When William Swanson joined Raytheon as a young engineer in 1972, he was timid and sat quietly scribbling notes at meetings. Decades of observations and wisdom have been boiled down into 33 concise leadership tips that now Raytheon's Chairman and CEO had printed into a 31/2-by-6-inch booklet called Swanson's UnWritten Rules of Management.
No. 4: "Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what's there; few can see what isn't there."
No. 13: "Those who speak knowingly and confidently often wind up with the assignment to get the job done."
No. 14: "Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports."
"A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person."
No. 23 says to fill the boss in on all the potential risks, not just opportunities.
No. 28 says that we remember one-third of what we read, half of what people tell us, but 100% of what we feel.
Rule 31 advises us to put yourself in your boss' shoes.
