The sub-title of this book by Professor Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School is “why it pays to break the rules at work and in life” (emphasis hers) and she provides a ton of excellent stories and great insights for those of us who are trying to change the world.
Her position is that rebels, rather than sowing discord and tearing up the cobblestones to make a big mess are able to provide an unconventional outlook on problems and solutions, defying the status quo to bring innovation and improvement.
We know that we have definitely found ourselves in a room where all the other discussion participants wanted to go in a specific direction, but the group consensus felt “wrong” to us. We had noticed something that others had not, or brought an experience that others did not have.
Perhaps you can recall being in similar positions yourself, trying to bring additional considerations, prolong the discussion, and improve the solution.
Professor Gino has studied such rebels in many areas of business and society, and she makes a compelling case that resonates with us: in the fast-paced, high-tech, always-moving world of today, the ability to identify and promote rebel thoughts and rebel talents is a clear advantage.
She further posits that rebel attitudes can be applied beyond the workplace to create more engaging and fulfilling lives for ourselves.
Her stories start with crunchy lasagna and end with pirates off the coast of Virginia and contain advice both inspiring and concrete.
Highly Recommended - Rebel Talent by Professor Francesca Gino.