Anita Bruzzese, author of 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy, knows her office spaces. While working at Gannett Newspapers, she was one of the first people ever to write a workplace-advice column. Throughout the years, her experiences and interactions with workers have made her an expert about all things cubicle-related. She sat down with STA for an interview and agreed to impart some of her wisdom on us.
[FYI, you can read Anita's reciprocal interview with Lilit here.]
STA: Our website primarily deals with bad bosses. However, we occasionally admit that assistants are not always perfect themselves. What are some of the worst mistakes you’ve heard of assistants making?
AB: I think probably the worst mistakes involve lying. Once you lie, and the boss finds out about it (and they almost always find out), then he or she will feel you can never be trusted again. And, let’s face it, the boss doesn’t want someone around who cannot be trusted — there’s too much critical business information and too much competition these days to not believe you can trust someone close to you, such as an assistant.
STA: What inspired you to write your book, and what did you hope to accomplish?
AB: I’m a journalist, and I believe information is power. I have been writing the column for 15 years, and I often hear of the same mistakes being made over and over. So, I thought: Why not put all the rules in one place, explain WHY the boss cares about them and then provide the information people need to have more successful careers, happier lives and lose weight (OK, so maybe not that). You know the book about why a guy just isn’t that into you? Well, I thought: I’ll write a book about why the BOSS just isn’t that into you.
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