How to Lead the "Brilliant Jerk" on Your Team.

Hi! My name is Parissa. This is "Modern Badass: A Field Guide", where Modern Badasses can feel seen, understood and valued. And, it's also a place for others to crack the code on the Modern Badasses in their lives (and maybe learn some badassery themselves). Want this in your inbox 2x/month? Hit the “subscribe” button above!

I have a lot of corporate clients. The #1 reason for being referred to me is that a board, a CEO or senior executive has a brilliant person on the team with tremendous potential to scale the business, lead innovation efforts and be a key strategic asset to help capture market share from competition.

So what's the problem? The board, CEO or senior executive is having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to lead these talented people.

They are:

?? the people a company needs to envision the future (aka make money);

?? bold, brash and colorful;

?? are disruptors and boundary pushers;

?? asking "why not?" instead of "why?";

?? courageous, creative and... contrary.

These leaders are high value to an organization and their value is starting to tarnish or diminish. They are meant to disrupt externally but there is internal disruption that becomes hard to ignore: KPIs are lower, team conflict/distraction, employee attrition and more.

They're sometimes called "Brilliant Jerks" (or worse). Others start to (mistakenly) wonder if it's better to give them a severance package and move on.

That's where I come in.

Besides sharing the opportunity cost of silencing a Badass, I tell my clients that one of the most telling traits of a Modern Badass leader is the tendency to go 80MPH in a 45MPH zone without checking to see if their colleagues or teams are strapped in for the ride let alone interested in the destination. Modern Badasses are well intended but the intentions aren't obvious.

Previously, (here and here), I've written about the importance of velocity over speed as well as aligned values. Velocity is the rate of travel in a given direction. It's what having a clearly defined goal and a team aligned with a goal looks like.

It would be great if velocity were enough. But it isn't. Badasses have to have aligned values with the goal and with the team. They have to care. Things get dicey for them when they haven't explained what they care about, why they care and how that helps them stay aligned with a goal or strategy.

I share with my clients that it saves a world of hurt if teams conducted values alignment exercises regularly, especially if they have a Badass on the team. I ask them to get curious about individual values, codify team values and invite everyone to find the alignment with their values and team values. Note: values do NOT have to be matchy-matchy.

Why does this matter? It creates a basis of understanding. It creates content and context for each individual PLUS the shared understanding helps teams stay on track.

The Values-Velocity Matrix? can help.

In my book, I shared more about this matrix and that I designed this matrix to help Badasses get clarity on what engages them and how to stay engaged. This is a tool that you can use with everyone on your team, even if you don't have a Badass on it!

With it, you can plot where you might be at any given moment with any given initiative. The x-axis measures when you employ speed versus velocity. The y-axis is the continuum between aligned and misaligned values. There are four quadrants to this matrix.

Excellence. The goal is aligned with articulated individual and team values, which means high velocity. There are great collaborative efforts in the team and with clients. This is where Badasses SHINE and become a hero especially to previous detractors.

Expansion. The work appears to be aligned with values but is rudderless. The goal isn't well defined. If there's no clarity on the goal or why it matters, it may be best to revisit the goal until the team (and the business) is clear on what best suits them to move towards Excellence. This place is boring for Badasses. When they're bored, they look for something to do which isn't always in congruence with the team or business interests, until there's a conscious shift.

Exploration. The work has a clearly defined goal, but there’s nothing that engages or excites the Badass because time wasn't given to articulating values. As with Expansion, get clear on values and get clear on how the values align to move towards Excellence. In this case, Badasses will also look for something to do that isn't in congruence with the team or business interests until there's a conscious shift.

Explosion. There is no clearly defined goal, it may be hard to articulate one, or worse, there appears to be refusal to articulate it. There is little congruence with team values or there are no team values codified by leadership. This is the worst place to be for a Badass as this is where they can cause conflict and disruption and become that person that others would prefer to alienate or silence.

Now what?

I have a 100% success rate with my Badass clients and I have the receipts. So, I've heard the old saw that Badasses aren't coachable, they're toxic, they love to destroy things and should either be on a PIP, fired or given a severance package.

None of that's true or wise. I'll even go farther to say that the lazy person's way to go, especially given the opportunity cost of not finding new ways to engage a Badass to help them channel their awesome.

Message me to learn more. I'd love to speak with you.

Are You A Female Badass?

You might be a powerful woman looking to amplify impact and outcomes, build new connections with bold leaders like you and kickstart your legacy. You may also be tired of being misunderstood, deliberately or otherwise.

I am too.

That's why I am incredibly excited about my mastermind of powerful female leaders. Book a call and claim your seat. Invite a friend to join you.

You might even know a powerful woman like this. If you do, I'd love to meet her. Forward this article to someone you know who should be in this mastermind with you.

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Also, hit the subscribe button above and:

• Book time to speak 1:1 with me.
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Championing Badasses,

Parissa

P.S. I'd love to work with you regardless if you are a Badass or lead one. Book time to talk about any of these options that may intrigue you.

1. What Sparks You??How can you tap into your flavor of badassery? You might be ready to channel your edge and power but you're unsure how to start. Let's have a conversation to identify your blocks and get you back on the badassery road.
2. What's Your?Bold Vision??I'll design a Sixense Vision a half-day workshop?just for you. We'll talk about your past, and your present to design a strategy to craft your future. It also includes a Hogan Assessment and debrief.
3. Make A Bold Move.?Retain me as your advisor and coach. My Modern Badass clients love working with me 1:1 because I am an objective thinking partner and strategist who champions (and challenges) them as they create their futures. I don't hold anything back and I speak truth to power with power.