Rebels at Work

Chapter 8. A Guide to Rebel Self-Care

When Jeff was the marketing director at a large automotive parts company, people in the company bristled at his thinking and impatience. His ideas were ahead of most people and appeared risky. What he was proposing was not the way things were done in the industry. At a time when marketing was primarily creative, Jeff was crunching numbers. Was he trying to prove how smart he was? “Arrogant MBA smartass,” grumbled many in an effort to discredit him.

Fortunately Jeff reported to a CEO named Mike who, despite his tough-guy persona, was especially astute and insightful about human behavior, including Jeff’s. Rather than let Jeff burn out or alienate all his coworkers, Mike suggested that Jeff teach a college course at night so that he could divert his intense rebel energy somewhere else and give the rest of the organization time to catch up with his ideas.

Jeff was one lucky rebel to have a boss like Mike. Most rebels aren’t so lucky. We can become obsessive, angry, tired, and ineffective without even realizing it.

In Chapter 7, we mentioned that our fears of getting fired are probably unwarranted. A much more realistic concern is burning out. In this chapter, we look at:

• Heeding the warning signs of burnout
• The three Rs of rebel self-care: retreat, reset, and resiliency
• Knowing when to quit
• Finding the right boss

Don’t Let Work Consume You

Although passion for our work motivates us, we can’t let it consume our lives. Work is not family, religion, ...