I was just reading someone's profile on Twitter and I noticed they were all about "changing the status quo". And it just struck me. Changing the Status Quo is not the goal. The goal is actually to travel in the best direction possible, whether in your life, or in an organization. (I think there is rarely, never?, a single RIGHT direction.) So when a rebel talks about her goal being Changing the Status Quo, she is confusing the means with the ends. The ends, the positive motivation, is to go to a better place. This often, but not always, requires you to weed out unhealthy growth, add some better soil.(guess who was gardening yesterday!)  And sometimes, yes, replanting the entire garden.

Rebels unnecessarily alienate the supporters of current realities, many of whom actually love the Status Quo, by framing their efforts as tear-down projects, rather than as new construction. So resist framing yourself as a destroyer of the Status Quo. Be a builder of the new! Who knows, you may even find there are parts of the Status Quo you can still use.