In this post I am literally taking a chapter from Jason Fried and David Heinmeier Hansson’s 2010 NY Times best seller Rework. It’s a book classified in the business and economics genre — a genre that doesn’t commonly plug writers — so just keep that in mind. These guys aren’t getting kickbacks from the writer’s union.
The chapter is called “Hire Great Writers” and it goes a little something like this [bold font is my doing]:
“If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer. It doesn’t mater if that person is a marketer, salesperson, designer, programmer, or whatever; their writing skills will pay off.
That’s because being a good writer is about more than writing. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate. They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in any candidate.
Writing is making a comeback all over our society. Look at how much people email and text message now rather than talk on the phone. Look at how much communication happens via instant messaging and blogging. Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.”
A lot of you out there are in a position to bring people on to your organizations — to hire. Keep this in mind - or “ignore this book at your own peril” according to Seth Godin. If you’re a good writer, this will intuitively make sense to you. If you’re not the world’s best writer, all the more reason to bring that person on to your team. I’m not the world’s best mathematician as my calculus teachers will readily tell you. That said, you better be damned sure I’d be looking to hire someone who can write and is comfortable with numbers so they can complement me.
Despite my obvious bias, I really believe there’s something to this chapter in Rework. Writers are intelligent and creative people who are focused and persistent as hell. They generally don’t have huge egos and truly want to produce the best product possible in a collaborative way. They may tend toward introversion, but they’re usually interesting, great listeners, funny and have a lot to say and contribute. They’re not curing cancer or leading nations. But man, the power of ideas, creative communication, grit and some sweat make the world go ‘round.