REVIEW: The Unwritten Laws of Business

On the last day of my internship, I received a gift from a colleague, that gift was 'The Unwritten laws of Business'. Originally titled 'The Unwritten Laws of Engineers' by W J King in 1944, the 'pamphlet' was a hidden gem and was recognised by others outside of the engineering profession. Due to the extensive fondness by so many varied types of businessman, James G Skakoon took up the challenge of rewriting the original with additions and creating a book that teaches fundamental lessons for personal development in business to everyone that gives it a shot.

In 99 pages, James G Sakoon/ W J King underline the fundamentals to individual professional success from freshly graduated to running a business as a CEO. After reading this book I felt motivated and freshly educated, I mean that because although some of the content is fairly obvious, the definitions by both Sakoon and King are consistently refreshing, insightful and witty – making for a comfortable and enjoyable read.

The millennial in me may consider some of the content to be conservative (i.e. Personal Appearance), but as a millennial I respect and understand the concepts behind the 65 years of history of this book. The first law of the book is ‘However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts’ – now this seems fairly obvious and maybe a little patronising, but Sakoon and King define the concept very well, “...it is fundamentally true that if you take care of your present job well, the future will take care of itself”, simple wording that can provoke many argumentative theories, but I guess that’s why I like it so much. There is so much thought leadership behind the content of this book, it resonates with me as someone who enjoys provoking discussion and collectively finding individual answers – this book provides no right or wrong answer, it puts you on the track, which route you take is entirely up to you...

This book is necessary and fundamental to anyone working in an organisation, or for those that are doing business related degrees. It teaches the reader essential 'Laws', that you just don't learn at School, College or University. Some may think it is a book on professional etiquette, but really 'etiquette' is just a funny word for 'Fitting In' – This defines how to achieve personal success, and the learning’s are pertinent to anyone in any profession.