Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management was originally part of a PowerPoint presentation by Bill Swanson, CEO of aerospace contractor Raytheon made to engineers and scientists at the company.

Swanson later put his rules down on paper. So he did: in 3-inch-by-5-inch spiral-bound notebooks handed out to executives and customers.

While some of the rules were originally published over 60 years ago as The Unwritten Laws of Engineering (1944) by W. J. King, unfortunately they were not available to the general public.

No matter the source, many of these rules are worth reading – and reading – as often as possible.

1. Learn to say, “I don’t know.” If used when appropriate, it will be often.
2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
3. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
4. Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what’s there, but few can see what isn’t there.
5. Viewgraph rule: When something appears on a viewgraph (an overhead transparency), assume the world knows about it, and deal with it accordingly.
6. Work for a boss with whom you are comfortable telling it like it is. Remember that you can’t pick your relatives, but you can pick your boss.
7. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they are supposed to be. Avoid Newton’s Law.
8. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.
9. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference. Don’t be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.
10. In completing a project, don’t wait for others; go after them, and make sure it gets done.
11. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Don’t assume it will get done!
12. Don’t be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.
13. Practice shows that those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.
14. Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
16. Don’t overlook the fact that you are working for a boss.
    * Keep him or her informed. Avoid surprises!
    * Whatever the boss wants takes top priority.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.
    * You must make promises. Don’t lean on the often-used phrase, “I can’t estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors.”
18. Never direct a complaint to the top. A serious offense is to “cc” a person’s boss.
19. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of your commitments.
20. Cultivate the habit of “boiling matters down” to the simplest terms. An elevator speech is the best way.
21. Don’t get excited in engineering emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.
22. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.
23. When making decisions, the pros are much easier to deal with than the cons. Your boss wants to see the cons also.
24. Don’t ever lose your sense of humor.
25. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.

When the now sadly defunct July 1, 2005 Business 2.0 wrote about Swanson’s book, they added the following rules:

1. You can’t polish a sneaker.
2. You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100 percent of what you feel.
3. Treat your company name as if it were your own.
4. When faced with decisions, try to look at them as if you were one level up in the organization.  Your perspective will change quickly.
5. A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person. (This rule never fails.)
6. When facing issues or problems that are becoming drawn out, “short them to ground.”

While I have zero illusions of being a even a distant peer of Bill Swanson’s, I’m still going to add several of my own rules:

1. Good managers hire candidates who are at least A level themselves, but will hopefully hire A+ people; bad managers either hire themselves (aka “Mini Me”  Hiring); or they hire C, D, E, F, etc. players
2. If you’re doing things you feel compelled to hide from others you shouldn’t be doing them. 
3. Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted; but at the same time, be very careful what you wish for.
4. All sales are solution sales; while you or I may not understand someone else’s decision points and drivers, those drivers are definitely there and often in (or out?) of control. 
5. Eventually, all shit rolls uphill.  For example: each person in a work group is responsible for their own actions; but if an individual repeatedly acts in a way which is detrimental to a business and/or to other people, the root cause responsibility rolls uphill to the decision maker(s) who condones/enables that situation to continue.

Related blog posts:

Often I Learn the Most from People Who are Clueless.

Guy Kawaski’s Corollary on Hiring; or, How Work Teams Go Bad

And One More Thing…

“We’re all mad here.”

Randy Pausch Life Rules, redux

If you lead your life the right way… the dreams will come to you.

Things I’ve Learned Along the Way…