MT/Sprout
April 1, 2023
That one colleague who steps out of line and is contrary is quickly labelled a troublemaker. But these employees are the ones who get the ball rolling, and you don’t want to be the one to stop that, do you? The rebels in an organisation are your key to successful innovation and change, so don’t brush them off and take them seriously.
Cutting corners
Rebels colour outside the lines, but they never do this just because. Most rebels have a strong moral compass and dare to act accordingly. They do not break the rules because they want to but because they feel that it is the right thing to do.
When Thomas van der Bijl – a crucial witness in the criminal case against Willem Holleeder – was liquidated, Detective John Pel led the forensic crime scene investigation. When the murder weapon was fished up out of a canal, Pel decided to deviate from the standard procedure. He took the gun to his research lab instead of taking it to the NFI far outside Amsterdam to ensure that the DNA on it would not be lost. Within 48 hours, the results were in, and the first suspect could be identified, accelerating the notorious “Passage trial”.
Unsolicited advice
Another annoying trait of rebels is that they constantly give unsolicited advice. Especially when you’re busy, the rebel comes up with a new insight that makes no sense to you. And thus, we would rather avoid rebels than take some time to listen to what they have to say.
But shouldn’t we be happy with someone who thinks along with you? And do these insights really make no sense?
If Ken Kuturagi hadn’t come up with the idea of the PlayStation, Sony would never have launched one of its most successful products. And what if Eric Yuan’s management would have listened to him? Then Webex would never have had such a strong competitor as Zoom because out of frustration that no one paid attention to his advice, Yuan quit and founded that company.
What makes a rebel?
Rebels keep asking questions because they are super curious. When a problem occurs, they want to know all the ins and outs and keep going until they have found the underlying cause. That may take some time, but rather than putting a band-aid on the band-aid, they solve a problem at its core, preventing a lot of rework.
Because they want to know everything, they also delve into all kinds of different subjects. And that makes them incredibly creative. Their broad knowledge allows them to make connections that others do not see. They come up with ideas that seem stupid or absurd at first glance, but on closer inspection, these often turn out to be brilliant.
Rebels usually know they will face a lot of resistance when they share yet another crazy idea or a different opinion, but they do it anyway. That takes a lot of courage. Rebels can’t help themselves because their urge to improve things is so much stronger than wanting to belong to the group.
Birds of Paradise
In times when the pressure to innovate and be able to respond to changes rapidly is increasing, most organisations can benefit greatly from a good dose of rebelliousness. But paradoxically, rebels often feel least at home in the organisations that need them the most. Those companies are so focused on maximising efficiency that they find it hard to embrace people with a different view of the world.
Rebels are incredibly good at spotting what is not going well, can come up with creative solutions and take ownership to make it happen. So, don’t get defensive towards your contrary colleague. That rebel in your team may well be the key to successful innovation and change.
Rebels are not troublemakers but ambassadors for innovation and change. Embrace them, and they will move mountains for you.
This article was originally published in Dutch on ManagementSite.nl, a popular management platform in the Netherlands.
MT/Sprout
September 1, 2024
MT/Sprout
November 1, 2024
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