Rebel Talent, by Francesca Gino
Rebel Talent, by Francesca Gino – published 2018 Deystreet
When I first picked this up, I thought it would make a great reflection on the hiring tendency of so many to pick new talent from within their competitors or affiliates in their industry, and this might be a good reference point as to why looking further afield is beneficial. It certainly is that, but so much more.
As you’d expect for a book authored by an HBS Professor, there’s a strong undercurrent of commercial case studies and unique IP in interviews leaders in their field, but there’s also a delightful contribution from Francesca herself of personal experiences with ‘rebels’, which to me made the reading experience all the more meaningful. All of these demonstrate the same outcomes – with leaders who show, time and time again, that operating outside of the norm, bringing new, sometimes confronting behaviours to the fore, or simply fostering contribution from all levels of the business and creating an environment of constructive conflict can lead (and the evidence is in) to significantly stronger business performance.
Yes, this impacts on innovation, which is one of the book’s key focuses, but also on the benefit of these leadership traits and style to turnarounds, enhancing business culture, improving customer and employee engagement and brand strengthening are all beneficial.
In summary, a superb book inspiringly written in a highly personal, meaningful style – a must read for any leader seeking to set themselves and their organisation ahead of the crowd.
Reading this would be beneficial to leaders who;
- Are seeking to be more inspirational and creative in their own leadership
- Desire more innovative outcomes from their organisation
- Wish their organisation to be more resilient and less subject to market disruption
- Embrace change, risk and novel ways to learn, lead and experience work, and life overall!
