dr rebel

dr rebel: is there a rebel in all of us? “is everyone a rebel?”, or put differently: “are you born a rebel?” is one of the most frequently asked questions i get. my first response is always to look at children. they all are rebels, no exceptions. they keep asking questions (why? why? why?), are […]

dr rebel: rebels seem to fix stuff really well. how do they do that? many people in organisations are super busy and their agendas are fuller than ever. but if you reflect on how they spend their time, a great part goes to ‘firefighting’. fixing problems caused by solutions that were supposed to solve the

dr rebel: i have to collaborate with the rebel in our team, but it’s damn hard. how can we make it work? rebels can move mountains for you but you need to understand them a little to let that magic work. they can be stubborn and opinionated (i know 😅), but they have the biggest

dr rebel: the rebel in my team keeps giving me unsolicited advice and it drives me nuts. please, help me! we all have been there. you are presenting your idea or solution, and then you are (again!) bombarded with suggestions about things you didn’t ask about, or someone frequently points out flaws before fully understanding

dr rebel: how can i empower rebels in my team? often, rebels are seen as troublemakers, and people tend to go around them. i have a slightly different view on rebels ???? (read the ASK DR REBEL newsletter edition about what makes a rebel). by empowering rebels, they become your most valuable employees. they will

dr rebel: all this opposition makes me feel stressed. what can i do to prevent myself from burning out? seeing things differently, asking many questions, and bursting with crazy ideas are not always welcomed with open arms. and thus, many rebels experience a high level of stress because they face so much opposition. interestingly, there

dr rebel: how can we ease tension in the team? rebels are intrinsically motivated to make things better, and their urge to speak up is so much stronger than their will to fit in. they care so much that they are willing to face lots of opposition. and thus, with rebels in a team, things

dr rebel: how do you recognise a ‘rebel-proof’ workplace? the original question i received was: “i am a rebel and orienting on a new workplace. which questions do i ask my new colleagues to check if this workplace is rebel-proof?” when you are a rebel, you don’t want to end up in a place where

dr rebel: what makes a rebel? when i share my perspective on rebellious behaviour, the most common response is people telling me they also identify as a rebel (or they now finally understand that their spouse is a rebel ????). however, they also confide in me that they are hesitant ‘to come out’. in many

dr rebel: the rebel in our team has become very cynical. how can we improve the situation? the word ‘rebel’ has a negative connotation. when you search for synonyms, you’ll find suggestions like disobedient, unmanageable, alienated, disaffected, fractious, recalcitrant, restless, turbulent, unruly, and warring. rebellious behaviour is often associated with a troublemaker. someone who always

dr rebel: people find me difficult, but i just want to prevent the team from making mistakes. what can i do? from research by sarah bond and gillian shapiro, we learn that the number one reason that drains our resilience at work is ‘managing difficult people or office politics at work. not a real surprise,

dr rebel: the rebels in our organisation complain a lot and are unmanageable. should we just fire them? in my almost 20 years of working in corporations, this probably was said about me too. and yes, it’s true that i was pretty critical and chose to speak up, but never to sit and idly watch

dr rebel: i am collaborating with a fellow rebel, and we are both pretty opinionated. how can we make it work? most rebels are pretty passionate about their work. whenever they get excited, they go all in. they always strive for the best result and can be determined and stubborn. if two rebels work together

dr rebel: the rebel in my team always comes up with dumb ideas. what can i do about that? often, managers (and co-workers) complain that the rebel in their team brings dumb and useless ideas to the table. they get annoyed and try to silence the rebel, who becomes cynical. now, everyone gets frustrated and

dr rebel: my co-worker always brings problems to the table, but i need solutions. what can i do? when i talk to managers about rebels, they often associate a rebel with someone who complains a lot and only brings problems to the table. managers feel frustrated and tell me they don’t want to hear all

dr rebel: how do i know when it’s time to leave? this is a topic close to my heart. i left my successful corporate career after 16 years. making that choice was so hard. i had given so much in all these years – lots of blood, sweat, and tears. and i feared the unknown.

dr rebel: i’ve experienced quite some criticism and now i don’t dare to speak up anymore. any tips? many rebels have become insecure due to all the opposition and criticism they have experienced with speaking up and sharing fresh ideas at work. they have turned silent, but their urge to improve the workplace or prevent