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Read Now: Rules of Thumb by Alan Weber

Reading (Books, Articles, Blogs), Books | | Nick Fellers

Tom and I recommend a ton of books. However, note this as an über-recommendation. Alan Weber’s Rules of Thumb – 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Yourself is the best book for entrepreneurs I’ve read in five years… hands down.

Usually you read a business book and you can boil it down to a few juicy nuggets or takeaways with a lot of filler and fluff and the token story about Southwest Airlines or Dell. I’ve been chewing on every sentence in this book. The last time I remember doing that was when I first read Marcus Buckingham and before that, my first encounters with Peter Drucker.

I wish I could/did write this book. It’s awesome. Some randomly picked nuggets:

  • “If you’re a leader, your people need three things: clarity about purpose, honesty about values, and focus on metrics.”
  • Rule #5: Change is a Math Formula. “Change happens when the cost of the status quo is greater than the risk of change: C(SQ)>R(C).”
  • Rule #10: A Good Question Beats a Good Answer.
  • Rule #20: Speed = Strategy
  • Know the difference between text and subtext [extended discussion about].
  • “Numbers, charts, and graphs appear to be specific, but without verbs it’s hard to know what the numbers actually mean. The numbers may look “hard,” but they’re actually soft. Stories may appear “soft,” but the verbs make them hard.”
  • “When in doubt, leave it out. Less is more and more is too much.”
  • Rule #36: Message to Entrepreneurs – Managing your Emotional Flow is more Critical than Managing your Cash Flow.
  • “If you don’t ask, don’t expect the investor to make the pitch for you.”

I’ve put through a bulk order for this book with Amazon. Will be giving away many copies… leave a comment below (first three to do so) and I’ll mail a copy to you.