Robert, I am still chuckling over your comment. I’ve heard it before and it gets me every time!

For those that highlight concerns about ending up as a former revolutionary, your advice has great merit. I’ve personally rarely followed it, but I absolutely agree that it has merit. For those less comfortable with inviting an air-strike down on yourself in the spirit of revolution, it’s well worth heeding.

Much of my intent was around individual leadership practices, and I do believe that we as leaders have wide latitude in defining and customizing our approaches and daily practices. The culture might not place weight on mentoring as in my example, but that doesn’t preclude you from mentoring on your own.

Lynley, I had a similar experience and share the somewhat painful lesson learned. I cannot wait to read the article that you suggested. Thank you!

Billy, what a cool, practical example. It sounds like a case study worth writing and sharing! (Hint!)

Bill, I absolutely love your cautionary guidance and your comment on “pacing the revolution.” The “pacing” concept is a meaty one that merits a follow on post.

And Halelly, many of the examples fit the style and tone of the one on mentoring in the post. They are most often managers and leaders fed up with waiting for the magical program fix to talent development or frustrated at the lack of attention that these topics get. They tend to take matters into their own hands instead of waiting. They often become the leader that everyone wants to work for or as my example highlights, the unofficial mentor.

Again, thanks to all and Viva La Revolution! -Art

People get caught up in doing the same thing over and over again in a mechanical way that whoever does the opposite is automatically seen as the rebel going against the stream. It’s not that they’re doing anything different per se, they’re just ‘acting’ in a way that doesn’t make sense to others.

As you mention being a rebel has it’s pros and cons but daring to be different is doing what others are unwilling to do, it’s really that simple. And what others are unwilling to do are the smallest details make the biggest difference, this what everyone else overlooks.

Great post!

At a previous employer, I found myself in a very similar scenario. Unfortunately, there were a lot of lessons I’d yet to learn about organizational change, and I ultimately became frustrated and focused most of my efforts on changing those above me rather than trying to lead by example from the lowest rung of management.

It’s hard to know for sure whether my efforts would have ultimately proved successful if I’d used the self-transcendant techniques espoused in this post and elsewhere, but I am sure that I learned a most valuable set of lessons from the experience. You can’t change a Theory X organization by taking a Theory X approach with its leaders! And I’m with Art: the personal cost of conforming to such a system is way too high for me.

I can thank my previous career experiences for turning me on to studying organization development and I/O psychology, which I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in. One article that I’ve run across that speaks directly to the issue Art wrote about here is Changing Others Through Changing Ourselves, by Robert Quinn, Gretchen Spreitzer, and Matthew Brown, published in 2000 in the Journal of Management Inquiry. An excellent read and, in my opinion, core material for anyone interested in becoming an effective change agent, or “positive social deviant.”

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on a much needed approach to leadership in the 21st Century.

Keep up the good work and great words!

I’d like to make one observation about your point 2, where you say “Forget waiting for permission…” – Unless you’re at the top, that only works if your revolution isn’t in violation of the organization’s culture. Getting buy-in on the initiative from the top my be needed if you want to be around long enough to accomplish your objectives.

Even for a leader at the top, violating the established culture can send confusing signals and a message of instability. An abrupt change can drive key people away.

There’s no question that what works today is different from what worked last year, and that in most organizations change (and even rebellious initiatives) are needed. The problem is that most people still resist change. Leaders should be careful to optimize the pace of their revolution, based on the organization’s culture and the individuals involved.

Sonia