The Starbucks Test - Long Format

You may have heard about the widely blogged 'Starbucks Test' by Bob Sutton. He calls it the Asshole metric. If you haven't here it is:

The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and someone orders a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," you are in the presence of an asshole.

Now before you get all flustered with the use of this term, you have to admit that you know exactly what it means in the context of business, and something that everyone has dealt with. Now Bob has a new book coming out called "The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized workplace, and surviving one that isn't". Its not available yet, but Guy Kawasaki, gives a thorough review of the book.

It might be a refreshing change from the typical, dry 'stuff shirt' business books often written, and based on this review, I think its probably worth a read. Plus, being an analytical guy I am interested in find out more about a topic in his book called TCA (Total Cost of Assholes).