At 18, he faced a choice: try to make it in music, or work in pharmaceuticals, or, as he puts it: “It was sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll…or just drugs. I chose drugs.”
There is not a trace of regret in his voice as he explains the decision. And his time in the pharmaceutical industry is clearly one he looks back on fondly, describing Wellcome, his employer as, “An absolutely brilliant company to work for. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Wellcome.”
Wellcome sent him to the University of Greenwich to study Chemistry, and then, later, to the Open University Business School, to study his MBA. He describes the MBA as teaching him, “How and why what you’re doing works, but in particular, I think the OU taught me how to think.”
It was a combination of the two that led him to quit Wellcome – the only business he has ever worked for – and go his own way. When he was managing teams of scientists he would invite them over occasionally for long and luxurious Chinese meals, followed by some time in his studio where they would make music together, and his colleagues noticed how much more productive they became afterwards. After his MBA, Cook realised that there was a wider application for what he’d done than just one team of scientists.
Open University alumnus Peter Cook tells us that the OU 'taught him how to think' and was instrumental in his future success.
The result was a book – the critically-acclaimed ‘Sex, Leadership and Rock N’ Roll’ – and two consultancies, Human Dynamics and the Academy of Rock and Roll, all of which draw on the ability of music to bring people together.
“People who’ve cried together, laughed together, played [music] together, can only work together better,” says Cook, “In MBA-speak, it builds a psychological contract that cannot be broken.” In that respect, Cook admits, it isn’t that different from building a raft as a team-building exercise.
But where his approach differs is in its ability to bring things to light; whether it be the undiscovered lyrical talents of one employee or the big problem that can’t be discussed but can be sung about.
The insights Cook has gained are available in a more compressed format in his latest book, “Punk Rock Management: A no-nonsense guide to hiring, inspiring and firing staff” avaliable free via Cook's website. Each chapter, he tells me, takes less time to read than to listen to a Ramones track, but and for Cook’s clients such as Pfizer and Google, the impact of his lessons have lasted outlasted even the most self-indulgent of Pink Floyd records.
But for all his success, Cook wouldn’t be where he was, he says, if it wasn’t for his OU MBA. “It gave me the confidence to quit a very well-paid job and do something no-one in my family had done: run a business,” he states, simply, “It gave me the confidence to make the move to something completely new.”
Having chosen “drugs” all those years ago, the OU MBA gave Peter Cook one last shot at rock ‘n roll.
Peter’s new book ‘Punk Rock People Management’ will be available shortly. Please contact him directly here or via the Punk Rock People Management webpage for your FREE copy.
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