My Client is the Devil (and other myths), Revisited

About this book

Every client relationship eventually tests the person managing it. The account manager, the client partner, the account lead: whatever the title, this is the person caught between what the client wants and what the organization can actually deliver, and the strain of that position rarely shows up on an org chart.My Client is the Devil (And Other Myths), Revisited draws on decades of work in organizational psychology, technology infrastructure, and client services to answer a question most training programs skip: how does the professional in this seat stay psychologically hardy while the demands around them keep changing? Paul M. Drew, Dr. Steve Fedorko, and Dr. Mark McKinney update the original bestseller for a workplace reshaped by artificial intelligence, remote and hybrid teams, the gig economy, and a client base that now forms its first impression on LinkedIn before a call ever happens.The book moves through the emotional and behavioral skills that separate account leads who burn out from those who build long, resilient client relationships. Readers learn to manage their own reactions under pressure, build the kind of trust that survives a difficult renewal conversation, and develop the psychological hardiness that turns constant client demands into a source of professional growth rather than depletion. The myths the authors dismantle, that good service means constant availability, that conflict avoidance keeps clients happy, that burnout is simply the cost of doing business, are the same myths still running through client-services teams today, just with new triggers.Written for account managers, consultants, agency leaders, and anyone whose paycheck depends on someone else's satisfaction, this revisited edition combines practical, field-tested skills with the psychological grounding to use them under real pressure. It is a guide to managing the client relationship by first managing yourself.