Peopleware is a book about how a development department should be run, and how to treat knowledge workers like developers. I don’t want you to buy it until I explain something to you.
First, for those of you who haven’t discovered Peopleware yet, let me put this in perspective for you: I feel so strongly about it, that I bought a copy for my whole team and one for David, the CEO of Ideal. Now, I keep a copy for myself, and another copy close by. This second copy is one I give away to anyone who asks about it. When I do that, I immediately buy a new one to replace it. It’s that good.
This small investment of around $100 has changed my professional life, and persuaded David and Ben to let me spend around a quarter of a million dollars on “non-essentials,” like individual offices, a library of technical books, and other creature comforts that affect my daily life. 250,000% isn’t a bad return on investment!
Don’t take my word for it!
Don’t think that I’m just hawking you some crap to make a buck. I’m not only one who thinks this book is great. The list of positive reviews reads like a who’s who of software development. If Robert Bogue and Joel Spolsky aren’t enough for you, then google it. It’s tough to find a bad word about this book anywhere. The line that summarizes the book best for me is on page 34:
“The manager’s function is not to make people work, but to make it possible for people to work.”
A Gift
That having been said, I have a gift for the fair readers of KenSharpe.net. It doesn’t even matter if you’ve read the book before, it’s just something I’ve created that will help to subtly improve your working conditions. It’s simple, but hear me out:
What I made was a simple desktop wallpaper featuring the Booker T. Washington Ladder that I use as a metaphor for progress here on KenSharpe.net, and the words “Peopleware: Have you read it yet?”
Aside being devastatingly stylish, this instant crowd pleaser serves a purpose. When you click the image, select your desktop size, and then display it, your coworkers will see it, and a conversation will start that might go something like this:
Coworker: What is Peopleware?
You: Peopleware is a book about developers, and development projects. It’s amazing, it changed my professional life.
Coworker: Wow, interesting. What kind of stuff does it say?
You: Have a look for yourself.
At that point, you’ll give your coworker a copy to read. He’ll read it and the fire will spread. Kudos to you.
So for less than the cost of a tank of gas, you have the power to radically alter your working environment — the place you spend more than half your waking hours.
Sounds easy? It is.
What I want you to do is buy one copy for yourself, one copy for each of your coworkers, and one copy for your boss. These books will arrive in a bundle, and you of course will devour yours and bask in the glow of enlightenment that very same day.
The other copies will be read and digested in the coming months, and as changes take place in your department, they will be changes for the better. Your boss will remember that overtime reduces productivity, and he’ll ease up deadlines. Your coworkers will remember that natural light is good for them, and will take up their own cause of getting your office space improved.
There’s nothing stopping this from being a reality, and the first step is to do yourself a favor, spend the $150, and pick up a bunch of the books.
I’m not so sure…
I understand if you can’t afford to buy a bundle right now, so just do yourself a favor, just buy one for yourself. It’s less than lunch out.
Then, put the wallpaper up on your desktop, and point people who ask about it to this page, so they can find out for themselves how good it is.
Nothing is stopping you!
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