Rebels at Work

Glossary

Accidental rebels

People who are not rebels by nature but are drafted into the role by their boss or by a cause relevant to their family or community.

Adelante

Call to action to move forward with optimism, determination, and joy.

Ass-talking

Ranting about an issue without having done any research or homework into said issue.

Athena trap

The misguided belief that ideas that fix gnarly problems can easily and quickly emerge fully formed without a messy, incremental process. Based on the Greek legend of the goddess Athena springing fully formed from the forehead of Zeus. See Carmen’s post on how Obamacare fell into the Athena trap.

Bad rebel

A me-focused individual who breaks rules, is obsessed with change, and alienates potential allies. Bad rebels usually fail, except for brilliant ones such as Steve Jobs, who had the advantage of running his own company. See also “good rebel.”

Benevolent bureaucrats

Kinder, gentler bureaucrats. Benevolent bureaucrats emerge when they see a rebel idea becoming a Big Deal with senior leadership and want to be associated with the Big Deal in some way. Because they don’t know enough to provide substantive value, they pick on small things to try to insert themselves into the Big Deal, adding unnecessary complexity to the Big Deal.

Building consensus

Stall tactic to avoid making decisions.

Bureaucratic black belts (BBBs)

Individuals who have mastered their organization’s rules and culture and know how to enforce those rules, or ...