The boss' awful new book leaves employee feeling caught in a bind

By Peter Post  |  March 22, 2009

Q. My boss, the chief executive of our four-person, two-year-old company, just published a book. He worked on it for more than a year. I am a pretty discriminating reader, writer, and editor, so I'm sure my criticism will be harsher than most, but the book is not good. It's full of grammatical errors, clichés, idioms, and repetitive information. Only a portion of the content offers new insight and interesting ideas.

I will soon be required to distribute this book to 10 influential people I know. How do I do this without lying and saying I think the book is great, or belittling the book?
Anonymous

A. How can you be sincere about something that you think falls short of the mark? This sticky situation is not unlike figuring out how to thank Aunt Gloria for the sweater she sent you for your birthday that you think is hideous. You have several courses of action, and as you examine each alternative and how it affects the people involved, the most palatable solution quickly becomes evident.

One option is to refuse to do what your boss asks.

His next question will be "Why?" and you'll end up having to critique his book. Coupled with your refusal to distribute the book, this probably isn't going to help your relationship with him.

Option two is to hand out the book with a glowing recommendation. This works for your boss, but puts you in the position of being insincere and risks having your 10 people wonder about your judgment if they actually read the book and feel about it as you do.

You have a third option: Simply be honest. Send the book, but don't offer an opinion on the book itself. "John, my boss, Mr. Smith, has just published this book and asked each of us to share it with people we know in the community. I hope you enjoy it."

As for Aunt Gloria's sweater? Thank her for her thoughtfulness and find one thing you can say positively about the sweater - like how much you love the color blue.

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