‘Rework’ by Jason Fired and David Hansson
I did something with this book I have not done before with any previous book! I loved reading it so much the that when I finished, I immediately began reading it again.
Of all the many books I have read on leading and building a business ‘Rework’ is the most controversial, hard-edged yet br
illiantly written and highly valuable. Some of the headlines on the book’s back cover are typical of the book’s thought provoking content .. ‘ASAP is poison!’ ‘Underdo the competition’ ‘Meetings are toxic’ ‘Planning is guessing’ etc.
If you aspire to be a more effective business leader and entrepreneur and don’t mind reading strong thought provoking opinions (that you may not agree with) together with the occasional amusing expletive then this book should be at the top of your must read list
Rework is written by the 2 Founders of ‘Basecamp’ an incredibly successful international software business with less than 20 full time team members serving over 2.5 million users today, having started with only 45 users in 2004. They have other successful software products of which “Basecamp’ is probably the best known, it is an outstanding business management tool for small to medium sized businesses. The authors share what they have learned in their own journeys and what they believe to be most important in leading and building a business.
If you want to be a successful entrepreneur this book highlights more of the required key entrepreneurial attitudes and practical actions than any other book I have read to date. I don’t agree with all the points made by the 2 authors but I am confident that they would be happy about this because they don’t expect or even want everyone to agree with them (another key entrepreneurial attitude that they highlight).
The book is written in a way that is informal, direct and obviously based on getting measurable results.
The authors have strong opinions about ‘ineffective business models and attitudes’ many I agree with and some not, but boy oh boy do their opinions provoke some highly constructive insights to you building an inspiring and lasting business.
I found myself laughing out loud when they say “When I call customer services please don’t put me on hold for 16 mins with an automated voicemail saying sorry and that ‘your call is important to us’. Give me a f**king break! A talking robot does not care about me, you are insulting my intelligence.”Needless to say Basecamp’s customer services are somewhat different to this commonly found example.
Ultimately the proof of the pudding is in the eating, all the evidence I have found, including from people who use their software, reveals that the authors of this book really do walk their talk!