“Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels – men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower***
I’ve noticed that in any organization, there are those who support leadership and those who are hyper-critical of leadership. Of course, there are others who are not sure which side of the fence they want to be on (for all my English and Journalism majors: “I know I should not end with the word “on” but it flows”). In any event, a word of advice for those on the fence: “Choose.” And when you choose, choose to support your leadership or get off the team! No matter what role you are in, it is not only prudent but it is also advantageous to you.
Too rough? My apologies, but if you’re reading this to do better and be better, then I know you’re looking for honesty. So I’m not trying to be rough, just honest.
Examples of Non Players on the Team
Simple illustration: I’m in the convenience store, grocery store, dollar store, you choose. I believe it’s happened at least once in each. The sweet young, female clerk, greets me as I unload my cart at the register. Her co-worker comes over, and it goes downhill. She or the co-worker or both, begins to talk about their break… the one they did not get. The conversation then moves from breaks to scheduling and the negativity continues, actually it is now off the charts. “He’s always scheduling people when they say they can’t work.” “I don’t have to keep this job!” “They’re lucky I’m still here.” “Johnny quit last week because they kept messing with his schedule.” “They know I’ll tell them #!*%.” Etc. Etc. Etc. I have encountered that scenario more often then I care to remember. I am always tempted to point out to them that it is quite likely that their supervisor, manager or an employee who is close to the supervisor, or manager is somewhere nearby listening to the entire, excessively loud conversation. But like most people, I grab my bags and leave, SMH (shaking my head).
Now I know, you’re shaking your head also, thinking, how unprofessional they are. But let’s take it up a few professional notches. Here’s another example. I recall many individuals over the year sitting in my office, talking to me over the phone or sharing with me at church, how they were seeking an internal job transfer within their organization but feeling they had been treated unfairly because it had not happened after a year or more of trying. As I probed deeper and deeper into their stories and background, I found a common denominator. It wasn’t their experience. It wasn’t their skill set. It usually boiled down to their attitude – their negative attitude. And while an attitude, which is a frame of mind, is not a bad thing, in and of itself, I am reminded of a scripture in the Bible, “Out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45b (NKJV). It’s one thing to think or feel something, but understand it is more than likely, you are bound to convey those feelings at some point when you open your mouth.
Whenever I had these conversations, they never saw any real reason why they were being passed over for promotions and transfers. Unfortunately, no one was daring enough to tell them. Me? Was I? Sometimes, if I was reasonably sure that I wouldn’t end up defending myself in someone’s courtroom. Otherwise, I would make some suggestions for improvement and would share more concrete issues that were looming large in their employment record, i.e. “you received a written warning within 6 mos. of the date you submitted an internal application…”
At times my approach would be to talk about the importance of image, people’s perceptions, being positive and how we carry ourselves in our department and organization. These conversations were usually met with denial and defense, “I’m the good guy, management is the bad guy and co-workers really don’t matter.” If I learned anything, I learned how to maintain a poker face at times like these!
Some Don’t Know There’s a Problem
One woman who applied for an internal transfer in one company for whom I did some recruitment shared her concerns with me. I saw her internal applications come across my desk multiple times. I was not obligated to meet with her but simply to review and forward her application to hiring managers if she met the minimum job requirements, but I set up a meeting. I wanted to see how I could help her get where she was trying to go. As we reviewed her background and her work history, we got to the, “I’ve applied for many transfers but…” part of the conversation and I proceeded to move from interviewer to job coach. Up to this point, I noticed her mannerisms, the not-so-nice comments about management (not just hers, but all management) and the digs she made against coworkers who had been promoted within the department (I believe they call it “throwin’ shade”). Nonetheless, I went there. I gave her insight as to what a manager looks for when hiring or promoting individuals for higher level positions and how to position herself for such opportunities, including the importance of being positive and proactive.
Her response was on the dry side. I wondered if she was contemplating my words of advice or if she was formulating and opinion on my opinion. In my mind, I wasn’t sharing my opinion, I was simply sharing my observation of the facts with her. I was trying to give her insight into her own situation without actually telling her my opinion. Frankly, “in my opinion” she was very unlikely to get a promotion because her conversation made it awkwardly obvious that she wasn’t what most managers would call a “team player.”
Another Class of Trouble
Now, on the other hand, I once met a young man we’ll call Jason. Jason was Mr. Personality, or so he saw himself. He was a talker and by that I mean, he had plenty to say and for the most part could and would hold your attention when he spoke. I wouldn’t initially say he had an “attitude” issue but I could see how that might play out over time if you worked with him long enough. He had an air about him; an air that said, “I like myself enough to challenge you if you don’t treat me right.” His idea of challenging someone would most likely be perceived as confrontation… and confront he did. Now, I found over time that once he “challenged” you, he was going to look for you to follow through on whatever you promised to do to make things better. For every promise you failed to meet, he would hold it against you, thus causing even more “challenges.” At this point in the relationship, one would be safe to call it confrontation. When you reached this point with Jason, the honeymoon was over and now the relationship was one challenge or confrontation after another, because for him, the trust was diminished and he was not going to keep quiet about it. No one could tell him he was wrong because he started out on the right side of his own madness.
To be perfectly honest, he could probably argue his position, on any point, in a courtroom and he might very well win if he presented that position before a jury. He would have made a great attorney. This was many, many years ago, and in hind sight I still can’t tell you whether Jason was a rebel or an activist. I would say he was good at both.
Jason was that person who could be a whistle blower and would not care what the ramifications were for doing so. His opinion would be, “somebody has to do it and I’m bold enough to be that person.” He was a fascinating yet draining individual. Supervisors would want him to transfer just to get out of their department because he stirred the pot so much.
A manager would call Jason a trouble maker. Coworkers would say Jason talks too much. An outsider looking in would say Jason was quite a character who might be a real asset if placed in the right position. A 2017 study in The Quarterly Journal of Economics by Ross Levine of the University of California Berkeley and Yona Rubenstein at the London School of Economics entitled “Smart and Illicit: Who Becomes an Entrepreneur and Do They Make More?” found that rule-breaking, risk-taking young people are more likely to grow up to become entrepreneurs. Wait, what?! Troublemakers make great entrepreneurs and business leaders. So if you can snag one or two with strong ethics and bring them into your company, you might have just the right weapon for success. Who would’ve thought?
Five Benefits of Developing and Promoting “Troublemakers”
- Bold – not only is this personality passionate and opinionated but they are also self-motivated. Their willingness to take a stance is exhibited in their fervent belief in their own ideas and these ideas coupled with that passion can benefit your business.
- Good Leader – This personality is a thinker. They are always looking at bigger and better ways to do things and their ability to stir the pot and rally the troops makes them a natural influencer and thus a natural leader. With the right training, this person could achieve a great deal of success for themselves and on behalf of any organization they work for or with.
- Won’t Settle for Less – this person is constantly thinking of new and better ways to do things. They get bored with the status quo if it doesn’t make sense to keep it that way. New and inventive ways of doing things draws their attention and they like excitement. When they are in the thick of new and exhilarating projects, they won’t have time to stir up trouble in other ways. Ultimately, such individuals may tend to do what they do because they’re bored with things as they are. Their complaining screams of what can be done, what should be done and how leadership doesn’t want to listen to fresh ideas and approaches. Their complaining is crying out for improvement. Who doesn’t want improvement?
- Vocal – This individual can garner opinions and insight from others because they gain a reputation of being a fire starter, a trouble maker. They tend to speak up when no one else will so others will open up to them hoping their concern will get air time in a meeting or with management because this vocal individual will put the information out there for discussion amongst the right people. This is a good thing because this individual can garner the trust and confidence of the team. Though they may disagree with leadership or other team mates, it makes for good conversation and ignites the thought sharing in a group. Having a team of people who agree with you as a leader is not going to make your company, church or project the best it can be. It is the diversity of thought around the table that will bring out the best result.
- Problem Solvers – They have the drive and passion necessary to solve the problems that matter most to them and to others. They’ll zero in on an issue and work at it until they “fix” it. While others overlook difficulties and may not have time to think about them, this individual won’t rest until the problem is solved.
Closing Thoughts
We all want agreement and support but it’s important to remember that too much agreement is not good. If you are unable to listen to differing, not necessarily opposing, viewpoints, you become locked into your own thinking and you limit your own possibilities. John Maxwell, would call it “The Law of the Lid” which says that an organization can only grow as far and as big as the leaders abilities. Where the leader’s abilities stop, that’s where the organization’s growth and success stops also. The growth and success is in the leaders ability to grow and advance as a leader. As leadership capacity expands, success does also.
The law of the Lid applies in any leadership situation, whether at home, in business and in ministry. We must keep our minds open and focused on growing our leadership skills and abilities. One level of growth is in accepting differing viewpoints, communication styles and problem solving approaches. Your way is not always best. There are multiple ways to approach the same situation, so listening and learning from others helps us get there faster and achieve greater. What better way than to work closely with someone who will challenge you to grow? Something to think about.