Swanson's UNWritten Rules of Management

I got my copy of Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Managment in the mail today:

This “anthology of common sense” from Bill Swanson (Chairman and CEO of Raytheon) presents 33 little nuggets of wisdom he’s accumulated over the years across various roles. Dubbed “The CEO’s Secret Handbook” by Business2.0, it has until recently been an ‘underground’ publication distributed exclusively among senior executives and management thinkers. For more information, definitely go check out the Business 2.0 cover story . You can also read 25 of the 33 rules (no explanations) over at Noise Between Stations.

In this quick read, Swanson makes some great, pithy statements. As a designer, I especially enjoyed…

“Rule #4: Look for what is missing. Many people know how to improve what’s there; few can see what isn’t there.”

I often describe what I do as ‘helping businesses to envision unseen opportunities’—regardless of whether that opportunity is describing an innovative new business process or recommending a better typeface.

“Rule #28: You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100% of what you feel.”

Storytelling is so very central to design. People like to be shown how something—a product, an application, whatever—will work in their lives. This is especially true when pitching a new or unfamiliar idea to stakeholders. I’ve found that couching a ‘different way to do things’ in the context of a real (or imagined) situation people can relate to makes the idea seem more real and urgent. The conversations that follow are typically more productive.

Oh yeah, Jim Collins also weighs in on Swanson’s thoughts, commenting that 21 of swanson’s rules “exhibit[ed] a positive fit with the operating philosophy of the good-to-great CEOs.”