How to Do Great Work Without Being an Asshole, a new book by designer Paul Woods, is a practical, illustrated guide that does exactly what the title suggests: It shows you how to be both creative and act like a grown-up at work. Simple enough.
Woods created a handy chart to help readers figure out whether they are in fact an asshole–and if so, which type they are. In his estimation, there are three distinct levels: Level one is an unintentional asshole, likely the result of working in a lousy organization. Level two is the self-centered variety. Woods’s advice? Back off, and let your team shine. Then there are level-three assholes who are so toxic, they cannot be redeemed. Woods advises returning his book immediately. “You are beyond help,” he writes.
