42 Rules to Lead by from the Man Who Defined Google’s Product Strategy
From the post:
Almost four years ago, Jonathan Rosenberg sent an email around Google stumping for more open systems, products, and services. As SVP of Products, he argued that more openness would mean a better Google and a better world. But not everyone agreed. In fact, it set off a fiery internal debate that culminated in the Google Blog post: “The Meaning of Open,” authored by Rosenberg. At the time, he was building teams around Chrome and Android. And his prescience paid off. Today, they are two of Google’s most strategically important gains.
It wasn’t all wins, though. Rosenberg will be the first one to tell you that a lot of failures, false starts and tough breaks got him there. He shared these hard-won lessons in a lecture to students graduating from Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, and we’ve brought ‘Rosenberg’s Rules’ to you.
A great set of rules. Although I have never seen management strategies go beyond cant.
If nothing else, a metric for judging a present or future employer.
BTW, I seriously disagree with:
#10 Crowded is creative.
There’s a certain electricity that comes from working in a crowded, bustling space. “Offices should be designed for energy and interactions, not for isolation and status.”
“Working from home is a malignant, metastasizing cancer. Ban it.” (emphasis in original)
You don’t have to take my word for it, take a look at Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister.
To measure the impact of “crowded” on programming DeMarco and Lister gave surveys to 600 programmers from 92 countries who participated in “Coding War Games.”
The survey covered the environmental conditions under which the programmers worked.
DeMarco and Lister’s Table 8.3, reads:
Table of the Best and Worst Performers in the Coding War Games
Environmental Factor Those Who Performed in 1st Quartile Those Who Performed in 4th Quartile 1. How much dedicated workspace do you have? 78 sq. ft. 48 sq. ft. 2. Is it acceptably quiet? 57% yes 29% yes 3. Is it acceptably private? 62% yes 19% yes 4. Can you silence your phone? 52% yes 10% yes 5. Can you divert your calls? 76% yes 19% yes 6. Do people often interrupt you needlessly? 38% yes 76% yes
Of course, if programming in the bottom quartile is acceptable in your organization, create a crowded work space.
The electricity you feel is from friction between productivity dollars as they drain away.
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