In Rebel Talent, Francesca Gino identifies five key elements embodied by innovators who have broken free of society’s well-worn ideas, traditions, and norms to make transformative change. Gino says that, together, these elements compose “rebel talent,” a quality of people who break the rules in a constructive way.
We often think of rebels as troublemakers or contrarians, but Gino says that constructive rule breakers are outside-the-box thinkers who necessarily push boundaries in order to exploit their creative talents to the fullest and innovate in ways that make meaningful change in society.
Gino contends that stepping outside your comfort zone and freeing yourself of rules and norms that stifle your creativity and individuality can lead to greater happiness and success, both at work and in your personal life.
Gino is a Harvard Business School professor who researches the choices people make at work and ways business leaders and employees can improve their professional lives. 15 years of studying businesses and talking with people in a range of settings and professions led Gino to pen Rebel Talent in 2018, in which she profiles talented standouts who have broken the rules productively in order to innovate.
Our guide presents this book in two parts:
Gino leans heavily on anecdotes and research to communicate the overarching message of her book—that anyone can become a rebel. To clarify Gino’s argument, this guide focuses on the five elements composing rebel talent and three of the eight principles of rebel leadership, which we’ve compressed to reduce redundancy.
First, we’ll examine the five key elements of “rebel talent” and why you should embrace each one:
We’ll also offer tips to help you tap into each element.
Gino asserts that these five elements together promote engagement, which is the key to living a rich and fulfilling life at work and home. When you fail to tap into all the elements, you experience the opposite state—disinterest—which stifles creativity, performance, and innovation. Gino says rebels fight against the boredom that comes with a life too scripted, and they embrace the uncertainty, tension, and conflict inherent in stepping out of their comfort zone and becoming truly engaged.
After exploring the five elements of rebel talent and why you should center them in your life, we’ll examine Gino’s principles of “rebel leadership” and offer tips on how to be a rebel leader:
Rebels: Loved by Some, Loathed by Others
Content creator and rebel Jay Shetty builds on Gino’s notion of rebels as rule breakers with an additional trait: A willingness to self-reflect. Shetty argues that rebels continually ask themselves, “Am I living the life I want to live?” to ensure that they’re on course, as opposed to simply accepting things as they are.
But not everyone’s on board with Gino’s positive assessment of rebels. While Gino argues that being a constructive rebel can bring you greater success and happiness at work and home, being unconstructive can negatively impact everyone else. Here are some things to keep in mind about others’ perspectives of rebels:
Rebels in the workplace may be viewed as a costly, time-sucking, energy-wasting “problem to be managed,” and characterized as pot-stirrers, gripers, and negative attention seekers who prioritize being “right” over being happy.
Rebels may leave a negative impression outside of work as well. In The Four Tendencies, Gretchen Rubin disagrees with Gino’s assertion that anyone can become a rebel, arguing that rebels are born, not made. In fact, she says it’s rebels’ very intractableness that makes them so annoying, because they refuse to “grow up” or “grow out of it,” no matter how much you may want them to. Less desirable rebel attributes that Rubin cites include that they’re uncooperative, inconsiderate, restless, live like they’re immune to rules, don’t care about their reputation, and resist doing things that others ask them to do—all of which can make getting along with them challenging.
As we previously explained, being a rebel is about breaking the rules constructively so you can unleash your creative talents, innovate, and live a fully engaged life. In this section, we’ll examine the five elements that drive rebel success.
Gino explains that the first way rebels break the rules is by embracing new ideas and experiences. Rebels step outside their comfort zone to try things they haven’t done before because they know that it’s the best way to test their limits and that learning about themselves, their capacity, and their potential leads to growth.
Reason 1: Embracing the unexpected can challenge you and help you grow.
Gino says it can be difficult to embrace new things because society is steeped in rituals and traditions that communicate and foster important value systems and give us a sense of meaning, connection, and comfort.
But when you accept things as they are simply because they’ve always been done a certain way, you can stagnate and lose out on valuable experience that comes with making difficult decisions. Staying in your comfort zone may feel safe but isn’t always the recipe for growth and happiness.
When you try new things and gain new skills, Gino says, your sense of self and the way you talk about yourself expand; you become more confident in your ability to do new things; and your tolerance for uncertainty increases, which helps you achieve your goals even when you encounter bumps in the road.
Leave Your Comfort Zone to Build Your Capacity for Happiness
It’s not just rituals and traditions that keep you from seeking out new things, it’s also your “survive brain,” which seeks to keep you safe but is hardwired with a negativity bias that overestimates threats to your well-being. This can lead to “uncertainty intolerance,” which can increase risk aversion and make you less inclined to try new things. The good news is that you can increase your tolerance of uncertainty by figuring out what you can and cannot control, and looking for the upsides of a given situation. And every time you try new things, you become more likely and better able to continue.
Confidence also plays a role in breaking out of your comfort zone. In Ultralearning, Scott Young argues that if you believe you have the capacity to grow and pursue growth, you will grow. Similarly, in The Confidence Code, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman assert that the confidence you gain from mastering one thing gives you additional confidence to try new things. This growth and confidence are critical because as we continue to shed the familiar for the new and unknown, we’re more likely to find happiness.
The reverse is also true. Hacking Happiness author, Penny Locaso, spent three years conducting interviews and workshops to try to understand what makes people feel fulfilled, and she found that that “distraction, fear, and a lack of curiosity about oneself, others, and the world in general” were the three biggest obstacles to living a happy life.
Reason 2: Variety brings out your best at work and home.
Gino’s research finds that employees are happier and companies thrive when workers’ daily lives center on a variety of activities rather than on doing the same task repeatedly. And trying new things fuels pleasure in personal relationships by creating an element of uncertainty and surprise.
(Shortform note: When employees lack variety and challenge at work for prolonged periods of time, they can experience an extreme form of chronic boredom called “boreout.” A close kin to “burnout,” boreout manifests when employees are bored silly for so long that everything they do at work feels pointless and meaningless. Boreout has been linked to insomnia and headaches, increased stress, depression, anxiety, and employee turnover.)
Avoiding boredom is important for relationships too. Gino cites a 1983 study by psychologist Arthur Aron showing that excitement and challenge improve relationships. Another study of 274 married people found that couples who had been together more than a decade and reported being “ intensely in love” frequently did new activities together.
(Shortform note: “Surprise expert” and author Tania Luna explains that newness improves relationships by introducing surprise and anticipation, both of which boost levels of dopamine in your brain, which sets off feelings of attraction and excitement.)
Rebel Tip 1: To start trying new things, first address your fears:
Know that it’s OK to not immediately love the new thing you’re trying.
If you feel self-conscious, remember that nobody’s paying more attention to you than you.
Be clear about what you want out of a new experience before trying it (are you trying to learn, or simply have fun?)
Do some background research on the new thing you’re trying so you have some idea of what you’re walking into.
The second way rebels break the rules is by always asking questions. Gino says rebels constantly ask questions and gather information to better understand and connect to the people around them, tap into their creativity, and innovate.
Reason 1: Asking people questions helps build connections and leads to better performance at work.
Gino’s research found that:
Gino cites additional research showing that people are more satisfied and feel more supported when others demonstrate curiosity about them by asking them questions.
How to Ask Questions and Why You Should
Gino doesn’t specify how to ask these questions, but Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John outline steps you can take to improve the likelihood that you’ll have a meaningful exchange:
Ask questions you know people will want to answer.
Ask follow-up questions to get an understanding deeper than “yes” or ”no.”
Ask open-ended questions to give people the space to elaborate.
Start with less sensitive questions and build your way up.
Ask questions in a conversational, not formal, tone.
Asking questions can help you understand how and why people operate the way they do, which is the foundation for healthy work relationships that are vital to teams’ functioning. In addition to increasing performance, healthy relationships with coworkers can improve employee collaboration, morale, and retention rates.
Reason 2: Fostering a culture of inquiry and psychological safety leads to innovation.
Gino explains that when companies and leaders focus on building a work culture that centers on inquiry and psychological safety, employees feel comfortable asking questions, talking about challenges, and taking creative risks that improve their performance. Gino says leaders can foster a culture of inquiry, openness, and creativity by:
How to Create a Culture of Trust
In The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek argues that innovation blossoms when leaders create a safe space for workers to share their feelings, ask for help, discuss problems, and acknowledge mistakes. He says you can foster this culture by:
Listening to your team’s concerns
Encouraging communication both with and within your team
Identifying your high- and low-trust team members
Your high-trust member is the person who everyone on your team trusts.
Your low-trust member is the person who everyone agrees is toxic and difficult to work with. (We might infer, based on unconstructive rebels’ unpopularity in the workplace, that leaders would likely identify these rebel workers as their “low-trust” team members.)
Rebel Tip 2: Ask questions to build relationships with your coworkers, for instance:
What projects are you working on right now?
Where are you from, originally?
What are you reading right now?
What do you do to de-stress?
The third way rebels break the rules is by seeking out knowledge wherever and whenever they can. According to Gino, rebels walk into every experience, new and old, with the goal of learning something from it, building on their existing knowledge base, and preventing blindspots that would limit their ability to realize their greatest potential.
Reason 1: When you commit to being a lifelong learner you can see situations from angles you haven’t considered before and tackle problems more effectively.
For example, teaching is a profession filled with lifelong learners who are curious about and committed to constantly growing, gaining knowledge, and seeing things in new ways—both for their own edification and the benefit of their students. Lifelong learning is built into their professional lives through ongoing professional development sessions. Teachers drew upon their abilities as lifelong learners when the COVID-19 pandemic hit—when the school doors shut, they pivoted to reimagine classroom instruction.
(Shortform note: In Ultralearning, Scott Young takes the idea of being a lifelong learner to the next level by offering a conscious and strategic approach to doing it. Young argues that when you make a concerted, intensive, and self-directed effort to learn, you can increase your competitive advantage and improve your well-being by developing new skills that can advance your career and enhance your confidence in your abilities.)
Reason 2: When you stop taking in new information because you think you know everything, you’re more likely to act in ways that negatively impact other people.
Following a 2006 FDA warning about the dangers of using of a specific medical device in ways the FDA hadn’t approved, Gino and her colleagues examined data on 147,010 angioplasty procedures conducted by 399 cardiologists. They found that doctors with more experience were more likely to continue using the devices than doctors with less experience.
If You Think You Know Everything, Look for These Blindspots
Gino’s findings may be explained by the “Dunning-Kruger Effect.” This effect is typically understood as a phenomenon where less knowledgeable people overestimate their competence, and people with greater knowledge underestimate theirs. But it can also impact highly intelligent, experienced people who lack insight into, and the capacity to reflect on, their abilities. In fact, findings of two studies suggest that people who are less open to questioning and revising their ideas are more likely to overestimate their performance.)
In Multipliers, Liz Wiseman offers a different take from Gino on the problem of knowing it all, saying that “knowledge diminishers” (leaders who operate under the false assumption that they know or have to know more than everyone else around them) compromise their teams’ ability to perform at their peak. Knowledge diminishers show off how much they know, devalue their team members’ intelligence, and engage in practices that curb their team members’ autonomy and independence.
Gino adds that believing you know something with absolute certainty can also lead to the curse of knowledge, a phenomenon where people with expertise in a particular area assume that everyone they talk to knows exactly what they’re talking about. This makes it harder for people with less expertise to understand, make decisions, and take action based on the information being communicated to them.
(Shortform note: Arizona State University researchers are fighting the curse of knowledge head-on—in academic writing. They developed an online “Writing Clarity Calculator” that analyzes text that scholars submit, to help them understand how accessible their writing is to others. The tool scores their work in three areas reputed to make scholarly writing hard to understand: its level of abstraction, technicality, and use of passive voice.)
Gino says you can avoid problems that stem from believing you know everything by employing counterfactual thinking, a strategy where you consider the different ways a situation you went through might have unfolded instead. This can make you more aware of alternative choices you might make in future situations.
(Shortform note: Gino points to the benefits of counterfactual thinking, but she doesn’t mention a possible downside: The process may have detrimental effects on people with anxiety and depressive disorders, for instance by triggering feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.)
Rebel Tip 3: Expand your knowledge base by practicing habits of lifelong learners:
Read daily.
Take different courses.
Challenge yourself with specific goals.
Remind yourself that it’s never too late to start something.
The fourth way rebels break the rules is by rejecting labels assigned by others and embracing different viewpoints. Gino notes that rebels refuse to be limited by others’ definitions of them because they understand that people’s greatest potential and strength lies in their individuality, and that bringing unique voices and perspectives into conversations leads to innovation.
Reason 1: When you refuse to let people assign you a lane, you can create your own lane and help others do the same.
Gino says that when you push back against restrictive and damaging assumptions that other people make about you and focus on possibilities instead of limitations, you can chart your own course and blaze a trail for others.
For example, tennis great Serena Williams defied categorization and obliterated the constraints of social norms, both on and off the tennis court, since she rose to prominence in the world of tennis at age 17. The winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, Williams has carved her own path by refusing to let others pigeonhole her as only a powerhouse athlete. She is also an advocate for racial and gender equality, a challenger of mainstream beauty norms, and a highlighter of racial health inequities. In her defiance of categorization, Williams has created a path for others to follow in her footsteps.
Push Boundaries to Create Your Reality and a New Model for Others
Gino says that when you reject other people’s efforts to limit you by telling you where you do and don’t belong, you can chart your own course and blaze a trail for others. You can start by focusing on four things that Serena Williams says helped her create her own path:
Believe in yourself.
Focus on taking things one step at a time and one goal at a time.
Love who you are, because when you do, others will also love who you are.
Let criticism be the fire in your belly that helps you achieve what others say you can’t.
In the meantime, Williams continues to push the boundaries of what’s “expected” of female athletes, recently announcing that she plans to retire from tennis and focus on being a mother, designer, and venture capitalist.
Reason 2: When you invite people with a range of experiences and viewpoints into the conversation, you come up with better ideas.
Gino says that bringing new voices to the table disrupts and challenges old and stale ways of thinking, which leads to innovation. She argues that disagreement and conflict, which are a natural part of having a range of viewpoints in the room, are in fact necessary, because they push groups to question basic assumptions and ideas and lead them to stronger, more well-thought-out conclusions
(Shortform note: In Principles: Life and Work, Ray Dalio explains that you can have “productive conflict” by focusing on what the right goal is, instead of on being right. Key ingredients to having “thoughtful disagreements include trying to understand where other people are coming from while being clear about how you see things; talking respectfully and without emotion; and bringing in an objective mediator if you’re unable to arrive at a consensus.)
Gino says that companies often shy away from including different voices and viewpoints because people are most comfortable when surrounded by others who think like them and agree with their ideas. This is partly because humans are hardwired to assess threats, so they don’t always trust people who don’t look or sound like them. Also, people often genuinely believe that processes are working best when everyone in the group is on the same page and getting along well—which is more likely to happen when everyone in the room thinks the same way.
Darwin Said We’ve Evolved to Mistrust
In The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt echoes Gino’s argument that it’s not in our nature to include multiple viewpoints, and he offers an explanation for why we often don’t trust people who seem different from us—he points to Darwin’s explanation for why people first came together in groups:
Groups offered us greater protection from predators than being on our own.
When we helped someone else, they helped us in return.
We developed a desire for social approval, and groups became a home for that.
Haidt further asserts that it’s no surprise that groups think and act in tribal ways that exclude people who are “different”: Evolution taught humans that cooperation within our own group helped us dominate over rival groups, and we were made to feel closest to, and look out for, people with traits most like our own.
But, Gino asserts, when groups are composed of only like-minded individuals, they’re at risk of “groupthink,” which curbs independent thought and the ability to innovate.
(Shortform note: Groupthink is a phenomenon where members of a group reach a consensus not because they’ve critically examined issues, but because they have a strong need or desire to conform. Groupthink is problematic because it can lead to ill-informed decisions and create a self-perpetuating cycle that fuels group homogeneity and more groupthink. Because people engaged in this type of thinking prioritize group identity over independent thinking and different voices, they aren’t inclined to welcome “outsiders.”)
Finding Common Ground Is Good for the Greater Good
Embracing a range of different viewpoints is perhaps more important now than ever. A 2018 study of online chat groups found a connection between mood and affect disorders and “absolutist” thinking—seeing the world through a rigid, “all or nothing” lens. Absolutist thinking prominently contributes to the highly polarized, divisive conversations that dominate social media and the airwaves today. Homogenous groups reinforce absolutist thinking by repeatedly reiterating in-group opinions and ideas without challenge. You can avoid absolutist thinking by embracing different viewpoints.
In addition to avoiding absolutist thinking, you can also avoid “negative conflict” in the workplace by choosing to engage in “positive conflict,” which focuses on genuinely trying to understand divergent viewpoints in order to come to a resolution rather than arguing your point in order to “win.” Positive conflict can increase efficiency, trust, emotional intelligence, and alignment on teams. It centers on six key steps: Listen to others so they feel heard, use “I” statements rather than point fingers, identify the root of the conflict, praise people with dissenting viewpoints to gain their trust, and look for opportunities to compromise.
Rebel Tip 4: Fight Categorization and Stereotypes by Defining Yourself:
Ground yourself by working to be the best you can at the thing you want most.
Believe in yourself, not in what the haters say about you.
Understand that you are not your work or your relationships.
Adapt when change calls for it.
The fifth way rebels break the rules is by being open about who they are and the challenges they face, even when they know they’ll face backlash for bucking social norms. Rebels say, “This is who I am, in all my imperfect glory,” because they understand the power of vulnerability to connect them with other people, and they know they bring their greatest strengths to the table when they are truly being themselves.
Reason 1: Showing your vulnerability and owning your flaws makes you more relatable to other people and deepens your connections with them.
Gino says that when you’re open and honest about your failures and the challenges you’ve faced, you can inspire and be a role model for others.
(Shortform note: To work toward embracing your vulnerability, you need to: believe you’re worthy of being vulnerable, push through the discomfort of being vulnerable, and accept that change comes with vulnerability.)
For example, gymnast Simone Biles showed her vulnerability when she cited stress, not physical problems, as the reason she was pulling out of two competition events at the 2021 Olympics. Biles’s announcement that she wouldn’t compete, and her honesty about why, were risky, given the pressure on her to bring home gold and the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Her decision to be vulnerable, even in the face of inevitable public scrutiny and attacks on her character, demonstrated her strength and humanity and made her a role model for others.
(Shortform note: Biles was called a “selfish, childish, national embarrassment” for pulling out of competition, but she was also praised for taking care of herself and setting an example that could encourage others to do the same thing.)
In contrast, Gino says, when you act in ways that don’t show others what you’re truly feeling and experiencing, when you “fake it” or do things to make other people happy, your health and well-being can suffer.
Why You Shouldn’t Fake Your Emotions
Sociologist Arlie Hochschild calls the phenomenon where workers either suppress negative emotions or put on a “happy face” to perform required duties at a job, “emotional labor,” and says that putting on a facade can lead to feelings of frustration, anger, worthlessness, and emotional exhaustion. According to Hochschild, you can combat emotional exhaustion at work by:
Determining whether you’re engaging in “surface acting” or “deep acting” (“surface acting” is being polite to a difficult customer in order to placate them and keep the peace; “deep acting” is making a concerted effort to genuinely understand where that difficult customer is coming from).
Focusing on engaging in deep acting, which is less associated with burnout.
It’s not entirely clear why deep acting is less associated with burnout than surface acting, but the subject remains ripe for further exploration given the long-term changes to workers’ interactions with the public, including as they relate to emotional labor, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reason 2: When you’re truly yourself, you bring your greatest strengths to the table, which can increase your satisfaction and improve your performance at work.
Gino says that when workers are able to focus on what they’re doing well instead of what they’re not, their attention turns from worrying about their weaknesses to being the best they can be.
Gino also says that when you can identify and understand your strengths, you gain confidence that helps you achieve your goals.
Strengths-Based Approach: Popular, but Not Proven?
If you want to figure out what your strengths are, you can learn more about your innate action-oriented, cognitive, belief-based, and people-oriented abilities in StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup’s companion book to its online strengths test.
In The Effective Executive, Peter F. Drucker builds on Gino’s assertion that employers’ work lives improve when they’re able to focus on their strengths, arguing that organizations also get the best results when they focus on workers’ strengths rather than their weaknesses.
Others recommend a careful approach. The social work profession has long relied on a “strengths-based approach” to help people facing challenges in their daily lives, but a 2021 study argues that policymakers and people in the helping profession have promoted the strategy (which focuses on people’s assets rather than their deficits) too casually and somewhat blindly, and that more research needs to be done to assess its actual effectiveness.
Rebel Tip 5: Learn How to Be Yourself
Get to know and appreciate who you are.
Say what you mean.
Stop trying to please everyone else.
Live in the moment, not in a state of hyperanalysis.
Now that you’ve learned how and why you should embrace the five elements that compose rebel talent, we’ll discuss Gino’s principles of rebel leadership.
Gino says that rebel leadership is for everyone, not just leaders with a staff. Being a rebel leader involves adopting a mindset and way of functioning that centers on challenging the status quo in pursuit of your goals, and then helping others do the same—even when the road to reach those goals is bumpy.
As is true with rebel talent, the benefit of rebel leadership is the potential it offers for innovation and transformative change.
Rebel Leaders Tap the Power of Rebel Workers’ Talent
In a 2018 interview, Gino asserts that one way rebel leaders can cultivate rebel talent on their teams is by presuming that every employee has it and tapping into that talent whenever possible.
Though Gino doesn’t offer specific suggestions on ways that rebel leaders can get the most out of their teams, Rebel Leadership author Larry Robertson asserts that rebel leaders can problem solve more effectively and increase innovation, productivity, and profitability by:
Acknowledging that they’re not superheroes with the answers to everything
Empowering employees to step into the fold and lead in areas where they have innate strengths and talents
Robertson argues that when you give workers more opportunities to demonstrate their natural capacities, they have a greater stake and sense of investment in your company and work.
Gino lays out eight principles necessary to become a rebel leader, five of which closely mirror the rebel talent elements she explores in the first part of her book. To limit redundancy, this section will review the three principles of rebel leadership Gino explores that don’t overlap with the five previously discussed rebel talent elements.
The first way rebel leaders lead is by seeking out information that will help them understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and those of their company, to achieve better results.
For example, seeking feedback from an executive coach, career counselor, or therapist can be a challenging process, but it can make you a better leader and person. It can be uncomfortable when someone tells you things about yourself that you don’t want to hear. But if you act on suggestions they’ve made to help you in your work and life, you can become a more well-rounded and functional leader and person, which will make others want to spend time with you and learn from you.
How to Encourage Feedback
Asking for and receiving feedback can be difficult and uncomfortable. Here are four things you can do to make the process of soliciting feedback at work easier:
Make receiving feedback part of a routine, not a “one-off” experience.
Ask people for specific, not general, feedback to make it simpler for people to give it.
Positively reinforce people for giving you feedback.
Keep feedback anonymous so people can be honest with you.
Rebel Leadership Tip 1: Know How to Use the Feedback You Receive:
Recognize that you are not your performance.
Don’t take feedback personally.
Be aware of your own biases.
Ask for time to reflect on the feedback you’ve been given.
The second way rebel leaders lead is by seeing constraints as a chance to be resourceful and produce creative results.
For example, let’s say a designer is working with a manufacturing company to build an innovative product, and he receives word that the company no longer wants to make the product because it’s too complicated and costly. The designer, convinced that the product is valuable, returns to the drawing board to redesign it. He discovers that tweaking the design makes it an even better product than the last one. He approaches a new manufacturing company and they agree to make the product.
(Shortform note: Want to test Gino’s theory that limitations can make you more creative? Try telling an entire short story in six words, like Hemingway did, or summing up your life in a single sentence, like Stephen Colbert.)
How to Handle Real Limitations
How can a rebel leader make the best of a bad situation that limits their operational abilities, like downsizing? Matt Hoffman, partner and head of talent at M13, says leaders should start by acknowledging the reality that sometimes you have to adjust your expectations to meet the new constraints you’re facing. From this mindset, Hoffman says, constraints become an opportunity to improve your company’s future—they allow you to re-envision your company’s goals and structure, and to foster the talent of team members who remain on your staff by helping them “upskill” and take on new challenges in the company.
Rebel Leadership Tip 2: Work With the Obstacles You Face, Not Against Them:
Picture the end result you want to see and work backward to identify ways to address the problem in front of you.
Embrace different perspectives to illuminate solutions.
Address what you can control.
Reboot, if necessary.
The third way rebel leaders lead is by being willing to “get their hands dirty” alongside members of their team, to get the job done.
For example, when a member of a restaurant’s waitstaff doesn’t show up to work on a busy night, a manager can show her rebel leadership skills by stepping in to help bus tables, take customers’ drink orders, and do whatever else it takes to keep things running smoothly on the floor. When leaders demonstrate their commitment to getting the job done—even when that requires them stepping into roles they may prefer not to do—they set a model for everyone else that, “we’re all in it together, and are here to get the job done.”
(Shortform note: Can your efforts to support your team as a rebel leader ever go too far? The answer is “no,” according to Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, authors of Extreme Ownership, who argue that when it comes to leaders, what sets the best apart is a willingness to take responsibility for problems and failures, rather than finding someone else to blame. The authors assert that it’s equally important that leaders allow members of their team to own victories, rather than try to claim credit for those successes, to stress the importance of “team” rather than “individual.”)
Rebel Leadership Tip 3: Earn Your Team’s Respect to Lead From the Ground Up in four ways:
Model the work ethic you want to see.
Take risks and responsibility.
Have your workers’ backs.
Believe and invest in your employees’ talents.
Gino says that to fulfill your potential, innovate, and make transformative change, you have to be a constructive rule breaker. This requires stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing each of the five elements she says compose rebel talent.
Reflect on the five rebel talent elements. Choose 2-3 that you can apply in your work or personal life this week. Which ones did you choose and how will you implement them?
Does your workplace embrace rebels? If yes, how so? If not, how might you help that change?
What could you do as a rebel leader to encourage your coworkers or people in your personal life to embrace rebels?