SFG75
Well-Known Member
I've read a lot of reviews of this book, so I decided to give it a shot. The authors own a business called 37signals. They are known for the "unconventional" way that they run their business. Their advice runs counter to a lot of standard ways of operating a business. The authors recommend "picking a fight" with the competition. If you don't do that, then there is no reason why you should be in business. Likewise, you must fire the workaholics. People who slave away make more errors than those who are more conscientious about their time. There is something to be said about taking a break and the best ideas come about when you are not in your chair at work. Those ideas will hit you when you are outside walking or taking it easy. The authors detest meetings and view them only as a time in which all meaningful work comes to a halt. Issue general orders and let the cards fall where they may.
The most interesting advice had to do with hiring employees. The authors would say that you should "test drive" employees by giving them a task to do. The authors don't put a lot of stock in formal degrees either. They also detest years of experience requirements, which in their minds, does not prove anything other than the fact that an employee sat for five years at a job, it doesn't tell you how well they did their job.
While there are shortcoming to their philosophy, I do like some of the points about meetings and hiring based on "experience." Not everything can be run like a lean and mean online cut-throat company, but some of the "out of the box" leadership ideas are interesting and could be workable in the realms of government and education.
The most interesting advice had to do with hiring employees. The authors would say that you should "test drive" employees by giving them a task to do. The authors don't put a lot of stock in formal degrees either. They also detest years of experience requirements, which in their minds, does not prove anything other than the fact that an employee sat for five years at a job, it doesn't tell you how well they did their job.
While there are shortcoming to their philosophy, I do like some of the points about meetings and hiring based on "experience." Not everything can be run like a lean and mean online cut-throat company, but some of the "out of the box" leadership ideas are interesting and could be workable in the realms of government and education.