Redefining work with "Rework"
I recently read a book that nearly everyone recommended called "Rework", and it did not disappoint me. As the title suggests, it is about redefining work. We have many preconceptions about how work is supposed to be, and we rarely question them. But what these authors put together made a lot of sense compared to the many nonsensical ways in which a workplace often operates. Their insights were intuitive and without fluff.
Planning is often a waste of time in a fast-paced environment. Extensive planning distracts from actually building the product.
Productivity is not just the hours you put in, but the value created by your work. It's about working smarter, not longer. We think complexity is good, but it is solving simple problems that makes a lot of money. The authors mentioned how their customers demanded new features, but they outright denied them and stood their ground to keep things simple.
Hiring the right people is often overlooked, and it leads to unwanted problems down the road. Taking great care in hiring for both skills and cultural fit is critical. A company doesn't need to scale headcount as revenue grows. Often the first thing companies do is hire more people as revenue increases, but this can be counterproductive. More people leads to increased middle management, miscommunication and complexity.
Rather than worrying about unknowable future trends, build for basic human needs that are constant. Values like simplicity, speed, quality and great service are always in demand.
"Rework" challenges many of the status quo assumptions about how a company should operate. It advocates for staying small, embracing constraints, engaging deeply with customers, and relentlessly focusing on delivering real value.
If you're feeling stuck in old ways of working and want a thought-provoking perspective on how to do things differently, I highly recommend picking up a copy of "Rework". It just might change how you think about work.