Customer Reviews

The Rebel Rules: Daring to be Yourself in Business

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rarely have I read a business book that feels real. Most are written by consultants trying to hawk their services or ego-fed execs at the twilight of their career. This book is different as it has an "in-the-trenches" feeling to it. The first few chapters are a little heavy on the inspiration, but you start picking up great little nuggets of management tools and strategies before the end of the 3rd chapter. My favorite 2 sections were in the "Building a Rebel Reputation in the World", the sections on empowered customer service and creating brand and buzz. I've experienced Chip Conley's Joie de Vivre businesses and now I know some of his secrets to success. This book is as good as Paul Hawken's "Growing a Business" but more contemporary, hip, and fun.

This book was a great inspiration for an entrepreneur embarking on her own business. Chip goes from big picture analysis of the rebel's place in the business world to specific business practices for the rebel entrepreneur.

The Rebel Rules helps you to explore yourself and your own role in business as well as those of your employees. By using real life examples from his own hospitality company and those of other well-known "rebels", Chip demonstrates how passion, vision, agility, and instinct can carry you far. It's not just self-help babble... he actually uses concrete examples and excercises to use for yourself and for growth and development in your company.

This is a book that I will read and re-read... it's business practices and inspiration are timeless and can be refered to over and over again.

I bought this book when I was traveling in New Mexico.
It is full of spirit and joy! Read this book!

To be a rebel means to be true to your vision. Chip gives
many examples in his book. Chip is very conscious of how important vision is. Vision gives your life full-throttle power!!! Chip gives you the tools to craft your
vision magnificiently!

Read this book, and you will be a rebel in life, wherever you are- New Mexico or Maine or Iowa! I think this book applies to
you whether you running a biz, investing, or thinking about starting a very visionary biz! Yes!!!

This is a book that would deserve much more attention by media and readers than it has gotten since it was published in 2001. The reason for this?

It is quite simple; the book goes to the core of a key issue: succeeding in what you do with your professional life while being yourself.

Too many times we seem to be bound to live a life in which compromises are unavoidable in order to make it in our work: there is a "system" and we need to rapidly understand it and find ways to fit in even if this fitting in does not bring to us much pleasure nor pride.

Chip Conley is a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality and entertainment business. He has found success by being a rebel according to his definition of the concept: expressing the best of yourself in order to create value and not caring too much about what the rules of the "system" and "standard practices" are. From his perspective being a rebel does not mean to simply systematically fight what is conventional, it means to find out who you really are and put your talents and ideas to work in order to generate concrete value added within ever changing market dynamics. He also points out that "the rebels who make a difference in the long run are those with integrity" and Conley defines integrity in a very practical way "knowing what to do, saying you are doing it and then doing it".



Vision, passion, instincts and agility (and their balancing act)

Vision, passion, instincts and agility: these are the four key aptitudes that any rebel should discover within, cultivate with method and express in a determined yet balanced and resourceful way. Conley summarizes the concept with an image: your eyes fuel the vision; your hearth the passion; your gut the instincts and your feet the agility.
Vision is what gives us a sense of direction, a way to channel our energy and ideas in order to make a better future for us and other people; passion is the fuel that keeps us going, in order to never run on empty it is essential to focus on the concept of integrity above mentioned and to synchronize who you are, what your values are, and what you do; instincts are represented by the ability to swiftly catch and create opportunities in order to fulfill your vision (Conley makes and interesting point here: while traditional managers are resource-driven - they do what they can with the resources at hand; the rebel managers are opportunity-driven - they don't let themselves be trapped in their thinking by the boundaries of their resources and this helps them to constantly find opportunities for development and improvement); finally agility concerns our ability to keep our material and immaterial (thoughts, assumptions, certainties) baggage light in order to move rapidly at the pace required by the changes happening around us.

This is the theoretical framework, it flows and it makes sense. The tough practical issue is how to integrate all of these four aptitudes by balancing them, Conley points out: "Few people - rebels or not - posses all four qualities in full measure. Great eyes (vision) but awkward feet (agility) will lead to embarrassing organizational moments. A big heart (passion) but a confused gut (instinct) means a lovable but indecisive leader. A rebel out of alignment can create dis-ease not only in the rebel's body but also throughout the organization. Just like any athlete, the rebel may favor certain body parts. But she can also develop her abilities, and when she combines al of four aptitudes in choreographed manner, the result is pure poetry".


"The rebel's job is to make the complex simple"

This sentence captures the essence of Conley's message. The balancing act of the rebel's four core aptitudes should be geared towards this greater all encompassing goal: simplify! Make things that appear impossible and complex reachable and achievable; do that by working on your perceptions, on identifying, refocusing and channeling your sense of fear and uncertainty. Being a rebel means, above all, to have the courage to know oneself, what we really care for and value beyond all what society defines as important and relevant. Learning to recognize the own values and putting them into practice at work becomes the fuel of the rebel's energy. The rebel faces with focus and determination the barriers that she comes to recognize either slow down or block the expression of the mix of vision, passion, instincts and agility.

Conley makes a very interesting connection by relating all of this to a key finding by James Collins and Jerry Porras that studied several American companies for their book `Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies' "It is better to understand who you are than where you're going in today's unpredictable world - for where you are going will almost certainly change... The crucial variable is not the content of a company's ideology, but how deeply it believes and expresses it in all that it does".The book is rich of practical ideas and examples on how to achieve this. Action, real action "rebels work hard and play hard" is the common denominator of the rebel's aptitudes.



Do companies need rebels?

This question comes to mind while reading this book. Companies need rebels if they start to realize that they are struggling to keep up with the changes happening in markets and society and mostly if they come to realize that the competitive edge is not simply in keeping up with the changes but trying to lead them! Fostering a culture of rebels, according to Conley's ideas and practices, requires a strong determination to truly engage in a positive and constructive way the experiences, thoughts, passions and observations of the people. Managing a company made of rebels it is certainly much tougher than managing a company made of people whom main goal is just to fit in within the "system" at keep it running; at the same time it can very well be the only long term way forward to survival and success.

Rebel Rules lacks the credibility needed too be taken as a serious piece of business writing. I purchased five copies of the book to give to my vice presidents to read. Three found it to be a very good book. Two of them, and I concur with these two, found the book to be sophomoric in its approach. I understand Chip's motivation to write and pursue the publicity wrapped up in such a book--it offers public realtions opportunities for him and his company. The book is well-written and at times funny, but lacks the depth of other biz book greats. A reader might be better served to read "Pour Your Heart Out" by Howard Schultz, "Losing my Virginity" by Branson, or "Work in Progress" by Michael Eisner. Unfortunately for Conley, he is just not in this league.

Generally I don't read business books, but I picked The Rebel Rules up at the suggestion of a friend. I'm glad I did. I was so energized by the author's clear and palpable passion for his business and for life. Conley's focus on creativity, innovation and the esprit de corps of his employees was refreshing. Although I am in education and not business, I was struck by how many of his ideas could easily translate to the classroom. I highly recommend this book to those both in business and in other fields.

This book will appeal to entrepreneurs, executives, and students alike! It is a must read for anyone looking to capture their passion and maximize their professional pursuits. This story will inspire you to take a fresh look at how you approach things - not only in business but also in your life. You will not be able to put it down.

The book warmly tells of the start-up success story of joie de vivre hospitality and the lessons drawn from it. I found it touching, inspirational, and instructional. Chip Conley has woven together valuable business lessons, real-life stories, and, not only his thoughts on succeeding in today's economy, but also those of American business icons such as Jack Welch & Richard Branson.

You will like Rebel Rules so much that, like me, you'll be sure to send copies to friends who will also benefit from reading it. Enjoy!

I really liked this book! It's full of lessons, not only for "rebels", or wannabes, but for virtually every business person. I love the way the author provides practical applications, useful processes, and compelling dialog to map out his fascinating road to success. Mr. Conley not only describes his accomplishments along the way, but allows us to learn and benefit from his pot holes and pitfalls as well. Thank God for that.

The book also includes a "Rebel Hall of Fame" with interesting examples and lessons from mega-stars like Ted Turner, Herb Kelleher, and Michael Dell. Virtually every page contains irresistible ideas that any business owner, manager, or entrepreneur could utilize -- rebel or not. How could you not be captivated by headings like "Creating a Diversity Audit - without Alerting the Politically Correct Police" "Becoming a Magnet for Good People", and "How to Interview Your Potential Employer"?

Additionally, The Rebel Rules is full of gold nuggets, useful tools, and easy to follow "how-to" lists that entertain, intrigue, and enlighten. Whether a three-person dot.com start-up or a Microsoft-type giant, I believe any company could benefit from this book. Clearly, Chip Conley has incredible passion for his business and I'm glad he's sharing his magic with the world. Like I said before, "I really liked this book!"

This book contained a lot of great info about figuring out where you are in life, analyzing where you want to go, and actionable steps to get there. It was longer than it needed to be with a few lulls in places, but the good parts of the book were well written and full of great content.

Inspiring book. Makes you believe you can achieve anything despite the depressing realities of our economy. But whatever, it's fun and it's about rich people.