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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I wouldn't exactly call this a 'book', but more like a collection of articles/blog posts - short, concise, and to the point; which I appreciated more, since I believe most non-fiction books to be very tiring precisely because they choose to express a simple idea in way too many words or even chapters.
I've been meaning to read it for years, but somehow ended up reading it right when I needed it the most. Especially if you are working in the tech industry, you will find that Jason Fried paints a very good picture of the toxic corporate environment and the hardcore competitiveness and grit culture you find in tech companies. With each chapter, he explains not only the bad and the ugly that every corporate worker experiences, but also how he & his co-founder managed to change this at Basecamp. His experience and the solutions he proposes to change the norm are quite interesting and, as an employee in a big tech company myself, I was glad to find there is still hope for this industry – that someone out there could and DID do it differently, that it’s a choice and, given the right circumstances, others could make better choices for their employees too.
Although there aren't any ground-breaking tips and very few actionable steps you can take away from it (I only say this because Basecamp’s business model is an exception, an outlier, it cannot be feasible for all kinds of organizations and it's definitely not feasible for those who work in big tech, only in startups/smaller scale companies), I believe this ‘book’ is essential for any manager/team leader out there, no matter the field they work in or their level of experience. If not to serve as an inspiration, then at least to gather insights into what your workers might be unhappy about in the workplace.
P.S.: I must also note how the entire ‘book’ is a brilliant employer branding & PR execution for Basecamp and its founders. It might not have been meant as such (who knows), but I don’t see how any reader could finish this text without at least looking up Basecamp online or thinking this sounds like a dream job.
I've been meaning to read it for years, but somehow ended up reading it right when I needed it the most. Especially if you are working in the tech industry, you will find that Jason Fried paints a very good picture of the toxic corporate environment and the hardcore competitiveness and grit culture you find in tech companies. With each chapter, he explains not only the bad and the ugly that every corporate worker experiences, but also how he & his co-founder managed to change this at Basecamp. His experience and the solutions he proposes to change the norm are quite interesting and, as an employee in a big tech company myself, I was glad to find there is still hope for this industry – that someone out there could and DID do it differently, that it’s a choice and, given the right circumstances, others could make better choices for their employees too.
Although there aren't any ground-breaking tips and very few actionable steps you can take away from it (I only say this because Basecamp’s business model is an exception, an outlier, it cannot be feasible for all kinds of organizations and it's definitely not feasible for those who work in big tech, only in startups/smaller scale companies), I believe this ‘book’ is essential for any manager/team leader out there, no matter the field they work in or their level of experience. If not to serve as an inspiration, then at least to gather insights into what your workers might be unhappy about in the workplace.
P.S.: I must also note how the entire ‘book’ is a brilliant employer branding & PR execution for Basecamp and its founders. It might not have been meant as such (who knows), but I don’t see how any reader could finish this text without at least looking up Basecamp online or thinking this sounds like a dream job.
Interesting book, containing some good tips on having work rules and practices.
Some podcast appearance of Jason Fried triggered me do dive in this book. It’s the second book I’ve read by Jason Fried, and if I recall correctly I wasn’t too enthusiastic about ‘Re-work’ either. Fried is a good talker, and that’s exactly what happens in this book, a lot of talking. And that’s fine for a talk, but for a book I want to hear some background material, some motivations, some elaborations on the why behind the statements. It’s not the content of the books I disagree with, - except for the ‘Not pitching ideas in person to people’ which sounds crazy to me.
Therefor, unfortunately it feels as a big boast of ‘look how cool we are at Basecamp’, like I am reading their company Tinder-page. Luckily the annoyance only started kicking in in the last half of the book.
This quote from the books illustrates this best: “Three people is the best number for a team. Four needs a manager, five is two too much and 6 is….”
Therefor, unfortunately it feels as a big boast of ‘look how cool we are at Basecamp’, like I am reading their company Tinder-page. Luckily the annoyance only started kicking in in the last half of the book.
This quote from the books illustrates this best: “Three people is the best number for a team. Four needs a manager, five is two too much and 6 is….”
This book is.. so fantastic it verges on the unbelievable.
That a profit-making company would live by these values and still consistently make money, and treat their employees like humans with real lives, which they respect and don't overload.
It is actually, true, though, which makes it all the more incredible.
I really hope that more companies adopt this method of working. I haven't heard of ANY software company outside of 37 Signals adopting these hugely unusual business practices. It's the 'anti-Elon' strategy.
If there are any other companies based - even loosely - on these principles, know that you'll be receiving my CV soon!
That a profit-making company would live by these values and still consistently make money, and treat their employees like humans with real lives, which they respect and don't overload.
It is actually, true, though, which makes it all the more incredible.
I really hope that more companies adopt this method of working. I haven't heard of ANY software company outside of 37 Signals adopting these hugely unusual business practices. It's the 'anti-Elon' strategy.
If there are any other companies based - even loosely - on these principles, know that you'll be receiving my CV soon!
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
A bit too much of a pat on their own backs for my taste, and half of it is smart & agile design & development. And yet it's a nice refreshing take on stressless and calm entrepreneurship and it tickles me to start my own company. Some day 🤷♂️
I have a lot of thoughts about business/management, and am underwhelmed by most business books. I was impressed by this very short book explaining the work philosophy at Basecamp! Work-life balance. Don't overcommit. Judge candidates by work, not other factors. Give people time to focus. Lots of great stuff in this book that I wish other companies would follow. Recommended.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This book tells you to stop being the "passionate employee", stop "changing the world", and other common sense things that are just marketing empty phrases to make you to spend your life working more for less.