I just finished reading the book “REWORK” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. To be honest, I enjoyed it slightly less than I had expected: It’s a great (and beautiful) book, but I have been following Signal vs. Noise and similar blogs for years now, so most ideas weren’t new to me. (And isn’t it mostly common sense? I keep wondering why managers have such a hard time doing the right thing. Seems like we need “education in the obvious”, so please go read the book, then pass it on to your boss.)

Here’s some quotes from REWORK that made me think:

“Sell your by-products: […] There’s probably something you haven’t thought about that you could sell too.”

“Interruption is not collaboration, it’s just interruption.”

“Pour yourself into your product and everything around your product too: how you sell it, how you support it, how you explain it, and how you deliver it. Competitors can never copy the you in your product.”

“Soon, the stack of things you’ve said yes to grows so tall you can’t even see the things you should really be doing. Start getting into the habit of saying no. […] Don’t be a jerk about saying no, though.”

“You’re the one who has to believe in [your product] most. That way, you can say, 'I think you’ll love it because I love it.'”

“Smart companies make […] something that’s at-home good. When you get the product home, you’re actually more impressed with it than you were at the store. You live with it and grow to like it more and more.”

“Build an audience. Speak, write, blog, tweet, make videos – whatever. Share information that’s valuable and you’ll slowly but surely build a loyal audience.”

“Give people a backstage pass and show them how your business works. […] People are curious about how things are made.”

“Don’t be afraid to show your flaws. Imperfections are real and people respond to real.”

“Own your bad news: […] When something bad happens, tell your customers (even if they never noticed in the first place).”

“The more people you have between your customer’s words and the people doing the work, the more likely is it that the message will get lost or distorted along the way. Everyone on your team should be connected to your customers.”

“Culture is the by-product of consistent behaviour. […] If you treat customers right, then treating customers right becomes your culture.”

“There’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.”

“Rockstar environments develop out of trust, autonomy, and responsibility. They’re a result of giving people the privacy, workspace, and tools they deserve.”