Rebel Times
Lois and I hope everyone are safe and taking good care of themselves and their loved ones. This is not a time for rebels to break the rules of social distancing. (Although this is an opportunity for us all to recognize that hierarchies don’t always know what they’re doing and that our survival depends upon how quickly we recognize and adapt to changing and surprising circumstances.) But this is a time when many individuals are trying to help leaders and organizations understand our new reality. And in doing so they are illustrating some of the lessons we’ve learned on how to be effective Rebels in Action.
Know What Your Boss Wants! Anthony Fauci has become the most famous doctor/scientist in America, perhaps in the world. He also has probably the hardest job on the planet—trying to advise a President and administration that had prioritized economic growth over other issues and over the years expressed skepticism of science. The press keeps trying to get him to say something negative about his boss, the President, but Fauci is an artful dodger who apparently knows that to have an impact he must retain the administration’s trust. He says he just concentrates on two things: on the science and on health. His ideology, he says, is health. That’s an additional important lesson for all of us who will need to contribute to rebuilding and refashioning our societies after the pandemic ends. Be clear about your priorities. Don’t encumber yourself with multiple agendas. If others determine that you have some ulterior motives for your proposals beyond the merit of the ideas themselves, your effectiveness will tank big time. Count on it.
Be True to Yourself. Brett Crozier is the navy captain who was relieved of his command after he wrote a critical letter concerning the COVID19 outbreak on his aircraft carrier. This experienced navy officer must have anticipated the consequences of sending his letter outside of hierarchical channels. By doing so, he also violated operational security, a dear value for the Navy. And yet he did so presumably because he believed it was the right thing to do. There are times when the rebel may be asked to sacrifice all for a greater good. Are you ready to be that courageous?
Do Something! Ming Lin, an ER doctor in Washington State, was fired earlier this month for giving an interview about the lack of protective equipment at his hospital. Dr. Lin presumably had several options. He could have chosen to say nothing about the life-and-death situation in his hospital. Instead he did something that cost him his job but hopefully will end up helping other health professionals. Lin’s hospital is not the only health system that has tried to stifle the truth. And in a crisis of this magnitude, there are no doubt many more inconvenient truths yet to be revealed. Sometimes you can’t wait for some other person to take action. Sometimes that “other person” is you.
You’ve Got the Power. Employees at Amazon, Instacart, your neighborhood grocery store are now essential workers. Without their services every single day, the US economy—and our lives—would sink further into despair. Asked to work more under increasingly parlous circumstances, these workers have united to press their companies for more pay and safer working conditions. We often don’t realize that we indeed have the power to demand better, particularly if we work together for the same goal.
The world will need much more than good intentions and clever ideas in the months and years to come. We can’t assume that life will just return to “normal” at some point. Historically, global shocks have ushered in periods of unpredictable change. Businesses and governments will resist doing things differently or may just not be able to imagine how they could change. That’s when Rebels at Work will have to step up, constructively and courageously, to do the hard and dirty work of building the new.
(We talk about these ideas and many others in our new book: Rebels at Work: Dispatches!)
