Sign-In
Cart
My Boss Is Insane: And Other Workplace Nightmares
Paperback
Publisher Price: $12.95
ISBN13: 9781972810286
Publisher: Writing King
Published: Apr 8 2026
Pages: 120
Weight: 0.38
Height: 0.28 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
You've had the boss. The one who screamed at you in front of the whole office. The one who promised you a commission and then explained why it didn't apply. The one who made your life miserable every day while HR told you to focus on improving your attitude.
You are not alone, you are not crazy, and you are not powerless.
Richard Lowe spent thirty-three years in corporate America working for, around, and occasionally surviving some of the most dysfunctional managers in the business. The micromanager who required written justification for a $75 software manual. The racist executive who nearly used a slur in front of witnesses. The boss who showed his entire team a framed certificate from a psychiatrist confirming he was legally insane, and explained that it made him very difficult to fire. The HR VP who made unwanted advances on a subordinate who was alone in the building at 9 pm, then called him an idiot for saying no. The startup owner who pocketed an employee's $85,000 commission by ruling it was earned on company time.
Every story in this book actually happened. The names have been changed. The dysfunction has not been exaggerated.
This is not a book written by a consultant or a business school professor. Lowe is not going to tell you about management theory or the importance of growth mindset. He is going to tell you what it is actually like when your boss is broken, what you can actually do about it, and why the systems supposedly designed to protect you mostly won't.
The book covers the full range of workplace nightmares: the racist boss, the religious harasser, the pathological liar, the manager who mentally retired twelve months before his actual retirement date, the unethical boss who needs you to bury expenses in the wrong budget, the micromanager who wants to review every email you send, the genuinely unstable executive, the screamer, the sexual predator. Each chapter is built around a real story, followed by hard-won advice on how to handle it.
But the book does not stop at survival. The second half covers the strategic infrastructure that determines whether you are trapped or free: how to document everything in a way that will actually hold up, why HR is not your friend and never was, how to manage up when your boss is incompetent but untouchable, how to build an escape fund that gives you the power to walk away from any toxic situation, how to develop skills that are portable across industries so no single employer can hold you hostage, and how to recognize when you are dealing with workplace trauma rather than ordinary job stress.
The chapter on HR alone is worth the price of the book. After three decades of watching good employees get fired for complaining and bad managers get protected, Lowe lays out exactly how HR investigations actually work and why filing a complaint often makes things worse. It is not cynicism. It is the pattern he has watched play out dozens of times.
Your career belongs to you. Your mental health belongs to you. No paycheck is worth sacrificing either one for a manager who has made it clear they cannot be trusted with either.
This book will not fix your boss. Nothing will fix your boss. What it will do is show you how to protect yourself, build your options, and make sure that the next time you find yourself sitting in your car in the parking lot trying to gather the courage to walk inside, you have a plan and a path out.
You have more power than you think.
Also from
Lowe, Richard
The Enshittification of America: How Private Equity Destroyed the Things We Love
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
Focus on LinkedIn: Advanced Strategies for Professional Success in the Digital Age
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
Ridiculous Things People Actually Believe: A Field Guide to Spectacular Intellectual Failure
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
The Ghostwriting Advantage: Five Ways to Get Your Book Written, and How to Choose
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
The Emasculation of America: How Russia's Long War Against the American Male Is Destroying the Nation from Within
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
Stuck In the Middle: Wars, Weapons, and the Forces That Will Shape the Next Thirty Years
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
The Relationship BULLSHIT Men Fall For: What I Learned from Hundreds of Women
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Being the True Account of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus
Lowe, Richard
Paperback
Also in
Management
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Grenny, Joseph
Patterson, Kerry
Switzler, Al
Paperback
Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships
Lacinak, Thad
Tompkins, Chuck
Blanchard, Kenneth
Hardcover
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the "Alpha" in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
The Art of Communication: How to Be Authentic, Lead Others, and Create Strong Connections
Apps, Judy
Hardcover
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Paperback
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Kriegel, Jessica
Terry, Joe
Hardcover
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Year in Tech, 2026: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Anthony, Scott D.
Webb, Amy
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2026: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (Featuring the Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift by
Review, Harvard Business
Meyer, Erin
Flyvbjerg, Bent
Paperback
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Bouwer, Tom
Wickman, Gino
Hardcover
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Voss, Chris
Raz, Tahl
Hardcover
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
Watkins, Michael D.
Hardcover
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Patton, Bruce
Fisher, Roger
Ury, William
Paperback
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
Gelles, David
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on High Performance, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Nine Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant)
Grant, Heidi
Goleman, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Porter, Michael E.
Kim, W. Chan
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing People, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Are You a Good Boss--Or a Great One? by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Hill, Linda A.
Paperback
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Behr, Kevin
Spafford, George
Kim, Gene
Paperback
Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation
Hill, Linda A.
Tedards, Emily
Wild, Jason
Hardcover
Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending Bullsh*t and Transforming Our Lives and Work
Bethea, Aiko
Hardcover
The 360 Degree Leader Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Bookkeeping - Accounting for Small Business: A Quickstudy Laminated Reference Guide
Epstein, Lita
Other
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success
Klemp, Kaley
Dethmer, Jim
Chapman, Diana
Paperback
Generative Ai: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Mollick, Ethan
Cremer, David De
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can't Live Without
Calloway, Joe
Hardcover
The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt
Sutton, Robert I.
Paperback
Getting You Ready for Power: A Woman's Guide to Building Confidence, Community, and Career Success
Meruelo, Alexis
Paperback
Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
Iansiti, Marco
Lakhani, Karim R.
Hardcover
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
Pentak, William
Leman, Kevin
Hardcover
The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability
Smith, Tom
Hickman, Craig
Connors, Roger
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring What Makes a Leader by Daniel Goleman)
Goleman, Daniel
Ibarra, Hermina
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: 6 Differentiators of Exceptional Leaders
Grossman, David
Paperback
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results
Papasan, Jay
Keller, Gary
Hardcover
Playing to Win, Expanded with Bonus HBR Articles: How Strategy Really Works
Martin, Roger L.
Lafley, A. G.
Hardcover
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential
Wilkins, Muriel M.
Hardcover
Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress
Moesta, Bob
Engle, Greg
Hardcover
Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life
Murphy, Jim
Paperback
Never Settle: Persuasion and Negotiation Skills to Get What You Want
Qureshi, Attia
Richardson, John
Hardcover
The Things We Hide: A Guide to Identifying Hidden Barriers and Leading with Authenticity
Dickerhoof, Tyler
Hardcover
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Heen, Sheila
Patton, Bruce
Stone, Douglas
Paperback
The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
Zook, Chris
Allen, James
Hardcover
Say This, Not That: How to Master 7 Dreaded Conversations As a Leader in the Modern Workplace
Flickinger, Chris
Paperback
The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation
Le-Brun, Phil
Werner, Jana
Hardcover
How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated for the Next Generation of Leaders
Carnegie, Dale
Hardcover
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
Chapman, Gary
White, Paul
Paperback
The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Horowitz, Ben
Hardcover
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours
Chamine, Shirzad
Hardcover
The Leading the Unleadable: How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, and Other Difficult People
Willett, Alan
Paperback
You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference
Sanborn, Mark
Hardcover
Biblia del Vendedor: Tecnicas Efectivas Para El Vendedor Competitivo
Dey, Alex
Dey, Alejandro
Paperback
Team Topologies, 2nd Edition: Organizing Business and Technology for Fast Flow of Value
Skelton, Matthew
Pais, Manuel
Paperback
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition
Green, Charles
Maister, David H.
Galford, Robert
Paperback
The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Michelli, Joseph A.
Hardcover
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Hardcover
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
Thorndike, William N.
Hardcover
Rewired: McKinsey's Playbook on How Leading Companies Win with Technology and AI
Smaje, Kate
Levin, Robert
Lamarre, Eric
Hardcover
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World
Heifetz, Ronald A.
Grashow, Alexander
Linsky, Marty
Hardcover
The Lean Six SIGMA Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to Nearly 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
George, Michael L.
Rowlands, David T.
Price, Mark
Paperback
Human + Machine, Updated and Expanded: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI
Daugherty, Paul R.
Wilson, H. James
Hardcover
Nolo's Guide to Single-Member Llcs: How to Form & Run Your Single-Member Limited Liability Company
Steingold, David M.
Paperback
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation
Adamson, Brent
Dixon, Matthew
Hardcover
Harvard Business Review Entrepreneur's Handbook: Everything You Need to Launch and Grow Your New Business
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
Drucker, Peter F.
Paperback
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
Harnish, Verne
Paperback
Fight Less, Win More: How Master Negotiators Influence Hearts, Minds, and Deals
Smith, Jonathan B.
Gaunt, Derek
Hardcover
Dare to Think Differently: How Open-Mindedness Creates Exceptional Decision-Making
Zaltman, Gerald
Hardcover
The Next Conversation Workbook: Practical Exercises for Arguing Less and Talking More
Fisher, Jefferson
Paperback
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture
Meyer, Danny
Hardcover
Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes
Wheelwright, Tom
Paperback
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas
Paperback