A practical playbook for not being "that" person at work.
DON'T BE A DICK
HR advice for a kinder healthier and more successful workplace.
Written for ambitious professionals, this book turns office friction, bad emails, and difficult stakeholders into a competitive advantage. Learn the people-skills your degree never taught you—then roll them out across your team.
Trusted by managers and teams at fast-growing companies to reduce drama and increase delivery.
Available in print, ebook, and team license bundles.
Average reader rating: 4.8 / 5 for clarity, practicality, and humor.
For leaders, ICs, and teams who care about culture.
Professionals use this book to ship more and fight less.
Ideal for tech, consulting, product, and operations teams who need fewer ego battles and more aligned execution.
"Required reading for every new manager on my team. It gave us a shared language for calling out bad behavior—without the drama."
VP Product, high-growth SaaS
"Half my job is stakeholder management. This book finally explained how to push back, set boundaries, and still be seen as a team player."
Senior PM, fintech
"Our engineering standups are 30% shorter and infinitely less painful since we rolled this out with the team workshop."
Head of Engineering, marketplace startup
What you'll learn inside the book
DON'T BE A DICK is a straight-talking, research-backed guide to being the colleague people want to work with—without becoming a pushover. Each chapter ends with field-tested scripts and exercises you can apply the same day.
- How to give blunt feedback without burning bridges.
- A framework for handling difficult stakeholders and "brilliant jerks".
- Email and Slack guidelines that cut confusion and passive-aggression.
- Meeting rituals that reduce interruptions and spotlight hogging.
- Boundary-setting scripts for saying no without sounding difficult.
- How to repair trust after you've already been a bit of a dick.
You can read it solo in a weekend—or turn it into a 4–6 week learning journey with your team using the included discussion prompts.
Is this book for you?
You'll get the most value if any of these sound familiar:
- You lead people but never got formal training in the "people" part.
- Your team is smart but frictions, silos, or egos slow execution.
- You're the "go-to" person and you're burning out from over-functioning.
- Feedback conversations keep getting delayed or derailed.
- You want a healthier culture without fluffy corporate-speak.
Make the book a team operating system.
Products & services built around the book
Use DON'T BE A DICK as a turnkey curriculum: combine books, workshops, and advisory support to uplevel how your organization collaborates, debates, and delivers.
Keynote & fireside talks
High-impact 45–60 minute talks to introduce the DON'T BE A DICK framework at offsites, all-hands, or leadership summits.
- Custom-tailored to your org's reality.
- Q&A focused on real scenarios.
- Optional signed books for attendees.
Team workshops & labs
Interactive 2–4 hour sessions where teams practice the scripts and frameworks on their real conflicts and decisions.
- Remote or in-person formats.
- Pre-work using selected chapters.
- Follow-up implementation playbook.
Leadership advisory
Hands-on support for executives and HR to embed the book's principles into hiring, performance, and promotion systems.
- Culture diagnostics and interviews.
- Manager enablement and coaching.
- Measurement and accountability design.
Choose your DON'T BE A DICK package
From individual readers to company-wide rollouts
Secure instant access today. All packages include lifetime access to digital resources and implementation templates.
Need a custom quote? For larger rollouts, non-profits, or government/education discounts, contact us for tailored pricing.
Meet the author
A practitioner, not a theoretician.
After two decades leading product, people, and operations in high-growth companies, the author of DON'T BE A DICK has seen every shade of workplace dickishness—from brilliant jerks and well-intentioned bulldozers to passive-aggressive avoiders.
They have:
- Advised founders and executives on culture in companies from 10 to 5,000+ employees.
- Coached hundreds of managers through tricky performance and behavior conversations.
- Designed playbooks that turned toxic high-performers into aligned team players—or graceful exits.
- Spoken at conferences and offsites on psychological safety, feedback, and conflict.
DON'T BE A DICK distills those lived experiences into clear, candid, and sometimes uncomfortable truths—so you and your team can grow without the collateral damage.
Questions, concerns, edge cases?
Here are answers to the most common questions from professionals, HR leaders, and founders before they roll out DON'T BE A DICK.
Is this book appropriate for conservative or corporate environments?
Yes. While the title is blunt, the content is practical and professional. You can refer to it internally as the "DBAD" framework if needed. Many clients in finance, government, and healthcare use it without issue by setting clear context about why the language is intentionally direct.
How long does it take a team to work through the material?
Most teams read the book over 4–6 weeks using 30–45 minute discussions anchored by the included prompts. For faster-moving orgs, leaders often select 3–4 core chapters and run a focused 2–3 week sprint just on those practices.
Can we try it with a small group before a full rollout?
Absolutely. Many organizations start with a pilot group of 6–12 managers using the Team Pack. Once they see behavior change and better conversations, they expand to a full department or company-wide rollout.
Do you offer bulk discounts beyond the listed packages?
Yes. For orders above 150 copies, or for non-profit and education pricing, we provide custom quotes that reflect your scale and budget. Use the contact form below and share a rough headcount and context.
Is this just about being nice?
No. The book is about being clear, accountable, and human—at the same time. You’ll learn how to set firm boundaries, give sharp feedback, and make tough calls without unnecessary collateral damage.
Ready to bring DON'T BE A DICK to your organization?
Tell us a bit about your team and goals. We’ll recommend the best package and share a simple rollout plan tailored to your context.
Typical outcomes within 60–90 days: clearer expectations, faster decisions, fewer side-slack rants, and more people saying, "We can disagree without being dicks about it."
We respond within 2 business days. No hard sell, no spam—just a candid conversation about whether this is a fit.