Comments on: Review: Rework

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:10:38 +0000

I think #4 and #6 need to read the review again. The sub-section was called: “Don’t be a hero”. It was saying that the hero (who rushes in and fights fires) was not the person to emulate — instead be the one preventing fires.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:07:15 +0000

Thanks for this reminder to just DO something; it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. Preparation is great, but at some point you also have to take action.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:56:27 +0000

Great review, makes me want to read the book. I will be looking for it at my library in the future. I do agree with some of the points above though… the description of hero does seem like a jerk. Also, I completely agree with sending people home at 5 (or whatever the end of the day is for the job) and not having people stay late… unfortunately that isn’t how it works at most jobs. My boss calls, texts, emails me all the time. I finally took my work email off my phone which helped a lot but I am still the one that gets called at 5 AM when something goes wrong.

By: joan

joan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:57:22 +0000

This review does what it is suppose to do, it makes me want to read the book. Thank you Trent for this review. However, I still agree with #3 that bosses can call at any time. And the hero must have been a typo, because Trent always gives value to his friends, family, and to businesses that he likes.

By: Mark Gavagan

Mark Gavagan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:58:59 +0000

I agree Rework is a terrific book.

I keep a little blog with notes and excerpts about books I’ve read.

One of the best quotes from Rework is on page 271 – “If you want to do something, you’ve got to do it now.”

Link to others: nntoor.org/rework

By: Jules

Jules — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:15:13 +0000

Either this review needs a proofreader, or it’s actually not that great of a book. “A hero overlooks the value of people around him”? That’s not a hero, that’s a jerk. Sending people home at 5 only works if you don’t have email and a Blackberry/iPad/cell phone–and, hehe, I’ve gotten phone calls from my boss as late as 9 at night, and on the weekends. And “discarding the trivial” is at direct odds with the fact that, in many aspects of production/management, the devil is in the details. Seeing your product save lives of kids with cancer is great. But it doesn’t help you when it’s five in the morning and there’s a meltdown in the lab.

By: moom

moom — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:23:43 +0000

The meetings that are a waste of time is where most of the meeting is just a bunch of information that could have been given in an e-mail, newsletter, memo etc. If meetings are used for discussions and decision-making then generally they are useful and interesting.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:51:46 +0000

So, “Achieving something, even if it’s a failure, pushes you much further in the direction of success” but “learning from mistakes is overrated”?

As someone mentioned a day or so ago, not everyone is of the entrepreneurial mindset. Of course this book would appeal to Trent as it disses most of the standard operating procedures of corporate jobs. And maybe if you’re in the position of starting up, owning or managing a company, you could implement some of these ideas. But I’m not convinced you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For example it is possible to conduct meetings that are productive and meaningful to everyone in the room – the first rule is that not everyone in the company has to attend every meeting.

By: John Cardero

John Cardero — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:55:19 +0000

I agree totally. Rework is a great read and I got a lot out of it.