Break the Rules – Part 3

By Reg Scheepers

“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth”

- Albert Einstein

So far, my case for rebel rule breakers has been little more than emotional rants well and truly exposing my early childhood issues. But I believe there’s a well-grounded case to be made for the rule-breaker non-conformists among us – those who say “up yours” to some of the commonly accepted conventional wisdom.

Rebels like to challenge commonly held beliefs of what can and cannot, should and should not be done. As you might expect they get heavy resistance from those who appreciate the status quo. Often rebels are wrong but sometimes they are right and when they are, a better way of thinking and doing is adopted which is eventually considered “obvious”.

Break the Rules – Part 2

By Reg Scheepers

In Part 1 I tried to offer a balanced view on the benefits of being a rule follower who does everything by the book, and being a rebel-type personality who doesn’t always follow conventional wisdom and rules.

Rebels are too often seen as counter-productive types who just cause trouble. Though I tried to be unbiased in part one (except for the title), I admit here freely in part two that I prefer being around people who are rebels. I will explain in no uncertain terms why I prefer being a rebel and why.

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Familiarity in Leadership: Does it Really Breed Contempt?

By Reg Scheepers

As you may or may not know I run a company called Brothers in Beat. The main service is a unique twist on a well-known team building activity called team building drum circles. One of our corporate drumming events was for a company called Telemasters.

At the company I worked for before I started Brothers in Beat, the boss tried his level best to ensure there would never be familiarity… by being a prick. At the Telemasters event I remember instantly noticing two things: Read more »

Break the Rules – Part 1

By Reg Scheepers

There are two kinds of people in the world, those who follow the rules, and those who break the rules. One’s not better than the other, but I do have my own personal preference, and each has its pros and cons.

When I talk about rules, I’m not referring only to rules in the sense of school or military. I’m referring to conventional wisdom and the things we learn in textbooks. Read more »