The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All

Tying It All Together

Starting a Work Revolution requires that individuals, leaders, and organizations take action; all three groups are critical to its success. This book articulates the rules most of us are following today in our jobs, the reasons they no longer work, and what we can do instead. For each new rule, you’ll find simple steps that every individual, leader, and organization can take to make those changes now.

But before I talk about the new rules, pause here to gauge the health of your organization today—to establish a baseline, if you will. After all, once you have fully realized the changes brought about by the Work Revolution, it’ll be great fun to go back and have a laugh at the “before pictures.”

Google: My Inspiration and Muse

I finished graduate school in the summer of 1999 and entered the workforce naïve and optimistic. I expected to be as excited about work as I had been about school, which I always loved. It was quite a letdown, though I don’t think I ever fully voiced this at the time. In the first seven years of my career, I sampled work life in a wide variety of organizations, since I served in a consultant-type role. I generally enjoyed my work, and I was far from miserable; but I did feel constrained and limited by the bounds of the corporate life. It was hard to spread my wings and feel like I could really make an impact.

In 2006, I made the big leap to move to California and join Google. I spent the first two weeks looking over my shoulder, waiting ...