When you write a book, you can’t predict how people will react to it. Lois Kelly and I had certain expectations for Rebels at Work and many of them have been met. But what is actually more delightful, I think, are the unexpected “uses” that people have for Rebels at Work and the interesting ways it has resonated. 1. Rebels at Work is a book that bosses should give to the Worst Whiners on their teams. Ha! That’s a use case we did not envisage. But a friend told me recently that she’s recommending that managers give the book to the constant complainers and critics who don’t bother to suggest constructive ideas for improvement. A useful reminder that dysfunction in the workplace is rarely a one-way street. Our book is written for people with bosses that aren’t receptive to their ideas. But there are many individuals in positions of leadership who embrace an inclusive workplace but wait impatiently for others on the team to join the conversation. Maybe Rebels at Work can help spark the talk!
2. Rebels at Work is really about employee engagement. Organizations everywhere are panicking that their employees have no emotional/intellectual attachment to their place of work. The issue has become so pressing that Gallup is now measuring the engagement levels of US workers on a monthly basis—just like inflation. As we’ve surveyed the landscape of employee engagement initiatives, it’s striking how often success is measured by whether the survey numbers tick up, and not actually by whether employees are offering up more of their discretionary energy to the workplace. As one follower noted on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/norrvall/status/584175350046826496
We are immodest enough to think we’ve got part of the answer. The best way to improve employee engagement is by actually welcoming employee ideas. Everything else is just cosmetics.
3. One of our most loyal readers—and a veteran and authentic Rebel at Work—talked to me recently about the Split Personality issues affecting rebels. Reacting to the advice we give in the book, he offered that it’s tough for rebels, who passionately believe in the need for change, to behave cautiously and diplomatically in the workplace. You’re constantly playing a role at work and having to suppress—if only partially—your true beliefs. I resembled that remark in my career. I noticed that if you’re defending the Status Quo it’s OK to be tough and loud. But if you’re proposing change, it’s best to adopt a sweeter tone. I found it useful to have a friend you could process and safely vent with. And when that person wasn’t available, well my bathroom mirror felt my rebel wrath.
4. One last rumination. A friend was visiting a colleague recently, and spotted Rebels at Work on the kitchen counter. This individual had to read a leadership book as part of an individual development plan. Rebels at Work ended being the only “business book” the individual could stomach reading.
If we have a second edition, that could be the new cover blurb!!