“Is Daddy an A-hole?”

Six year old (precocious) daughter: Is daddy an a-hole?
Mother: Why would you say that?
Daughter: He screams at Joey’s soccer game and sometimes gets kicked out.
Mother: He’s very competitive, which is why he is successful.
Daughter: When he reads me a bedtime story, he’s always checking his Blackberry.
Mother: He has a lot of people he needs to help in his company.
Daughter: He doesn’t listen to you and talks mean to you.
Mother: You’re right, he is an a-hole.

As much as I wholeheartedly agree with the philosophy behind one of my favorite books, Robert Sutton’s “The No Asshole Rule,” I have to conclude that a-holes have always been around and probably always will. An even more disheartening truth is that more often a-holes seem to win, whereas nice guys do, unfortunately, seem to finish last, or at least far behind their obnoxious counterparts. And here’s why:

1. They’re not afraid to go first. They’ll take something first, while you’re being polite.
2. They’re not neurotic about hurting your feelings. They figure if you’re foolish enough to be thin skinned, it’s your fault if you get hurt.
3. They’re compelling. They will keep you awake and alert, which feels…