Dale - The punk rock of business: applying a punk rock attitude in the modern business era

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Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2018 Jeremy Dale

All rights reserved.

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Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-62634-453-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-454-9

Part of the Tree Neutral program, which offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used: www.treeneutral.com

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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First Edition

To all those who have been with me on my journey so far, thank you for the experiences we enjoyed, the lessons you taught me, andmost of allthe friendship we have shared.

To my family, Gerry, Alex, Maddie, and Francesca, thank you for your support, your love, and keeping me groundedyou mean the world to me.

This book is also dedicated to Andy Biddle. Bids was the best friend anyone could ever wish for. So many memories, so many laughs, so very special, so badly missed. Love you, Bids.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

F or far too long, companies have been hamstrung by endless meetings, bureaucratic processes, and corporate politics. Like the music scene of the 1970s, when punk rock burst onto the scene and pressed the reset button, many businesses today need the same dose of punk attitude.

What we need today is some pure, stripped down, no bullshit business leadership. The Punk Rock of Business is about adopting an attitude that echoes many of the attributes of punk.

The punk rock businessperson says, I am not okay with the current status quo, and vows to do something about it. I detest mediocrity, as I want to do amazing things. I loathe playing things safe, because its dull and there is no such thing as job security anymore. The Punk Rock of Business is a call to arms for businesspeople who despise the constraining bullshit that is far too prevalent in 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 excellencecharacteristics that are far too rare.

This is a change that is long overdue in many organizations.

Welcome to the revolution!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I have been privileged to work at many great companies; thank you for the opportunity.

I have been fortunate to work alongside many amazing people at those companies or in our business partners; thank you for all that I learned from you and the success we shared.

I have been blessed to share my working life with people who became firm friends, where a laugh and a smile were never far away; thank you for the experiences we shared and the bond that will forever exist.

To all those who contributed to creating the stories in this book, thank you for your inspiration. I have documented these stories as faithfully as I remember them, and Ive checked my recollection with others, but forgive me if some minor details differ from yours.

Thank you to the team at Greenleaf for your patience and humanity as you navigated me through my first book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This Is Me

This book is not about me. It is not an autobiography. But I do tell lessons from my career to highlight the attributes of a punk rock attitude in business. Some of you may want to understand the chronology of my career, so that you can place the stories on some imaginary timeline in your head. And maybe you want to know a bit more about me as a person. If so, read these four pages. If you dont care about these things, move on ahead.

My Career

TARMAC (19831991)

I trained as an accountant at Tarmac, a building conglomerate in the industrial Black Country of England. Ready-mixed concrete was exciting to me back then. This is where I learned the flow of money, the critical skill of understanding the dynamics between sales, costs, and cash flow that always determines your success. I worked with honest and good people who talked straight and wouldnt put up with any arrogance.

ANC (19911995)

ANC was a franchised express parcel delivery service that was subsequently sold to FedEx. I joined the finance team, and my first piece of work showed that their pricing strategy was counterproductive. The Managing Director sent me home while he considered my report. The next morning, to my surprise, I arrived to hear that the Managing Director had fired the Commercial Director and appointed me in his place. That was the start of my real business career.

NINTENDO (19952000)

A headhunter was trying to find a Commercial Director for the video games industry. He would never have found me at ANC through his normal searches; however, I knew a friend of his, and he introduced me. So, good fortune gave me my first foray into the world of consumer tech, which would become my home from then on. I loved the brands and products I now worked with: GameBoy, Mario, Donkey Kong, GoldenEye for N64, Zelda, Tetris, andthe ultimatePokmon. The last of these I suffered serious addiction to, but I have been clean for over fifteen years now.

ONDIGITAL/ITV DIGITAL (20002002)

The story at ITV Digital was all about how we used a knitted monkey, imaginatively called Monkey, and a larger-than-life stand-up comedian with a gruff accent to rebrand the company and transform our sales. The campaign gained huge attention and notoriety, and demonstrated the power of marketing in a way I had never seen before. Our success was ultimately destroyed by a number of things, including some dark forces.

ORANGE (20022004)

The task at Orange was all about helping it to rediscover its mojo. It had lost its substance and points of differentiation. We created Orange Wednesdays (a membership benefit with all the UK cinemas) and Orange Phone Trainers to once again make us stand out from the rest.

MOTOROLA (20052009)