Hacking Work. Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results

The authors identified the most straightforward way of working smarter and faster and therefore decided to expose the workaround codes that enable people to work more intelligently. The system is HACKING, that is, how to break free and really get stuff done.  Once staff members learn how to hack their work, they accomplish more in less time.

What many business leaders missed to admit, or probably afraid to explore is, that businesses structures and processes as we know it, is broken. Although hacking work is not new, technology is creating vast of opportunities to work smarter and faster.  Leaders that encourage new ways of doing things are outcast, outliers and judge by their C-suite counterparts, leading to isolation and accusations. This is a cruel reality that leaves most of us screwed and feeling helpless about change. We have become slaves to our infrastructures, to business controlling tool, procedures, and mandates.

The authors, write about some real-life examples from ordinary day folks like, Elizabeth a manager whose bosses would not approve her customer satisfaction project, even though the entire senior team deemed it crucial because of payoff wouldn’t be realized for at least four fiscal quarters. So she secretly videotaped customers voicing their complaints as well as their wish lists for enhancing the company’s product lines and posted it on YouTube. Within days, there was enough public outcry that senior management reversed their decision and approved her project.

Also, Matt, a new hired, that disagreed with his employer’s assessment process, he Googled “performance assessment” and built a seventeen-question mash-up that matched his career goals— not just the company’s goals for him. His boss and the HR department were shocked and pissed off, but he had spent months refining his performance tool. He did his homework, seeking advice from one of the gurus in the assessment field whom he’d contacted through LinkedIn. With the support of his co-workers, Matt stood his ground, and management ended up using his assessment in conjunction with their own.

These are not isolated incident. Bill and Josh are outing the most prominent open secret of the working world. Today’s top performers are taking matters into their own hands. They are bypassing sacred structures and breaking all sorts of rules just to get their work done. They are set to expose the cheat codes for work and to share them with the world.

Want to work smarter not harder? Start hacking. Wanting to leave a legacy that makes a difference? Start hacking. Wanting to be a better manager, leader or entrepreneur? Start hacking. Hackers never stayed within the lines of their coloring books neither do they allow childlike wonder to be squeezed out of them. They tend to figure out why anyone would give up digging their fingers into everything just to learn how it works and how they could be changed, that’s the core to any hackers drive: unleashing the untapped potentials in everything, reworking the status quo, so it works better.

Hacking work speaks to all workers who feel defeated by overbearing and outdated bureaucratic rules, regulations and old school paradigms that prevent work from getting done smoothly and efficiently.  Hacking work is a forbidden innovation. It is the act of getting what you need to do by identifying loopholes and creating workarounds.

It is taking the usual ways of doing things, and creating a bypass to produce improved results. Once employers know how to hack theory work, everything is up for grabs.

The authors dedicated this book to the benevolent hackers and introduced two things about benevolent hackers. Firstly, benevolent hackers challenge outdated rules and procedures. Secondly, see the future and pulls us towards it in whatever way works best.

Benevolent hackers are on a mission to save the business from itself and you from the business.

In conclusion, benevolent hacking is the duct tape of the work. It is the universal solution to every poorly designed and corporate centered procedure, tool, rule, and process.

THE BIG THREE – KEYPOINTS

Key point#1: Hacking work is not new

Key point#2: Hacking is bypassing, reworking, and bending the rules that keep you from doing your best.

Key point #3: Hacking work is not just for techies sometimes it involves simple changes in a relationship, sharing information differently or using tools you already have.

One Last Thing

The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

 ~Warren Bennis