{"product_id":"i-was-rude-but-i-naoum-barakat-9789948699927","title":"I Was Rude, But I Was Rude to an Idiot: Fearless Respect, Leadership, and the Corporate World's Problem with Honesty","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost leaders believe they must pick a side. Lean into culture, and you risk becoming WeWork. Lean into performance, and you become Uber. The data says you need both. The reality says most organizations achieve neither.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver eighteen years in leadership and organisational strategy at companies like Mars, Lafarge, and Majid Al Futtaim, I saw the same pattern repeat itself. The systems designed to encourage openness, feedback, and culture were often the very things that were silencing people. I wrote the policies, ran the engagement surveys, and built the succession plans. Then I watched people become more careful, more hesitant, and less honest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is my reckoning with that failure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI Was Rude, But I Was Rude to an Idiot introduces \u003cstrong\u003eFearless Respect: \u003c\/strong\u003ethe idea that leaders can care deeply about people while still demanding honesty, accountability, and high performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou will learn: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy some \"psychological safety\" initiatives make teams less honest, not more\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe difference between Necessary Friction and abuse, and why avoiding the first invites the second\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow the Performance-Culture Loop turns honest feedback into innovation and resilience\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy the annual review has become a bureaucratic exercise, and what to replace it with\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe three non-negotiables of authentic leadership: vulnerability, humility, and consistency\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow frameworks like SBI and COIN turn vague criticism into clear, actionable feedback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA practical 90-day action plan to move your team from hesitant agreement to honest dialogue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on real stories from boardrooms in Paris, Dubai, and everywhere in between, this book offers no theoretical fluff \u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c\/strong\u003e just practical tools, uncomfortable truths, and a path to building an organization that is both antifragile and deeply human.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Naoum Barakat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 9948699920\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789948699927\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Naoum Barakat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/17\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 284\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.21lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d","brand":"Naoum Barakat","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":49002068148479,"sku":"9789948699927","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/i-was-rude-but-i-naoum-barakat-9789948699927","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}