The best bosses know when less management is better management. Malicious compliance, constructive defiance and foot-dragging are also highly effective employee tools in creating outcomes in the best interests of the company. (Used wisely and with the right motivation). Got your attention? The common denominator here is often an over-pushy boss who has yet to learn to listen to his employees and who fails to trust that they know best how to do what they were hired to do. A Stanford University fundi on management science and engineering has devoted decades partnering with like-minded behavioural experts to come up with this stellar advice on how to handle and be a more effective manager. Losing the ego is one. Finding the right balance between assertiveness and butting-out is another. This research and its conclusions are compelling and absorbing. There's a subtle and often not-so-subtle art to managing your manager, it seems. Some are persuaded by data-driven feedback, others refuse to acknowledge their blind spots. Surprisingly effective strategies are suggested. Those managers who befriend their most frequent and harshest critics are often the most effective. All serious food for thought. – Chris Bateman

Bosses, get out of your employees' way