Swanson’s Unwritten Rules
This entry was originally posted on November 11, 2005 at the original Brandstory blog (link available for a limited time). This was before it was discovered that a portion of the booklet was borrowed from another source (probably why the links no longer work). Two other changes since this post was originally written, Business 2.0 has ceased publishing and Todd has recently left CEO-READ to venture out on his own.
I’ve been meaning to write about this for a few days. This post from Todd Satterson at 800-CEO-READreminded me that I also recently received a free copy of the booklet, Swanson’s UnWritten Rules of Management. I heard about the book about the same time it was profiled in Business 2.0, and requested a copy. Mine arrived a little over a week ago, but I didn’t have time to read it until I had an hour or two to spare at SkyHarbor in Phoenix.
This booklet is a gem. 33 snippets of advice for any business person aspiring to make a difference. My favorites bits include:
“Everything you do, no matter how menial or trivial it may seem, has your name associated with it. For that reason alone it is worth doing well.” (From Rule #8).
“Designing in quality is a lot more effective than inspecting—or testing—it in later.” (From Rule #2)
“It takes longer to write clearly and crisply. It shows respect for the time of others when you do… good ideas in hard-to-open packages wrapped with complicated bows my be overlooked.” (From Rule #14).
Great advice, clearly and crisply written. And unlike many other CEO’s books, this one is so unpretentious it takes just about 20 minutes to read. It even fits in a suit coat pocket so you can take it anywhere you go, if you feel so inclined. Check it out.