• Rebel Talent

  • Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life
  • By: Francesca Gino
  • Narrated by: Tamara Marston
  • Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (346 ratings)

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Rebel Talent  By  cover art

Rebel Talent

By: Francesca Gino
Narrated by: Tamara Marston
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Publisher's summary

The world’s best chef.

An airline captain who brought his flight to safety in a daring water landing.

A magician known for his sensational escape acts.

A computer scientist who founded a world-renowned animation studio.

What do all of these people have in common? They love their jobs, they break the rules, and the world is better off for it. They are rebels.

From an early age, we are taught to be rule followers, and the pressure to fit in only increases as we age. But conformity comes at a steep price for our careers and personal lives. When we mindlessly accept rules and norms rather than questioning and constructively rebelling against them, we ultimately end up stuck and unfulfilled. As leaders, we are less effective and respected. As employees, we are more likely to be overlooked for top assignments and promotions. As partners and friends, we are checked out and unhappy.

Francesca Gino has been studying rebels in life and in the workplace for more than 15 years. She has discovered that rebels - those who practice "positive deviance" at work - are harder to manage, but they are good for the bottom line: their passion, drive, curiosity, and creativity raise the entire organization to a new level. And she has found that at home, rebels are more engaged partners, parents, and friends.

Packed with strategies for embracing rebellion at work and in life, and illuminating case studies ranging from the world of fine dining to fast food chains to corporations such as Google and Pixar, Rebel Talent encourages all of us to rebel against what’s comfortable, so that we can thrive.

Francesca Gino is an award-winning researcher and teacher and a tenured professor at Harvard Business School. Her consulting and speaking clients include Bacardi, Akamai, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Honeywell, Novartis, P&G, and the US Air Force, Army, and Navy. She has been honored as one of the world's Top 40 Business Professors under 40 and one of the world's 50 most influential management thinkers. Her work has been featured on CNN and NPR as well as in the Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, Newsweek, Scientific American, and Psychology Today.

©2018 Francesca Gino (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Rebel Talent

Average customer ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars

Empowering!

As a woman and minority, and without many resources, I’ve struggled way too much in my life to succeed! This book really helped me me realize that so much of this has to do with my rebel talent! I’m an idea generator and often a decade ahead of my time. In seeking support, I now realize I need to find mentors and role models that carve new paths! And I’d like to see more and more examples of women that have done this successfully!

Thank you so much for writing this book! I will be using what I’ve learned to be a better employer and business person as well!

Thank you for helping me embrace my rebel talent!! This book is a game changer for me!

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7 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not bad, not great

Tired subjects and some solid advice but is jam packed with opinion and bias. Not great as a purely business book.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Capstone reading for leaders

A friend referred this book to me and it was a fabulous suggestion. I found myself engrossed in the stories and experiences that Francesca used throughout. I think one of the things that really drew me in was the experience the author had as an executive coach and the student review she received. I knew at that point how real and genuine this book was. It was amazing to know that someone who arguably is at the top of her game went through similar challenges in the professional career and was willing to explain it. Rebel Talent is an opportunity to realize you do have the power and you do know what to do to harness your own power and the power of others to make change, to lead, to achieve. I loved it!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Review of Rebel Talent

I were told by one of the VPs in our company that I needed to read this book as it was about me.

After listening to the book I agree that to some extent he is right. I realized when listening that there is a lot more I need to do and test out.


The person that read is performing well it can be a little monotone some times but overall very good.

Kind regards
Oystein

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rebel with a Cause

Humanity tends to progress in fits and start. As we face, a loss of biodiversity, a climate crisis, and the threat of authoritarianism, we are in need if rebels. This book is a beautiful look at, and argument for, well mannered rebels. Nice, but a small subset. Ignored are more youthful rebels and rebel movements. Not bad for an academic.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • JG
  • 09-21-18

Very innovative premise

This is a Geat book! Worth every credit, seeing parallels throuhhot my world! Strongly recommend this book!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Curious

Refreshing to learn about all this wonderful people that have success challenging the status quo, a great take on how to succeed by being inclusive with your team to take your business to a different level.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Challenge norms but don’t break the rules

Solid book though somewhat eerie in the context of cheating allegations against Gino. She claims she is innocent and I hope she is. If so, I hope she punishes Harvard for their mishandling of allegations. Regardless, the book is really about challenging norms. Rule-breaking on the other hand is frowned upon in civilized societies.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Must have it

Great story about how rebels walk around waiting for their opportunity to impact organizations, families, and business

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Be a rebel an profit

Great insight must read for anyone interested in learning how to grow and be unique in the process.

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