First, break all the rules
by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman · first published 1999
79% recommend21% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Data-driven management guide built on Gallup surveys of huge numbers of managers. It argues for building on each person's strengths rather than fixing weaknesses; recommended especially for new managers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman is a management book that challenges traditional workplace practices. It reveals how the world’s best managers break conventional rules by focusing on employees’ strengths, setting clear outcomes, and fostering engagement. Instead of trying to fix weaknesses, great managers create environments where individuals thrive based on their unique talents. The book offers actionable strategies to build high-performing teams by emphasizing strengths over traditional methods of management.
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…pricing software products is OK. Or a classic on managing software developers like Peopleware is OK. Some other general business books I like include The Innovator's Dilemma, The Innovator's Solution and First, Break all the Rules. A non-software specific design book I highly recommend is The Design of Everyday Things. Even though it is geared towards manufacturing related industries, I'm also very fond of Winning at New Products.…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend.... Good to Great by Jim Collins One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters
on “Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...” ↗…tries to give solutions to the dilemma. The book packs tons of counter intuitive insights. Highly recommended. 3. The Big Picture by Sean Carrol. The best cosmology book I have read in a long while 4. First break all the rules. If you are a first time manager, I highly recommend reading this book. 5. Deep Work by Cal Newport. This book changed my working habits and life. I was constantly distracted before, and now I am able…
on “Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2016?” ↗…(fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini (useful for more than just startups) - maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham) - founders at work (livingston) to get inspired +1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start blogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc.,…
on “Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?” ↗…bigger problems with most review forms is that they rest on a premise of a well rounded individual and focus on improving weaknesses instead of building on strengths. Marcus Buckingham wrote a great book, "First Break All The Rules," critiquing this approach. Problem with Performance Reviews http://gmj.gallup.com/content/529/The-Four-Keys-to-Great-Management.aspx First Break all the Rules summary http://gmj.gallup.com/content/1144/First-Break-All-Rules-Book-Center.aspx
on “Get Rid of the Performance Review” ↗The little literature that I've seen on this suggests that extremes of ability differences are more the rule than the exception. And if you work with the best, the best improve most readily. Read First Break all the Rules for documented examples with everything from driving trucks safely to data entry.
on “Scott Adams: Backwards Economics?” ↗No early manager's education is complete in my opinion without reading Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman's "First Break All The Rules". Do yourself a favor, order a bunch of used copies for your staff to read. I've probably bought 200 or more copies of this book new and used and no other single book published in the micro-computing…
on “Ask HN: What is company culture and why my company needs one?” ↗…market by a high factor over 10 years. It's more leadership than management, but still very useful. One that I haven't read yet (damn my stupidly big reading list) but recommend on reputation alone is First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Here's a summary: http://www.slideshare.net/gregcrouch/executive-summary-first... I share your frustration about blah-blah blog posts. With the exception of First,…
on “Ask HN: No intrinisic motivation to build stuff” ↗…available to us. If that means leaving the interview, so be it. Now you may agree and immediately say that this is a personal limitation that should be fixed ASAP. I strongly disagree. I recommend reading First, Break All The Rules. We're talking about a personality trait here. In adults, trying to change your personality is usually a lost cause. For most people it is FAR more effective to find ways to structure your environment…
on “Walking out of an interview” ↗+1 on officialchicken's recommendation for MTM. Another great book on management in general is "First, Break All The Rules" by Buckingham et.al. from Gallup - http://www.amazon.com/First-Break-All-The-Rules/dp/074351011... The important thing is not to dance a prescribed routine, but to be effective with the human individuals.…
on “Ask HN: How do you actually manage a software project?” ↗This is a very good reply. Another really good book about management is called _First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently_ by Marcus Buckingham of Gallup Polls. TL;DR: Different things work for different people, figure out what works for your employees and do that. My…
on “Ask HN: How do you manage and structure a team?” ↗1. Selected Essays of Warren Buffett 2. First, Break all the Rules 3. Between the World and Me
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?” ↗1. First, Break All The Rules 2. The Richest Man in Babylon 3. In The Company of Others 4. The Algorithm Design Manual (when I was 19 I went from consulting to FTE and this gave me a jump in knowledge)
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…persuasion (negotiation) spin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler) You cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales) 5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books) first break all the rules (management) accounting for dummies purple cow (differentiation) blue ocean strategy (differentiation) traction (strategy/operations) rocketfuel (strategy/operations) for professional services:…
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗…books for yourself, try Meditations (by Marcus Aurelius), The Gentle Art of Not Giving a F_ck, and Atomic Habits. If you want some management books to help with your team, try Peopleware (a classic), First, Break All The Rules (much better than the title suggests), and Tribal Leadership.
on “Cognitive AI for ADHD” ↗