The Rules of Work, The Rules of Management, The Rules of Life by Richard Templar
Whether we like it or not our lives are dominated by rules – legal, religious, or self-imposed – constraints we can choose to obey or ignore. For anyone short of ideas on how to manage their life, or for those who feel the codes they currently abide by are not helping, this trio of books offers a whole new range of guidelines. Richard Templar has produced three books with a similar format: The Rules of Work, The Rules of Management, and The Rules of Life. Each book has 100 rules, each just a few words long (‘Be cool’, ‘Keep records’, ‘Have dignity’) with a two-page explanation of how to play that game. Every book contains the strict admonition not to tell anyone you are a Rules Player. If you choose to follow the advice here, you could end up as part of a secret society of individuals who, the author claims, are more content with work and life.
The contents page of each book lists all the rules, grouping them into categories. In The Rules of Work, for example, ‘Partnership Rules’ and ‘Social Rules’ include ‘If you can’t say anything nice – shut up’, and ‘Know the system – and milk it’. These make the books easy to dip in and out of, reading whatever catches your eye. The tone is personal and friendly although if you read too much at once the jokey asides and footnotes become a little tedious.
Templar describes his rules as a reminder of simple, obvious things rather than a revelation, and so they are. As you read through The Rules of Life and The Rules of Work you’ll hear echoes of parents and teachers, ‘Use please and thank you’, ‘Don’t swear’, ‘Look after yourself’. Surprisingly useful to be reminded of these things at times, and the two-page rationale for why you should, prompts a rethink about the way others perceive you. In among the obvious are some more startling suggestions – ‘Be attractive’, ‘Know the difference between the truth and the whole truth’, ‘Know the thefts or perks rule’. These come from The Rules of Work – for me the most useful of the three books. Workplaces have so many unwritten rules that can catch out the new or insensitive, so any guide to avoiding common pitfalls is a help.
There will be several rules you will splutter over and dispute but as with any similar book, you have to select what works in your context. The Rules of Work contains a lot of good common sense. The Rules of Management is useful if rather predictable (such as ‘Set realistic targets’), The Rules of Life is both thought provoking (‘Your children need to fall out with you to leave home’) and reassuring (‘You’ll never understand everything’).
Irene Krechowieka is a career coach and journalist