Rules of the game
- Source: Global Times
- [08:52 December 03 2010]
- Comments
Alan M. Webber
By Jiang Yuxia
Alan M. Webber, cofounder of one of the world's most successful business magazines Fast Company, was recently in Beijing to speak about his life and promote the Chinese version of his book, Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self.
Containing 52 succinct rules, the book is illustrated with experiences, insights and interesting anecdotes.
"The dirty little secret about Rules of Thumb is it's not a business book, it's a book about life The rules came from the laboratory of life," Webber told the Global Times, adding that making it business-orientated is easier for people to understand.
"In our work, our lives and everything in between we are witnessing change that is so fast and unpredictable that our first challenge is simply to make sense of it We're badly in need of rules of thumb that work, that make sense, that can guide us through and past these turbulent times," he writes in the book.
Webber, a former managing editor for Harvard Business Review, launched Fast Company magazine with partner Bill Taylor in 1995. The magazine was created to sit between Harvard Business Review and Rolling Stone, Webber explained.
Embodying the themes of technology, globalization, generational shifts and gender diversity, the magazine became the fastest growing in history and was sold in 2000 to Gruner+Jahr for the second largest amount of any magazine in the US.
Webber explained that since the early days of his career, he has been writing down lessons learned on three-by-five cards that he carries with him every day and then turns them into rules.
Rule No. 52 is his favorite: "Stay alert! There are teachers everywhere."
"There are teachers on the bus, there are teachers on an airplane, saying interesting and fascinating things," he said.
The best and easiest way to learn, he said, is to "keep your ears open."
