Book Summary: The Rebel Rules

This article is based on the following book:
The Rebel Rulesn"Daring to be your self in business"
Chip Conley, A Fireside Book, Simon & Schuster New York 2001 ISBN 0-684-86516-5 287 pages

What does it take to get in touch with your inner rebel and nrun a business on your terms? Today’s Information Age has nspawned a number of rebel business leaders, from Virgin’s
Richard Branson to The Body Shop’s Anita Roddick –and to
Joie de Vivre Hospitality’s boy wonder – the author himself n– people who have the passion, instinct, agility and vision nto rewrite the rules of business so it is ethical, respects ndiversity, and means more to people than simply turning a nprofit.

So what exactly is a rebel?
1. Rebels get into activities that make them lose track of n time and put them in a state of ecstasy.
2. Rebels build a career that is a natural reflection of n themselves and follow a natural progression from their n most innate childhood skills.
3. Rebels are working at jobs that they put on their list n of top ten “favorite future jobs” from their childhood n or youth.
4. Rebels are normally not straight A students, they would n have been naïve idealists, non-conformists, or artists n in their teenage years
5. Rebels are not afraid to fail, quit their jobs, and n follow their lifelong passion and true calling.
6. Rebels either become leading experts in their chosen n fields, millionaires, or end up in prison.
7. Rebels do not lose their political and social beliefs n as they grow older. Their passion for the causes they n support will only grow stronger over time.
8. Rebels do not take “No” for an answer. They will always n try to find a way or solution.

Rebel Profile

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group of Companies:
1. Started his first business, a magazine called Student, n at the age of 16.
2. Began Virgin mail-order record business at age 20.
3. Built a net worth of $300 million by age 35 with diverse n businesses all under the Virgin brand: travel, n entertainment, retail, media, financial services, n publishing, bridal service, and soft drinks.
4. Sold his music company for $1billion at age 41.

Rebel thinking: Position yourself as the underdog and you nwill enjoy a niche market.

Create your own personal mission statement.
1. What do you want to be remembered for?
2. What habits do you need to cultivate and what will you n remove from your present life in order to live out your n true purpose/calling?
3. What are the most important personal accomplishments youn can imagine in your life?
4. Take an hour to write your one-page mission statement. n Then cut it down to one paragraph. Then simplify it n further by saying it all in one sentence. This summarizes n your personal mission statement.

How can you tell a Successful rebel?
They have a clear vision. They are highly creative. They are nquick to spot trends that can be integrated into their nbusiness practices. They feel a higher calling or mission.
They are very charismatic and create a strong presence when nthey walk into a room.

Successful rebels have passion. They are able to unite a ndiverse team made up of people from different backgrounds, nrallying together to build a unique business and company nculture.

Their passion comes out naturally because they are great nstorytellers and communicators. They listen to people ncarefully.

Successful rebels possess high integrity and trustworthiness.
They are the epitome of grace under pressure, they stand up nfor their beliefs despite popular thinking.

Successful rebels are lifelong learners. They are also good nteachers.

They are resourceful enough to find solutions and fix nsituations. They know how to negotiate deals and have all nparties to the deal come away satisfied.

Successful rebels are agile enough to spring into action nwhen necessary, and seem to be “Open 24 hours”. They have nboundless energy, and like a Quarterback, moves the ball nacross the field and gets the job done.

Successful rebels are amazing networkers, multi-taskers, and are very driven individuals who do not easily get distracted nfrom their goals.

Successful rebels follow their companies core values, and n“walk their talk”.

Successful rebels know how to keep their employees happy.
They give them intangible benefits like high self-esteem, nrewards for achievements, and a positive working environment.

Successful rebels inspire their employees to think like nbusiness owners. Open-book management, popularized by Jack
Stack, is a way of sharing financial information in a fun, neducational format to make employees understand how their nwork earns for the business. You can be sure that when you nexplain clearly how tardiness affects the bottom line, naffecting everyone’s mid-year bonus, employees will start nshowing up earlier for work.

A few ideas on how to make employees think like nentrepreneurs:
1. Post the critical numbers on a scoreboard in a fun, n visual format.
2. Conduct basic financial training and develop strategies n for making an impact.
3. Review the success of those strategies and “best n practices”.
4. Play a game with a critical number and make it the n goal-of-the-month or something.
5. Set up a reward bonus system and give recognition as n often as possible.
6. Communicate the results throughout your organization.
7. Ask new employees to comment on the company’s business n practices after their first 30 days.
8. Have a brainstorming party or game with prizes for the n best ideas
9. Have managers visit competitors and gather after a week n to compare notes.
10. Have regular meetings with frontline staff to wring out n all the information they learn.
11. Give your managers a free subscription to the industry n magazine.
12. Study a role model company or a competitor, you could n all go on a retreat or buy managers a copy of the role n model company’s literature.
13. Write a book with funny stories about how your company n serves its customers.

Rebels encourage creativity and individuality within their nown companies. They allow themselves and their employees nenough free time for a life outside of work, for leisure nand recreation.