society we seem to be un-learning it: employees are half as likely as their CEOs to report that their organizations show empathy.
The book’s core message is simple and timeless: By treating people with compassion and respect we can improve our workplaces, results, and live happier lives.
The book is packed with stories, models, and practical suggestions, backed up by data and the author’s own experiences as a marketing exec. Thus should be required reading for every manager.
The book’s core message is simple and timeless: By treating people with compassion and respect we can improve our workplaces, results, and live happier lives.
The book is packed with stories, models, and practical suggestions, backed up by data and the author’s own experiences as a marketing exec. Thus should be required reading for every manager.
October 18, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mean People Suck! And there are plenty around. It only takes one in a workplace to make life difficult. This is a great book for business purposes but also for life in general. The examples and tips in this book would be very beneficial to any management level employee who wants to create a better workplace environment and have happy internal and external customers.
Mean People Suck! And there are plenty around. It only takes one in a workplace to make life difficult. This is a great book for business purposes but also for life in general. The examples and tips in this book would be very beneficial to any management level employee who wants to create a better workplace environment and have happy internal and external customers.
November 8, 2019
I was fortunate to get an advance copy of the book and believe the message is clear . . . mean people really do suck and we all have an opportunity to show kindness and empathy in our personal and professional lives. I would highly recommend this book as proof of that.
December 8, 2019
Mean People Suck is a informative and interesting book. We all have to face mean people and the author offers some good advice. Well written.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews