Workplace Rebels: Challenging the status quo at work
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
— Steve Jobs, 1997
Imagine this situation: You’re in a meeting with the top management. The CEO shares the strategy for upcoming events and asks for feedback, few senior leaderships suggest something and then the whole table starts nodding simultaneously. You don’t agree with them fully. You do a quick scan around the conference room and you see heads nodding in agreement. Though puzzled and in self-doubt, mode thinking to yourself “Am I the only one who can’t make sense out of what she just said?”, you don’t ask questions for the fear of being seen differently and agree with the rest. After the meeting, you go to grab some coffee and meet your colleagues there. They say that they also felt lost in the meeting and didn’t like the plan of action. Yet they didn’t speak up. Though you all had the same opinion, you were all quiet.
This phenomenon is called pluralistic ignorance. It describes a situation in which a majority of people in a group personally disagree with an idea, while incorrectly assuming that others in the group accept it. Instead of putting forward your own thought process, you go along with what the group seems to favour.
On the other hand, imagine you stand up and point out if you have any clarifications to make or suggest to them the alternative you have in your mind and why or how they can derive more by implementing it instead of the original one.
Surprisingly, pluralistic ignorance is very much common in the workplace–from the boardroom meetings to how we evaluate our day-to-day lives. The ones who don’t play along are the rebels.
Though we all love listening to workplace warriors who defend their crazy ideas to lead it to great breakthroughs, to actually be a rebel at work takes guts. The idea of challenging the status quo at work is a fairly anxious one. And if you’re working in an organization which has a deep-rooted hierarchical framework and rigid culture, good luck with any attempt to challenge the status quo. A lot of managers tend to suppress their own or the junior rung’s unconventional ideas so as not to go through unnecessary trouble. And, sadly, many managers believe that organizational breakthroughs can only occur at a higher level. At this intersection, it becomes really hard for anyone to challenge the status quo.
In a lot of companies, new disruptive ideas could be viewed more as a threat than something that could drive the business forward. And if you’re someone who’s coming up with wild ideas each time which are unheard of, you might invite raised eyebrows or tut-tuts eventually killing your creativity. But your creativity is exactly what you need to preserve.
Banking on the core strengths of novelty, inquisitiveness, and authenticity, let us go through some of the steps to a safe rebel leadership, where you are also your own boss!
1. Break the monotony
It is very easy to go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing. What requires courage is challenging yourself to drive change in case of dissatisfaction in order to get your affairs sorted. Quoting Steve Jobs, “for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
2. Seek out dissent
As humans, we often focus on just one perspective, and generally, it's our own. It makes us more confident to share our views and to enjoy the level ground. When we meet differences in opinions, it requires more level of confidence and strength to go ahead and put forward our views. John Baldoni writes in Harvard Business Review, “Having a strong oppositional voice is the mark of good leadership. Rather than a sign of weakness, it demonstrates the force of character and the ability to think and act strategically.”
3. Making use of "plussing"
We challenge the status quo when we believe that our abilities will be able to make a difference. This requires a collaborative attitude which comes by respecting each other’s viewpoints and simultaneously putting forward your own views. It's about keeping conversations going by concating upon the thought, such as saying, "yes, and..." rather than "yes, but...." -- a technique called "plussing." In plussing you don’t discard anyone’s view, you “plus” with them. And also keep your discussions open to “plussing”.
4. Display your authenticity in full view
Be open to learning. Be authentic, humble and stay true to your roots. Maintain your individuality and yet be a team player. Ratan Tata, known for his strong ethical leadership and philanthropy says "He who tries to copy others can succeed for some time in life, but can never go very far".
5. Find freedom in constraints
Don’t worry if you find yourself in sticky situations or in constrained environments. Look for opportunities to express yourself and drive change. Steve Jobs when publicly thrown out of Apple Inc, went ahead and founded NeXT. He had ideas which he contributed to the organization, and though it wasn’t a successful venture, it has made Apple the hardware and software powerhouse it is today.
6. Lead from the trenches
Another interesting aspect of the rebels is that they often take on roles or activities that you wouldn't expect them to take, Speaking of Herb Kelleher, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, Michael Derchin, a veteran airline analyst says: “He is the kind of man who will stay awake with the mechanic until four o'clock in the morning to find out what’s wrong and will fix whatever is wrong. He gets out of the way to help people who work for him and leads from the ground level”
If you're further interested in exploring the topic, here’s a quiz by for you by a Harvard behavioural scientist, Francesca Gino to determine what kind of Rebel you are:
https://hbs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7QD1ZlEikMtgJ6J
References:
National Director of Franchise and Affiliations
1 年3 years later I’m reading this! ??
Empowering Leaders to Thrive & Inspire | Certified Executive Coach | I/O Psychology Mentor | Certified Career Coach
2 年Wow, what a beautifully crafted article! I came looking for an article on "status quo", and this one just nailed it. I was looking for something that didn't lean one way or another. You stuck to the middle which I appreciate. Cheers!
青岛汇君环境能源工程有限公司
4 年Ask yourself more, have you forgotten your goal?
Parent to a toddler | Learner | Traveler | Associate Professor at IIM Kozhikode
4 年Very well articulated. The method of "plussing" is a very good instrument to build a lobby in support of a change.
System Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services
4 年Well written Prachi Mallick & I totally agree with you. But in addition to my point of view , in a corporate level or in a certain discussion ,when Ideas or problems statement are putting forward ,at that time everyone must be attentive & think about the different aspects of ideas or solutions and then keep on presenting their point of views they have .. because everyone has different ways to approaching the problem & I believe if everyone express their solutions ,may be somehow 50 to 60% solutions we get at that moment & the most important thing in the discussion is that everyone should encourage each other for their ideas they have whether it will be silly or great ideas doesn't matter & also give them space to put forward the ideas freely.