Jeremy Dale has over 20 years’ experience in the consumer electronics industry and until 2017, he was Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s worldwide retail channel. Prior to that, he was CMO at Motorola during the RAZR heyday. Jeremy is now CEO of an exciting start-up business in the global football and entertainment sector where he is applying his philosophy. Jeremy owns a BAFTA for the launch of Pokémon, he was named 35th in the UK’s Marketing Power 100 and he was listed in Total Films 100 Most Influential People in the Movies. In his book “The Punk Rock of Business: Applying a Punk Rock Attitude in the Modern Business Era,” Dale offers guidelines to transform business from average to innovation through a mindset rooted in punk rock principles.

In the Foreword, “The Punk Rock of Business” Jeremy Dale explains how punk rock attitude can save the mediocrity of business.  According to him, what society needs is pure, unadulterated business leadership which echoes many of the attributes of punk. Punk rockers had a cause – they wanted authenticity and refused to conform. Because of this, they created a dramatic change that shook society to its core. The author wants readers to apply this concept to the business world.  “Applying a punk rock attitude in business is for those who want to make a difference, who love to dare greatly, who strive for excellence-characteristics that are far too rare.” His goal is to motivate like-minded businesspeople to be more punk. The book is divided into: The Eight Elements of Punk Rock Business: Element 1: Have a Cause, Element 2: Build a Movement, Element 3: Create New and Radically Different Ideas, Element 4: Drive Speed and Action, Element 5: Say It as It Is, Element 6: Be Authentic, Element 7: Put Yourself Out There, Element 8: Reject Conformity and The Key Requirements to Implementing a Punk Rock Attitude in Business. At the end of each element, there is a ‘Key Lessons’ section that summarizes the section’s ideas, a ‘So What Are You Going to Do About It’ section where readers can write down any thoughts and a final section that gives one more viewpoint on the element.

Business manuals are easy to come by nowadays, but “The Punk Rock of Business” is geared towards the modern thinker. It inspires businesspeople to achieve incredible things and not settle for the status quo, regardless of where they are in their careers.  Written in plain and easy to understand language, the topics are informative and straightforward.  The interactive portions have the reader jot down thoughts, ideas and actions to be taken, making the book easy to navigate. The stories keep the lessons fresh and entertaining. Standout chapter is Element 8: Reject Conformity, the section titled ‘It’s Okay to Ruffle a Few Feathers’ which includes the concept of standing up for what you believe in and not caring about keeping everyone happy because that is not your job. Most of the advice is useful for any age but will resonate with the younger generation who is familiar with punk and its no nonsense, in your face attitude.  “The Punk Rock of Business” is a modern business guide that will challenge all types of businesspeople to reassess their goals and their approach to business in general and is recommended for readers who strive for a more meaningful career.

“….this book is primarily for people of action, passionate people who aren’t prepared to accept the status quo, who want to change the world-or at least their world.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.