Rework jason fried

Don't scar on the first cut 
 
The second something goes wrong, the natural tendency is to create a policy. 
"Someone's wearing shorts!? We need a dress code!" No, you don't. You just need to tell 
John not to wear shorts again. 
 
Policies are organizational scar tissue. They are codified overreactions to 

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situations that are unlikely to happen again. They are collective punishment for the 
misdeeds of an individual. 
 
This is how bureaucracies are born. No one sets out to create a bureaucracy. They 
sneak up on companies slowly. They are created one policy--one scar--at a time. 
 
So don't scar on the first cut. Don't create a policy because one person did 
something wrong once. Policies are only meant for situations that come up over and over 
again. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sound like you 
 
What is it with businesspeople trying to sound big? The stiff language, the formal 
announcements, the artificial friendliness, the legalese, etc. You read this stuff and it 
sounds like a robot wrote it. These companies talk at you, not to you.  
 
This mask of professionalism is a joke. We all know this. Yet small companies 
still try to emulate it. They think sounding big makes them appear bigger and more 
"professional." But it really just makes them sound ridiculous. Plus, you sacrifice one of a 
small company's greatest assets: the ability to communicate simply and directly, without 
running every last word through a legal-and PR-department sieve. 
 
There's nothing wrong with sounding your own size. Being honest about who you 
are is smart business, too. Language is often your first impression--why start it off with a 
lie? Don't be afraid to be you. 

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That applies to the language you use everywhere--in e-mail, packaging, 
interviews, blog posts, presentations, etc. Talk to customers the way you would to 
friends. Explain things as if you were sitting next to them. Avoid jargon or any sort of 
corporate-speak. Stay away from buzzwords when normal words will do just fine. Don't 
talk about "monetization" or being "transparent;" talk about making money and being 
honest. Don't use seven words when four will do. 
 
And don't force your employees to end e-mails with legalese like "This e-mail 
message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and 
privileged information." That's like ending all your company e-mails with a signature that 
says, "We don't trust you and we're ready to prove it in court." Good luck making friends 
that way. 
 
Write to be read, don't write just to write. Whenever you write something, read it 
out loud. Does it sound the way it would if you were actually talking to someone? If not, 
how can you make it more conversational? 
 
Who said writing needs to be formal? Who said you have to strip away your 
personality when putting words on paper? Forget rules. Communicate! 
 
And when you're writing, don't think about all the people who may read your 
words. Think of one person. Then write for that one person. Writing for a mob leads to 
generalities and awkwardness. When you write to a specific target, you're a lot more 
likely to hit the mark. 

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