Rebels at Work

Table of contents

1. Praise for Rebels at Work
2. Preface
   1. Whom This Handbook Is For
   2. What’s in This Handbook
   3. How to Use This Handbook
   4. What You’ll Learn
   5. Will You Pay It Forward?
   6. Conventions Used in This Book
   7. Safari® Books Online
   8. How to Contact Us
   9. Acknowledgments
      1. A Word from Lois
      2. A Word from Carmen
3. 1. Good Rebels, Great Work
   1. Who Are These Good Rebels?
   2. In a World Without Rebels
      1. Organizational Silence: We Don’t Really Want Your Ideas
      2. Somebody Do Something
   3. Questions to Ponder
4. 2. What Makes Me a Rebel at Work?
   1. Good Rebel from Birth?
   2. Rebels Along the Way
   3. Three Common Rebel Tendencies
      1. Being a Future Thinker
      2. Working Ahead
      3. Being Different
   4. Accidental Rebels
      1. Patient-Advocate Rebels
      2. Corporate Social Responsibility Rebels
   5. Questions to Ponder
5. 3. Gaining Credibility
   1. Understanding Your Boss
      1. What Worries Your Boss?
      2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
      3. Listen Closely to Pick Up Important Signals
   2. Build a Rebel Alliance
   3. Increasing Our Trustworthiness
   4. Questions to Ponder
6. 4. Navigating the Organizational Landscape
   1. How Do Things Really Work?
      1. What Is Most Valued?
      2. How Are Decisions Made?
         1. What are the business cycles?
         2. How are resources allocated for new projects?
   2. Why Do People Say No?
      1. The Five Whys
      2. What’s Their Perspective?
   3. Which Relationships Are Especially Important?
      1. Work Politics: Four Types of People You May Meet
         1. Bureaucratic black belts
         2. Tugboat pilots
         3. Benevolent bureaucrats
         4. Wind surfers
      2. Developing Good Relationships
         1. Respect other views
         2. Empathize: What’s it like to be them?
   4. Ways to Avoid Organizational Traps
      1. Don’t Improvise
      2. Say Thank You
   5. Have You Mastered the Organizational Landscape?
   6. Questions to Ponder
7. 5. Communicating Your Ideas
   1. Show What’s at Stake
   2. Paint a Picture
   3. Show That the Idea Can Really Work
   4. Be Positive and Pithy
   5. Build Support
      1. The Ten Percent Rule
   6. Gauging the Reaction to Your Ideas
   7. What If They Don’t Like Your Idea?
   8. Questions to Ponder
8. 6. Managing Conflict
   1. Three Stages of Conflict
   2. Disagreement: Talking About Ideas
   3. Controversy: Considering Ideas
      1. Controversy Is Necessary for Change…
      2. …But That Doesn’t Mean We Like It
      3. Here’s Where Your Work Pays Off
      4. Some Rebel Don’ts
      5. Making Controversial Meetings Productive
         1. Be prepared, and get help from allies
         2. Show the so-what
         3. Paint a realistic picture
         4. Make the meeting long enough
      6. When You Are in the Arena (AKA the Meeting)
         1. Take a deep breath
         2. Explain the focus of the meeting
         3. Establish some ground rules
         4. After presenting your idea
         5. Ending well
      7. What You’ll Gain
   4. Conflict: Fighting About Ideas
      1. Reading the Riot Act
         1. A wake-up call
         2. Formulating a rebel riot act
      2. When You’re Mad as Hell
         1. No personal attacks
         2. Look at their side
         3. Find out what your anger is telling you
         4. It’s not about being right
         5. Acknowledge the tension and disagreement
         6. Quarantine your email and your mouth
         7. Make a list
         8. Anger will always be there
   5. Questions to Ponder
9. 7. Dealing with Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt
   1. Ten Fears That Can Hold You Back
      1. Losing Your Job
      2. Hurting Your Chances of Being Promoted
         1. It’s easier with a supportive boss
         2. It depends on the organizational culture
         3. It’s easier if you engage in good rebel practices
      3. Upsetting Your Boss (or the Powers That Be)
      4. Hurting Your Reputation
      5. Alienating Colleagues
      6. Having to Deal with Conflict
      7. Looking Stupid
      8. Presenting to Senior Management
      9. Now Go Make This Happen
      10. Someone Else Taking Credit
   2. Dealing with the Devils of Self-Doubt
      1. Lean on Your Strengths
      2. Identify Your “Give-Up” Line
      3. Change Your Environment
      4. Cleanse Your Assumptions
   3. Questions to Ponder
10. 8. A Guide to Rebel Self-Care
    1. Don’t Let Work Consume You
       1. Work Is Not More Important Than People
    2. Heed the Warning Signs
    3. The Three Rs of Rebel Self-Care
       1. Retreating: Give Yourself a Break
       2. Resetting: Determine the Next Step
       3. Resiliency: Find the Strength You Need
          1. Finding friends at work
          2. Leaning on our strengths
          3. Generating optimism, a rebel’s greatest asset
    4. Knowing When to Quit
       1. Giving Up on Your Idea
       2. Leaving Your Organization
       3. Finding the Right Boss
       4. Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
    5. Questions to Ponder
11. 9. Am I Becoming a Bad Rebel?
    1. Avoiding Bad Rebel Behavior
    2. 1. Play Within the Rules
    3. 2. Keep Your Sense of Humor
    4. 3. Be an Idea Carrier, Not an Idea Warrior
    5. 4. Don’t Play the Hero
    6. 5. Find Your True Rebel Calling
    7. Questions to Ponder
12. 10. Give This Chapter to Your Boss
    1. What Motivates Rebels
       1. Rebels Want Change That Really Matters
       2. They Care More About Work Than Most
    2. What Signals Are You Sending to Your Team?
    3. Creating the Right Work Environment
       1. Be Very Clear About Success
       2. Make It Safe to Disagree
       3. Relationships, Messengers, and Heroes
       4. Beware Your Biases
       5. Create Organizational Habits that Enable Change
       6. Don’t Expect Rebels to Have All the Details
    4. Give Rebels the Right Work
       1. Real Work, Not Innovation Task Forces
       2. The Thorniest Problems
       3. Positions for Understanding the Organization
    5. The Art of Managing Rebels
       1. No Lip Service
       2. Beyond General Coaching
          1. Help them understand the organizational landscape
          2. Teach rebels to be prepared
          3. Show rebels how to present ideas
          4. Help rebels use controversy productively
          5. Guide rebels on the next steps
    6. Are Rebels Worth the Effort?
    7. Questions to Ponder
13. Afterword
14. A. How Well Do You Know Your Organization?
    1. Goals and Vision
    2. Decision Making
    3. Assessing Timing
15. B. Handy Rebel Lists
    1. 20 Ways to Be a More Effective Rebel
    2. Top 10 Rebel Mistakes
    3. Top 10 Rebel Fears
    4. One-Line Inspirations
    5. Guidelines for Framing
    6. Opposition Tactics: The 10 Ds to Try to Stop Your Idea
    7. Communicating Your Ideas
    8. When You’re Mad as Hell
    9. Ways to Avoid Bad Rebel Behavior
16. C. Recommended Rebel Reading
    1. Navigating Inside Organizations
    2. Conflict and Negotiation
    3. Collaborating
    4. Communicating
    5. Creating
    6. Growing Personally and Professionally
17. Glossary
18. Index
19. About the Authors
20. Colophon
21. Copyright