Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self [Hardcover]

Alan M. Webber (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 21, 2009

“Alan Webber’s wise words give guidance and hope in a world gone upside down. Incisive and practical, timely and timeless, he is a mentor of the highest order.”

—Jim Collins, New York Times bestselling author of Good to Great

 

In Rules of Thumb, Alan Webber—co-founder of Fast Company and one of the most important thought leaders of the last two decades—provides 52 rules of thumb, one for each week of the year, to help leaders stay productive and inspired even in the most turbulent times.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Webber, entrepreneur and columnist, offers advice and inspiration with 52 practical lessons gleaned from more than 40 years of working with extraordinary leaders in a variety of endeavors. He sets out to help today’s professional men and women stay focused, productive, and inspired even in our most turbulent times of change relating to globalization, technology, and the knowledge economy. The author kept records of his experiences and describes them along with the lessons he learned, showing us how these lessons can be applied to our business or personal life. His rules? When the going gets tough, the tough relax; don’t implement solutions, prevent problems; the difference between a crisis and an opportunity is when you learn about it; every start-up needs four things: change, connections, conversation, and community; entrepreneurs choose serendipity over efficiency; knowing it ain’t the same as doing it; and great leaders answer Tom Peters’ great question: “How can I capture the world’s imagination?” This excellent book offers valuable, thought-provoking ideas for library patrons. --Mary Whaley

Review

“This excellent book offers valuable, thought-provoking ideas for library patrons.” (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; First Edition edition (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061721832
• ISBN-13: 978-0061721830
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

According to those who know him best, Alan M. Webber is witty and wise (on Mondays and Wednesdays), thoughtful and provocative (on Tuesdays and Thursdays), and irreverent and creative (on Fridays and Saturdays). On Sundays he rests. He is the cofounding editor of Fast Company magazine and was the editorial director and managing editor of the Harvard Business Review. He's worked in federal, state, and local government, writing speeches and focusing on innovative policy initiatives. Currently he calls himself a 'global detective' which has the benefit of meaning little but sounding cool. Two of the high points of his life came when he spent a summer shagging fly balls with the St. Louis Cardinals during batting practice and when he took his first trip to Japan and was told he looked like Bruce Willis. He's married to Frances Diemoz, an architect and furniture maker; his son and daughter, Adam and Amanda, are his two favorite children in the world.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What if you don't agree with this review? May 15, 2009

By Alexander W. Doepel

Format:Hardcover

Most self-help books (amazon.com currently lists 24,855 of them) are generous with words and thin on genuine ideas. Alan Webber either wanted to be done with the book business in one go or he has an endless supply of ideas. "'52 Rules of Thumb"' contains material for 52 average self-help books; each single rule could have been rolled out to 200-plus pages easily. Thank you Mr Webber for resisting that temptation. For anybody in the communication business (PR, priesthood, politics, parenting) this book is a treasure trove. The idea looter''s wet dream. Whenever preparing a sermon or a sales pitch or a motivational speech just pick one of Mr. Webber''s rules of thumb and you have an easy start. This book deserves five stars. You don''t agree? Well, my favorite rule in the book is '"Learn to take 'No' as a question"'.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bite-size nuggets sure to change you April 21, 2009

By Seth Godin

Format:Hardcover

Alan Webber has a track record unlike almost anyone else in the history of business. His passion and insight at Fast Company magazine revolutionized our world in the best possible way.

This book is like a blog, but better, because you can highlight it, postit it and bring it on an airplane. If you find yourself enjoying books where you can mull over a nugget or two and suddenly find them changing your strategy, this is a great book for you.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Botox!!! May 5, 2009

By Patrick J. McKenna

Format:Hardcover

I just read this book during a cross-country plane flight on Monday and I must admit that I will not be requiring any Botox injections, for my forehead wrinkles, for some weeks. As I read through the various "truths for winning at business", fellow passengers would observe me slapping my forehead and uttering either, "Yes, of course" or "Why didn't I think of that."

With just the kind of chapter titles you would expect coming from one of the guys who invented Fast Company (the insanely great business mag that has never recovered the founders' absence), my favorites among Webber's various rules include: Change is a math formula; A good question beats a good answer; Learn to take no as a question; Facts are facts but stories are how we learn; If you want to change the game change the economics of how the game is played; Everything communicates; and Content isn't king, context is king.

You will find that each of these 52 entries includes a short story followed by a 'So What?' explanation of how this rule has practical application for the reader. Alan, thanks for a great, thought provoking read . . . and a flat forehead.