Comebacks at Work: Mastering Confrontation and Taking Control of How People Treat You

A handbook for anyone who’s ever walked away from a work confrontation, fuming—only to think of the perfect rejoinder an hour later. Reardon (The Secret Handshake) breaks down the “art of the comeback,” emphasizing preparation, keeping your cool, and handling conflicts with a carefully thought-out strategy, pointing out that each of us is at least 75% responsible for how people respond to us. She helps readers change their mindsets, getting past the mental models learned early in life that we later use for dealing with emotional or threatening issues at work. Through a thorough briefing of the different kinds of bullies we might face at work—the puppeteer, the complainer, etc.—and strategies for telling when it’s best to walk away and when it’s time to engage, she guides readers to self-discovery and skills, from honing their gut instincts to mastering facial expressions and gestures needed to overcome “comeback brain freeze.” A lively, encouraging book, bound to banish l’esprit d’escalier forever. (Oct.)