The Unwritten Laws of Business (Hardcover)

~ (Author), James G. Skakoon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The bestselling business classic that Raytheon CEO
William Swanson made famous.

Every once in awhile, there is a book with a message so timeless, so universal, that it transcends generations. The Unwritten Laws of Business is such a book. Originally published over 60 years ago as The Unwritten Laws of Engineering, it has sold over 100,000 copies, despite the fact that it has never been available before to general readers. Fully revised for business readers today, here are but a few of the gems you’ll find in this little-known business classic:

If you take care of your present job well, the future will take care of itself.
The individual who says nothing is usually credited with having nothing to say.
Whenever you are performing someone else’s function, you are probably neglecting your own.
Martyrdom only rarely makes heroes, and in the business world, such heroes and martyrs often find themselves unemployed.


Refreshingly free of the latest business fads and jargon, this is a book that is wise and insightful, capturing and distilling the timeless truths and principles that underlie management and business the world over.

The little book with the big history.

In the summer of 2005, Business 2.0 published a cover story on Raytheon CEO William Swanson’s self-published pamphlet, Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. Lauded by such chief executives as Jack Welch and Warren Buffett, the booklet became
a quiet phenomenon.

As it turned out, much of Swanson’s book drew from a classic of business literature that has been in print for more than sixty years. Now, in a new edition revised and updated for business readers today, we are reissuing the 1944 classic that inspired a number of Swanson’s “rules”: The Unwritten Laws of Business. Filled with sage advice and written in a spare, engaging style, The Unwritten Laws of Business offers insights on working with others, reporting to a boss, organizing a project, running a meeting, advancing your career, and more. Here’s just a sprinkling of the old-fashioned, yet surprisingly relevant, wisdom you’ll find in these pages:

If you have no intention of listening to, considering, and perhaps using, someone’s opinion, don’t ask for it.
Count any meeting a failure that does not end up with a definite understanding as to what’s going to be done, who’s going to do it, and when.
The common belief that everyone can do anything if they just try hard enough is a formula for inefficiency at best and for complete failure at worst.
It is natural enough to “look out for Number One first,” but when you do, your associates will be noticeably disinclined to look out for you.

Whether you’re a corporate neophyte or seasoned manager, this charming book reveals everything you need to know about the “unwritten” laws of business.

About the Author

The Unwritten Laws of Engineering was originally written by W. J. (William Julian) King as a series of three articles published by Mechanical Engineering magazine in 1944 and was subsequently released as a book by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. King had been a General Electric engineer who retired as a UCLA engineering professor in 1969. He died in 1983. James Skakoon is General Manager of VERTEX Technology, an engineering consulting firm, and the author of Detailed Mechanical Design: A Practical Guide (2000). He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Broadway Business (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038552126X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385521260
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #142,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 30 Minutes of Reading, a Lifetime of Good Advice, April 13, 2007

By	Miami Bob "Resurgent Reading" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Basically, as a 50-year old professional, this book delivers little of what I have not already learned through trial and error.

This book allows you to learn without the scar tissue which I have accumulated from my "trial and error" travails.

Had someone come to me with this book when I was young -- when I intentionally continued to live in my world (by stealth) in order not to heed to the advice of my elders and continued to avoid their prophetic advice -- I would have been much better informed.

My recommenddation for AARP-card carrying members like myself, get a young'un to deliver this common sensical verse of advice at the young and restless person's door step (God forbid a gray-haired geezer be the deliverer of this book of truisms); and, then pray that the easily read words written therein somehow can be absorbed -- even if only partly. This book only offers good advice, so the more taken -- the more good is given.

"Pass it on."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Need To Know, May 11, 2007

By	Kerrie More (Kalispell, MT USA) - See all my reviews

I loved this little gem of a book. It gently reminds us how to be a better employee or employer, but I think this advice ultimately can help us be better in ALL of our relationships. Imagine if we let our ethics be our assett with our friends, neighbors and family, as well as our supervisors and co-workers. The title does not do this book justice, because it is not just the business community who needs these lessons. Whether you serve ice cream at a local shop, superivse small children at a day-care, teach in a classroom, or manage a multi-million dollar corporation, this book is all you need to guide you. Buy multiple copies and give it to college graduates and high-school students applying for their first job. If you are a high school guidance counselor, teach it to your students. If you are a boss, give it to your employees when they are hired (and read your own copy again and again!). If you are an employee, keep it on your desk and look at it from time to time to remind you to be your best. Thank you Mr. King and Mr. Skakoon for your timeless wisdom.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers like it too . . ., May 10, 2007

By	Eliza A. Sorte (Kalispell, Montana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We recently read the book for our book club who has been together for over 10 years and it led to the longest most on task discussion to date. All of us in the book club, regardless of age or profession, share the common experience of having had a boss/supervisor, having been a boss/supervisor, and having had an interview. The information in the book reminded me of my dad's generation and the ethics and expectations he taught me that I wish were practiced by more today. In particular, the piece on integrity being an asset was a good reminder that only we can control our integrity and increase that asset or allow it to become a liability if misused. If all professionals took into consideration the "unwritten laws," work places would be much more productive, positive, and personally stimulating. As I continue in my career in education moving ever so quickly into administrative roles, I hope to use this book as beginning discussion point for creating workplace norms within the educational setting for teachers and administrators who sometimes feel outside the "business world" when really we are educational salespeople, classroom CEOs, and community managers. Great book with timeless information! Thanks to the original author as well as Jim Skakoon who only increased its value and readability.