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Rebel Dangers: When your Boss Leaves
Readers of Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within keep providing us with ground truth and new insights about life as a rebel at work–many of which we wish we had included in our...
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Calling bullshit
I’ve had ridiculous years before, but never a year of bullshit. Well, half a year to be more precise. Here’s how all the bullshit started. In June I was having dinner with a close friend from...
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Shame on Me (Maybe)
This post was anonymously written as part of Blog Secret Santa. There’s a list of all Secret Santa posts, including one written by Lois Kelly, on Santa’s list of 2014 gift posts. Lois recently wrote...
View ArticleThe Stability Trap
Given my long career at the CIA, I still read widely on international relations and politics. One of the most interesting articles I’ve read in some time just appeared in Foreign Affairs–The Calm...
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Whose responsibility is Debbie’s mother?
Debbie’s mother has called me 32 times over the past three days. She started calling on Monday night when the storm kicked in. The storm wound down last night, not as bad as predicted. But Debbie’s...
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Why Bosses Say No
“There’s no money in the budget for that” is the most common management response to new ideas. The more creative or risky the idea, the quicker our bosses’ “Sorry, no budget” reflexes. We walk away...
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Like a rebel boss
My son is about to turn 20 and I’m so proud of him. Prouder still of me. I didn’t throw sharp objects, nag incessantly, take away privileges, drone on about accountability and responsibility, or yell...
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Ask More Questions and Tell Fewer Lies
Lois and I made a conscious decision to write Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within for fellow rebels lacking leadership positions in large organizations. There were at least two...
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Stop the worrying: manage your boss
“What’s your biggest obstacle when you try to introduce new ideas or improve things at work?” That’s one of our favorite questions to ask people who come to our Rebels at Work talks and workshops. The...
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The Cowboy Trail and the 10% way to get buy-in
I’ve been fantasizing about going on a road trip this summer to Alberta to experience the majestic Canadian Rockies. While browsing possible itineraries, I keep noticing this advice: “Leave the beaten...
View ArticleWalk don’t Run…but Never Stop Walking
“If you stand still, your opposition has the power to knock you down, if you keep walking, they have to follow you,” she said. “I’d rather keep walking.” Who’s the she who is giving us rebels such...
View ArticleRandom Rebel Ruminations
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,...
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Rebel Jam 2015: Invitation to Speak
24-Hour Online Rebel Jam: Stories of Change > Friday, June 26, 2015 Calling all Corporate Rebels and Change Agents Worldwide to step forward to speak at our second edition Rebel Jam. The intent of...
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Learning from the persuasion scientists
Influencing people and decisions is complex, but there’s much we can learn from persuasion scientists. This past weekend I read the great new book, The Small Big: Small Changes That Spark Big...
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Finding ideas in unlikely places
I’m sitting in the Surgical Family waiting room at Boston’s famed Mass General Hospital. People are talking quietly or reading hardcover books. A woman in her 40’s wearing black track pants and white...
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Practices and Perils of Badass, Goodhearted Change Agents
Patterns and perils of badass, goodhearted change agents
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Prudent and Risk-Taking
Many people dislike the word rebel, thinking, perhaps rightly, that it connotes a person who opposes what exists vs. someone who is rebelling for positive change. I’ve thought maybe we should talk...
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What’s behind my anger, Estonia?
Anger can be foe or friend to rebels. Here’s a story about a hard-earned lesson I’ve learned this week about taming and learning from anger. After all these years maybe I should just get on the damned...
View ArticleHolacracy and the Desire to Control
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been fascinated by the implementation of holacracy at Zappo’s. In case you haven’t heard of holacracy, it’s a “complete system for self-organization” designed to free...
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