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“Work Rules!” by CEO and co-founder of Humu and former senior vice president of people operations at Google, Laszlo Bock, is an amazingly insightful look into the philosophy behind the success of Google in relation to its employee structure and managerial style. It charges everyone, founder or not, to step up and take their businesses much more seriously than they would in order to get assured success.
“'Work Rules!' delivers on its promise. Befitting a volume written deep within the algorithm factory, WORK RULES! is dense with data and counterintuitive conclusions for anyone looking to make the workplace a better place.” ~ Forbes
Key points
1
A founder is both a mindset and a call to action, you have to accept the responsibility that comes with it and act as a founder would
Leadership is both a responsibility and a privilege. When one is tasked with the weight of leading a firm, it is pertinent that one treads carefully so as to ensure success. The term loosely used for leaders is founders, and as a founder, it is your responsibility to instill a form of security and assuredness in your employees that inspires them to follow you without hesitation or fear.
When one is charged with the duty to lead, it is often regarded as a great burden but in fact it is a privilege and a chance to create magic with a team of like minds.
Becoming a leader/founder is a journey, one that isn’t embarked without a clear vision and goal upon its completion. One does not need to start a business to be a founder, the mentality of a founder is that which is deeply rooted in a desire to inspire and create more leaders yourself. A founder is concerned about employee mentality and bettering the work environment to promote clearer heads and increase productivity.
Your mindset isn’t all that is required, now you also must act like a founder, take on the role and play it to perfection. This means doing and saying the things that are characteristic of a founder. As a founder, your work isn’t simple, it is a grand privilege; a mission that is greater than just you, something that supersedes your own need for relevance.
You must think of your role, position, work as a calling. It should mean more to you than just a job. It will help you rationalize the struggles that come with it, when you realize that it is a service to mankind, a task that is greater than your limitations or fears.
Your mindset isn’t all that is required, now you also must act like a founder, take on the role and play it to perfection. This means doing and saying the things that are characteristic of a founder. As a founder, your work isn’t simple, it is a grand privilege; a mission that is greater than just you, something that supersedes your own need for relevance.
You must think of your role, position, work as a calling. It should mean more to you than just a job. It will help you rationalize the struggles that come with it, when you realize that it is a service to mankind, a task that is greater than your limitations or fears.
Leadership isn’t dependent only on your fears and limitations, it is a mission, a grand calling that requires a religious dedication.
Being a leader isn’t complete until you are able to entrust your charges with a portion of the responsibilities you have; you would have already been preparing them for such a task with your own examples. Give your employees the freedom to make their own decisions, moves and most importantly, their own mistakes. When they feel free to take on a challenge without fear of scolding in the event of failure, they’ll do much better.
When an employee is tasked with the knowledge that his/her failures or successes will be assessed and judged by himself first, that kind of freedom encourages them to do their best, since they are doing it for themselves. It takes a great deal of trust to let your employees be responsible for their own actions and results because it can all go south and you’ll be left to deal with it. But it has been shown by the people over at Google that encouraging employees to handle more responsibility is a wise move and presents more benefits even.
When an employee is tasked with the knowledge that his/her failures or successes will be assessed and judged by himself first, that kind of freedom encourages them to do their best, since they are doing it for themselves. It takes a great deal of trust to let your employees be responsible for their own actions and results because it can all go south and you’ll be left to deal with it. But it has been shown by the people over at Google that encouraging employees to handle more responsibility is a wise move and presents more benefits even.
An employee who is tasked with the responsibility for their failure or success will perform at a much higher rate.
That much freedom and authority is what they need to do their jobs better.
Being a founder/leader isn’t shouting orders, going home with the biggest checks, the real sign of a good leader is the ability to reciprocate himself in those he leads. At Google, certain portions of the firm work independently of the head, almost autonomous and their projects are funded internally. They are given enough trust, authority and freedom to operate independently and they produce great results as a result.
A company that can run on such a principle is going to be greatly successful because while there is a common goal amongst employees, there are various ways to achieve it, that way there’s little risk of the company failing altogether if they had stuck to one philosophy or product.
Being a founder/leader isn’t shouting orders, going home with the biggest checks, the real sign of a good leader is the ability to reciprocate himself in those he leads. At Google, certain portions of the firm work independently of the head, almost autonomous and their projects are funded internally. They are given enough trust, authority and freedom to operate independently and they produce great results as a result.
A company that can run on such a principle is going to be greatly successful because while there is a common goal amongst employees, there are various ways to achieve it, that way there’s little risk of the company failing altogether if they had stuck to one philosophy or product.
2
You are directly responsible for the quality of the people in your team, you must invest in the recruitment process actively
As a leader/founder, you are also responsible for the quality/content of your team no matter how large it is or has grown to be. So how are you to perfect the art of recruitment? How can you assure that you are getting the right stock of people for your particular dream and vision?
Other chapters are waiting for you in the app
3
It is important that you create a solid identity and clear-cut goals for your intending members of your team so they frame their actions to match it
4
As a founder, it is your duty to give your team members the perfect environment to function properly
5
After detailing what you expect from your team, you can assess their progress or lack of it so as to fully appreciate their roles and how to reward their efforts
6
When you wish to reward top performers in your firm/team, be sure to splurge as this will spur them to put in extra effort and inspire others up their work ethic
7
