Rebel Talent

Do you want to follow a script—or write your own story?
Award-winning Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino shows us why the most successful among us break the rules, and how rebellion brings joy and meaning into our lives
Rebels have a bad reputation. We think of them as troublemakers, outcasts, contrarians: those colleagues, friends, and family members who complicate seemingly straightforward decisions, create chaos, and disagree when everyone else is in agreement. But in truth, rebels are also those among us who change the world for the better with their unconventional outlooks. Instead of clinging to what is safe and familiar, and falling back on routines and tradition, rebels defy the status quo. They are masters of innovation and reinvention, and they have a lot to teach us.
Francesca Gino, a behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School, has spent more than a decade studying rebels at organizations around the world, from high-end boutiques in Italy’s fashion capital, to the world’s best restaurant, to a thriving fast-food chain, to an award-winning computer animation studio. In her work, she has identified leaders and employees who personify “rebel talent,” and whose examples we can all learn to embrace.
Gino argues that the future belongs to the rebel—and that there’s a rebel in each of us. We live in turbulent times, when competition is fierce, reputations are easily tarnished on social media, and the world is more divided than ever before. In this cutthroat environment, cultivating rebel talent is what allows businesses to evolve and to prosper. And rebellion has an added benefit beyond the workplace: it leads to a more vital, engaged, and fulfilling life.
Whether you want to inspire others to action, grow a business, or build more meaningful relationships, Rebel Talent will show you how to succeed—by breaking all the rules.

“Energetic and fun to read.” — Publishers Weekly
“Readers can take heart in the search for a company that believes in and practices the power of rebellion.” — Booklist
“Entertaining and well written, in addition to being informative, this career self-help book won’t put you to sleep and might actually help you out of a rut. Recommended for business and career collections. — Library Journal
“In this groundbreaking book, Francesca Gino shows us how to spark creativity, excel at work, and become happier: By learning to rebel.”   — Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
“Francesca Gino is one of the world’s most productive and creative social scientists. And with this book, she shows that she’s also one of the most persuasive. She makes a powerful and convincing case that letting loose our inner troublemaker can open up new vistas of creativity and problem-solving power.” — Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of Drive
“Great stories, great science, and great practical advice about how, when, and why to break the rules.” — Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit
“This marvelous and mischievous masterpiece shows us how to creatively rebel without getting into (too much) trouble. Francesca Gino’s splendid weave of stories and studies unpacks why, when, and how to break the rules in order to do more successful, challenging, and original work.”  — Robert Sutton, New York Times bestselling author of The Asshole Survival Guide, Scaling Up Excellence, and Weird Ideas That Work
“Francesca has a very personal and self-aware approach to bridging the gap between the social norms that glue us together, and the acts of challenging those norms. The rebellious approach has led to great advances, and it also has led to abuse. She pushes us to allow for people who challenge what we do, but with a grounding in thinking about the use of power and status in our businesses and in our lives.” — Ed Catmull, President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios
“Francesca Gino is the best kind of rebel: the one who doesn’t just break the rules, but invents a better way. In this enthralling, carefully researched book, she shows you how to become one—and unleash the inner rebel in others too.” — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg
“‘To make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs’ is easy advice to give. Much more difficult is crafting a clear recipe—which eggs, when, how, blended with what?—for greatest success at it. Yet, this is precisely what Rebel Talent does for the process of breaking the rules optimally. As a result, I just ate it up.” — Robert B. Cialdini, New York Times bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion