Scary boss in 'Prada' dead-on, some say

"The No-(Expletive) Rule" (fill in a vulgar anatomical reference that we can't print here), coming out early next year, was born of a Harvard Business Review column Sutton wrote that drew hundreds of e-mails. He defines a you-know-what as "somebody who makes you constantly feel demeaned and lessened."

Researching his book, Sutton Googled the names of top CEOs along with that you-know-what word. He says he found a whopping 60,000 hits for Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer Inc. and the largest Disney shareholder.

Jobs, Sutton says, "is highly effective at pushing people to perfection — and yet he goes insane over the smallest things. He can be extremely cruel." Yet Jobs is so smart and successful, Sutton notes, that he fits into a chapter of his book entitled, "The Virtues of (You-Know-Whats.)"

Even people who resent his management style suggest that Jobs' temperament is "a crucial part of his success, especially his pursuit of perfection and relentless desire to make beautiful things," Sutton says.

Still, the costs generally outweigh the benefits, he says. He points to Hollywood producer Scott Rudin, who went through at least 119 assistants in five years, firing one for bringing the wrong kind of breakfast muffin, according to the Wall Street Journal. "It costs to replace all those people," Sutton says. Other costs, in any field: wasted time, possible psychological abuse, mental damage.

Of course, if you're a mean boss, it's a lot easier in the 21st century to have your capricious ways exposed to the public. Internal staff memos find their way to the Web within seconds. Juicy anecdotes are e-mailed round the world.

But the harm to these bosses from such bad publicity is minimal, analysts say. "Certainly, the behavior of nasty bosses is way more public than it used to be," says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. "But does it have consequences? I just don't see it."

Pfeffer, who teaches a course on corporate power, says he's always trying to convince his students that their "just world" hypothesis — in order to get ahead, you have to behave well — is extremely naive.

"People don't understand the extent," Pfeffer says, "to which people simply want to associate with the rich, powerful and famous."

And of course, people love being associated with a winner. Pfeffer recalls Steve Spurrier, former coach of the University of Florida football team, who once said: "Call me arrogant, cocky, crybaby whiner or whatever names you like. At least they're not calling us losers anymore. If people like you too much, it's probably because they're beating you."