Book Summary: The Rebel Rules

Book Summary: The Rebel Rules
By: Regine Azurin and Yvette Pantilla

This article is based on the following book:
The Rebel Rules
"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
run a business on your terms? Today’s Information Age has
spawned 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
– people who have the passion, instinct, agility and vision
to rewrite the rules of business so it is ethical, respects
diversity, and means more to people than simply turning a
profit.

So what exactly is a rebel?
1. Rebels get into activities that make them lose track of
time and put them in a state of ecstasy.
2. Rebels build a career that is a natural reflection of
themselves and follow a natural progression from their
most innate childhood skills.
3. Rebels are working at jobs that they put on their list
of top ten “favorite future jobs” from their childhood
or youth.
4. Rebels are normally not straight A students, they would
have been naïve idealists, non-conformists, or artists
in their teenage years
5. Rebels are not afraid to fail, quit their jobs, and
follow their lifelong passion and true calling.
6. Rebels either become leading experts in their chosen
fields, millionaires, or end up in prison.
7. Rebels do not lose their political and social beliefs
as they grow older. Their passion for the causes they
support will only grow stronger over time.
8. Rebels do not take “No” for an answer. They will always
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,
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
businesses all under the Virgin brand: travel,
entertainment, retail, media, financial services,
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
will 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
remove from your present life in order to live out your
true purpose/calling?
3. What are the most important personal accomplishments you
can imagine in your life?
4. Take an hour to write your one-page mission statement.
Then cut it down to one paragraph. Then simplify it
further by saying it all in one sentence. This summarizes
your personal mission statement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Successful rebels are agile enough to spring into action
when necessary, and seem to be “Open 24 hours”. They have
boundless energy, and like a Quarterback, moves the ball
across 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
from their goals.

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

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

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

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

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

By: Regine P. Azurin and Yvette Pantilla
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