Are You a Rudolph?

I’ve been called many names over the years, but it was the first time I had been referred to as a Rudolph. Yes, Rudolph. As in Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer.

Several years ago, I was whining to a friend about some of my work challenges. He shook his head, smiled, and said, “It’s because you are a Rudolph!”

I was perplexed because I knew I wasn’t guiding Santa’s sleigh, and my nose was not especially red, so I asked what he meant. He explained that several years ago, he had read a book called The Rudolph Factor that had stuck with him.

Highlighting his takeaways from the book that I ultimately learned was written by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, Rudolphs are generally those who solve problems in not-so-typical ways – largely because they have an easier time identifying the root cause of a problem. As system-thinkers, they also express frustration at putting band-aids on the symptoms of problems because, as the authors suggest, they’d much prefer getting their hands (or hooves) dirty.

Curious to learn more, I found The Rudolph Factor is also about ensuring innovative organizations by tapping into bright ideas from employees. Essentially, it’s about creative, entrepreneurial thinkers who, like Rudolph, don’t always fit within our cultural norms. While they may look like everyone else, they are just a little different – they can’t turn off their creative juices - or perhaps their glowing nose?

The authors also suggest that Rudolphs are naturally creative and innovative thinkers who see their world through a lens of possibility, opportunity, and potential.

They are passionate about their work and light up when talking about their role or a particular project they are working on. They often spend hours outside their normal workday thinking like entrepreneurs about new ways of doing things or improving things for their organizations and communities. Contrary to what people might think, they don’t always want to run their own business, as it would take time away from being creative and innovative.

Rudolphs often ask, “Why?” even when it is not the most popular question. They tend to challenge the status quo because they believe questioning it is valuable and will benefit the organization. Challenging the status quo is also how they discover what they need to solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity.

So, once my friend explained what being a Rudolph meant, I admit I was a bit flattered. However, there is also a downside.

Too often, being a Rudolph feels like a curse because, in addition to being unable to turn off your thinking, few seem to value the resulting ideas or how long they’ve taken to develop. And there’s also that propensity to keep asking “Why” and challenging the status quo. Some tend to think you’re doing it just to rock the boat.

Rudolph ideas can also be dismissed by peers and managers because the counter-intuitive approach brings a level of risk along with it. And, while many organizations want innovative and inventive ideas, they don’t necessarily want the inherent risk that goes along with it. In my experience, this too often means the ideas of the Rudolphs among us are ignored, and they themselves are thought of as outcasts, loose cannons, misfits, or troublemakers.

So is it possible to create organizational environments that will allow Rudolphs and innovation to thrive?

The authors suggest that we must lead in ways that don’t force people to check their red noses at the door. The old, yet too often prevalent, command-and-control management style do not nurture Rudolphs. Instead, leaders must continually be more participative than autocratic, treat all employees as partners regardless of their titles, and focus on removing barriers and providing resources for people to be successful.

It will also be essential to recognize and support Rudolphs by providing them with an outlet for sharing ideas regularly, protecting them from non-supportive managers and negative peers (because Rudolphs are often viewed as a threat), giving them permission to take risks and share unconventional ideas, ensuring access to collaborative teams that also include non-Rudolphs, and giving them the ability to execute their ideas.

Giving employees a voice and an avenue to implement their ideas can’t help but result in the innovative and creative thinking that will ensure footprints of innovation in an organization - or would that be hoof prints?