A book review...
A few months ago, Alan Webber, co-founder of Fast Company Magazine, sent a copy of his new book "Rules of Thumb." Since I read and enjoy the magazine, I agreed to give Webber's book a try.
I finally got around to reading it on a recent business trip and then on the beach on vacation. It's an easy read. Alan is a good storyteller. Stories, well-told, insightful and thought-provoking, are what fills this book and make it enjoyable.
Sub-titled "52 Truths for Winning in Business Without Losing Yourself," the book is collection of brief stories and anecdotes that illustrate 52 rules -- one for each week of the year. Webber says he spent several years jotting down insights and "rules" on index cards and finally culled them down to 52.
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A random sampling of the 52 Rules:
Rule #13: Learn to take "no" as a question.
Rule #22: Learn to see the world through the eyes of your customer.
Rule #23: Keep two lists -- What keeps you up at night, and what gets you up in
the morning?
Rule #32: Content isn't king. Context is king.
Rule #36: Managing your emotional flow is more important than managing your
cashflow.
Rule #51: Take your work seruiously. Yourself, not so much.
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What I like about this book is that it's not a "win at any cost" type of text. It doesn't present hard & fast things you must do in order to succeed. Instead, it's a delightful and interesting group of stories that illustrate Webber's points. It includes real-life examples of how kindness, consideration and empathy, combined with the more traditional "success" attributes like persistance, motivation, innovation, etc. can make you a good manager, leader and a success in business.
What's key, Webber shows, is how important it is to stay true to yourself and your core values. It's not necessarily about having the most money or the biggest company. It's more about making a living, yes, but also meeting challenges, attaining goals and, along the way, having fun and doing good.
I won't go into details of the 52 rules here, since I won't do them justice in a few sentences. I'll just say, it's worth a read. You'll see for yourself.
"Rules of Thumb" by Alan M. Webber
2009, Harper Collins. $24.99 US ($16.49 on Amazon)