“The problem with Rebels at Work…” my good friend and fellow rebel said “is that it makes being a rebel seem very glamorous. And you know it doesn’t seem very glamorous to me at all. In fact being a rebel is just a miserable thing and you’re doing a disservice in your talks and writings by making it sound fun and easy. ”
Well, I’ve always known my friend to be very direct, but still his exposition pushed my back into the chair. I asked him if I could share his views, without attribution, and he agreed. Why without attribution? Because life as a rebel is hard and employers often don’t appreciate rebel free speech.
Poor employers. Life isn’t so easy for them either, even the ones who have good intentions. They’re caught in what seems like an impossible dilemma. Most enlightened businesses want to be seen as places that empower staff and encourage different views. And yet the very last thing any traditional company wants is to be known as the home of a growing rebel movement. The classic DIYD/DIYD problem.
So let this be a cautionary tale. If you feel the rebel instincts stirring within you; if you, as Umair Haque wrote in a blog post earlier this year for HBR, care about doing deeds that:
- Stand the Test of Time
- Stand the Test of Excellence
- Stand the Test of You
then be warned that you will rarely feel comfortable in your work skin. (Umair Haque, by the way, refers to the above post as his “tiny statement of rebellion.”) An important sign of rebel maturity in the workplace is the realization that being an effective rebel, being true to yourself, means you will often feel uncomfortable at work.
Someone actually came up to me 15 years ago, seemingly out of the blue, to deliver this important piece of advice. I was at a business function and this woman, my memory is that she worked at DuPont, came up to me and said she could tell I was a heretic in my workplace. (Apparently I walk around with a vivid flashing neon sign atop my head.) Her piece of advice: “You’ve got to learn to stop fighting this feeling of discomfort. You have to learn to accept discomfort as the indicator that you’re being true to your beliefs.” Short pause. “And you know it’s not enough to accept the feeling of discomfort. You’re going to have to enjoy feeling uncomfortable. You have to see the positive in it or you won’t survive.”
I confess I don’t think I ever quite reached that higher level of enlightenment. But I always thought of that woman from DuPont as my guardian angel.
And, as I implied above, it’s not easy being the manager of rebels either. Traditional management practices equate consensus with power and efficacy. It is truly difficult, particularly as most managers have senior leaders above them judging their performance, to sustain an environment where individuals can speak freely and act meaningfully. A leader prepared to support the insurgency will also feel uncomfortable; but, as is the case with countries and nations, rebels often can’t make a difference until they gain the support of at least one important legacy player.
Our hope is that Rebels at Work can start gathering the knowledge (and remember that knowledge includes both accomplishments and mistakes) that will help rebels be better rebels and give managers the tools and best practices they need to support ideas that matter. We’re starting by trying to collect as many rebel stories as we can. So if you think you have a rebel story to share (whether you’re a rebel or a manager) please consider filling out our short survey. Most of those who have taken it already tell us they learn a lot just by reflecting on their past experiences.
Finally, I just want to note that I (Carmen Medina) will be at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas starting next Friday, 9 March. Just reach out to me through Twitter (@milouness) if you want to do a rebel meetup.
Rebels do it together!
In one of the later opening seasons of Stargate, the character played by Richard Dean Anderson (O’Neill) finally gets promoted to Brigadier General. In that episode character has a line that goes: “I spent my whole career fighting ‘The Man’, and now I am ‘The Man’.”
Unfortunately, the stress of walking the fine line between being a rebel at work and being an unemployed rebel wears on you after awhile. I’ve read many articles and blog posts from “rebels” who worked as career employees in government or large corporations that sidelined people rather than terminating them. Many of us who have worked as exempt employees in government or for small companies that could not afford sidelined employees have learned the hard way there is a time to back off the rebel attitude while we still can. Morton Blackwell, founder of the Leadership Institute used to say “You cannot save the world if you cannot pay the mortgage.” The discomfort of being a rebel is bearable. The disomfort of being an unemployed rebel is not.
Thanks so much, Peter, for your excellent comments. You’re right. I, Carmen, am one of the lucky ones who was able to recover from her rebel mistakes and protect herself from assault within the relatively forgiving confines of a large government organization. I also ended up being a senior leader in same organization, and I learned a lot there too. As a leader, I don’t think I was as true to my rebel instincts as I should have been. But that would need to be the topic of another blog post!!
When Carmen told me she was going to write this post, I emailed her my feelings about being a life-long rebel, and why I’m so intent on helping other rebels. Here’s what I wrote:
“Many things about being a rebel are tough. Rejection. Feeling alone because others unwilling/scared to stand up and support an unpopular position. Frustration that others can’t “see” the opportunity, the better way forward. Not being viewed as “a player.” And that horrible eerie silence when you “hear” complicity bouncing off the walls.
“Excuse the rant, but there is little glamorous about being a rebel. Perhaps this is why we have so many people skilled at just keeping the same-old, same-old going. That’s why rebels need help, mentoring, a community where we can give and get help, supporting those who know there’s a better way.”
Great site – Great Post! I really enjoyed reading through all the comments and different posts. Great viable content.
Keep it up….
Thanks so much. It is definitely a labor of love for Lois and me. Help us build the resources by spreading the word. (P.S.: I love Suit Afrika. Been there several times!!)
I once complained to a man at conference that I was always on the outside, pushing against the tide. He laughed at me. He said, Al if you ever found yourself in the majority, in the mainstream, you would think your job was done, you would trust others to finish the task, and you would move to another challenge where you felt you were needed.
I was stunned. He was absolutely right. He rendered me speechless. I’ve come to understand that the dissonance of trying to change things is my natural state. As I’ve grown older, and although I still have a long way to go, I’ve become more socially adept, so I’ve become less of an irritant to others and more effective.
So, if you’re going to be a rebel, learn social skills. As Bob Dylan said, “If you live outside the law, you must be honest.”
What a wonderful addition to our rebel stories. Please consider giving us a full rebel story by filling out our handy dandy survey. Absolutely true from my experience. Effective rebels have highly developed social skills.