Scott Adams, Humour, 350pp, Boxtree publishing, £14.99
It's very likely that if you're visiting workSMART, you'll be aware of Dilbert, Scott Adams' famous comic strip zero. Dilbert first appeared in 1989, and his 3 panel adventures have graced the funnies pages of over 1500 newspapers and magazines, lampooning the people and processes of the modern business world.
With this book, Adams has fleshed out the cartoon strip with a narrative expanding on his 'Weasel' theory, namely that there's a grey area between good moral behaviour and downright felonious activity, which is where most workplace interactions lie. As Adams explains:
"In the Weasel Zone everything is misleading, but not exactly a lie. There's a subtle difference. When you lie, you hope to fool someone. But when you're being a weasel, everyone is aware that you're a manipulative, scheming, misleading sociopath. For example... no one believes a contractor who says the job will be done in a week. No one believes a salesperson who says there are no hidden costs... and no one believes a lawyer who says 'Have a nice day'. You know none of that is sincere. And they know that you know, so in a way, it's a form of honesty - a weasel form."
Adams illustrates his points with cartoons, and with case-study letters drawn from his post-bag (though, according to Adams' law; does anyone believe that a self-confessed weasel has such pertinent genuine reader-feedback to hand?). This highly broken down style keeps what is a rather thick hardback very readable, and easy to dip into.
It probably goes without saying that there's not a lot here for anyone looking for genuine career tips. Adams is too busy poking fun at your boss, your colleagues, or most likely you. There are, however, reams of tips on how to avoid work, hide your incompetence, and expose other weasels by out-weaseling them - obviously nothing we'd recommmend you trying at home!
After a few chapters, you'll likely be questioning the motives of a few of your own weasel-deeds, but Adams counters that building your own weasel skills is in fact no bad thing. The system may be non-sensical, inefficient, and frustrating, but Adams believes it works, and learning to play the game is easier than kicking against it:
"Weasels are like to motor oil for society. It wouldn't be fair to judge motor oil outside the context of the engine. If you put motor oil in your mouth, it would be slimy and filthy and leave a bad taste. But when that oil is inside an engine, it does an important job and you're glad it's there. Weasels are the same way: slimy and disgusting but essential. And you don't want them in your mouth."
You're unlikely to read a book this cynical for some time, and everything Adams says is something you've probably thought in moments of rage at some weasel boss or co-worker. Reading this book is probably the best way to work out your frustrations with them, short of doing anything which would get you fired.
