My friend Jason “Code Monkey” Alfano alerted me to this book. After I read an excerpt I had to pick it up. I was able to persuade my wife that I needed it for my birthday. 
It is written by the founders of 37signals, a small company that develops project management an collaboration software. So they are coming from a small business, entrepreneurial, dot com background… at least that is what I thought when I did some background on the authors before reading the book. My attitude and perception of these “developers” changed after I read the book.
I’ll sum up my thoughts on the book in a simple statement then expand on what I liked and took away from the book:
“Rework” should be required reading by anyone who is a manager, business owner, or anyone thinking about starting a business.
I am a big fan of Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, and Jim Collins. “7 Habits,” “21 Irrefutable Laws,” and “Good to Great” have helped shaped my thought process on life and business… I even completed an extended personal coaching relationship with the Covey folks. So that tells you my thought process on management, leadership, and business. “Rework” was a refreshing perspective from guys that started a company which generates millions of dollars every year and they only have a staff of 16 people… and they are scattered all over the globe.
First off, the way the book is written really made it a quick read. I picked it up late on Saturday and was finished with it late Sunday evening. Each “chapter” starts with a great drawing that humorously relates to the point of the chapter, then the “chapter” is written in a very short to-the-point fashion. It really kept my attention.
This book goes against some of the principles that are taught in the above mentioned books. It goes against the grain. I am still absorbing the approach and testing it out in my work environment. Here are some topics that should pique your interest and a few other excerpts from the book…
- ASAP is poison.
- Underdo the competition.
- Meetings are toxic.
- Fire the workaholics.
- Emulate drug dealers.
- Pick a fight.
- Planning is guessing.
- GPA’s Don’t Matter, Resumes Suck, Location Doesn’t Matter
“The dream employee for a lot of companies is a twenty-something with as little of a life as possible outside of work–someone who’ll be fine working fourteen-hour days and sleeping under his desk. But packing a room full of these burn-the-midnight-oil types isn’t as great as it seems. [. . .] You don’t need more hours; you need better hours. When people have something to do at home, they get down to business. They get their work done because they have somewhere else to be. They find ways to be more efficient because they have to.”
“Emulate famous chefs. They cook, so they write cookbooks. What do you do? What are your “recipes”? What’s your “cookbook”? What can you tell the world about how you operate that’s informative, educational, and promotional? This book is our cookbook.”
“The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use. [. . .] If you’re solving someone else’s problem, you’re constantly stabbing in the dark. When you solve your own problem, the light comes on. You know exactly what the right answer is.”
“Just as there’s a danger in trying to solve someone else’s problem, there’s a danger in thinking that the answer to your problem is the answer to everyone’s problem. This seems clearly, painfully true in the world of tech. Friendfeed probably solved a problem for its creator, but it never caught on because most people don’t consume countless online channels like Robert Scoble. The best products and services, it seems to me, address common pains that an innovator experiences personally.”
“Whenever you can, swap “Let’s think about it” for “Let’s decide on it.” Commit to making decisions. Don’t wait for the perfect solution. Decide and move forward. [. . . ] It doesn’t matter how much you plan, you’ll still get some stuff wrong anyway. Don’t make things worse by over-analyzing and delaying before you ever get going.”
“Instead of trying to outspend, outsell, or outsponsor competitors, try to out-teach them. Teaching probably isn’t something your competitors are even thinking about. Most businesses focus on selling or servicing, but teaching never even occurs to them. [. . .] Teach and you’ll form a bond you just don’t get from traditional marketing tactics. Buying people’s attention with a magazine or online banner ad is one thing. Earning their loyalty by teaching them forms a whole different connection. They’ll trust you more. They’ll respect you more. Even if they don’t use your product, they can still be you fans.”
“We’re all capable of bad, average, and great work. The environment has a lot more to do with great work than most people realize. [. . .] [T]here’s a ton of untapped potential trapped under lame policies, poor direction, and stifling bureaucracies. Cut the crap and you’ll find that people are waiting to do great work. They just need to be given the chance. [. . .] Great environments show respect for the people who do the work and how they do it.”
“Workaholics make the people who don’t stay late feel inadequate for “merely” working reasonable hours. That leads to guilt and poor morale all around. Plus, it leads to an ass-in-seat mentality–people stay late out of obligation, even if they aren’t really being productive. [. . .] Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.”
“Nothing is more toxic, in my mind, than the “ass-in-seat mentality.” It not only demonstrates a lack of trust and respect toward your employees, it betrays more fundamental and serious issues in your workplace. Employees who take the fate of their company or organization seriously deliver, even if it means working at 2 in the morning after spending an afternoon in the park. Employees who know that they are valued simply for showing up during set hours will quickly lose motivation to go above and beyond.”
I highly recommend this book. A great read that will make you think.
…follow up post. I ran across this amusing video about REWORK.
