Digging Into Transformational Discomfort

Digging Into Transformational Discomfort

Sean: So how do you expect them to give you the best ideas without the entire context of the situation? Because there’s going to be some stupid ideas being thrown around for sure. And that’s okay because those are still ideas. But how do you now expect that you’re going to get some good ideas and it’s not going to be a waste of time that you’re all there thinking about these things?

Michael: Leaders have to decide what the purpose of this is. If it’s to get A-plus ideas from everybody, that’s probably not going to happen. If you’re also simultaneously trying to build a culture, where folks feel empowered to share what they believe and folks are, to use your kind of ask from earlier paraphrasing, folks are taking the initiative to create their own goals for the year and they’re looking at their work from that lens. You should be prepared for some of the ideas to not be good. You should normalize that.

Some of the ideas aren’t going to be good, and that’s okay. You can actually model for them what it looks like to have some really bad ideas and just make up some nonsense stuff and have them give you feedback on it. I once did a scene where I said, ‘Hey, I think all of our consultants should be on roller skates so that we are faster when we’re working with our partner organization. I want you all to tell me all the ways that you think that idea is terrible.’ And they did. And of course, it is a terrible idea, but I don’t know that those two things coexist. Sean, I think you as a leader and other folks listening has to decide what’s the purpose of this? Is it to get A-plus ideas? That’s not going to happen with folks for whom this is not already informed, part of a practice, part of their everyday if it’s around, hey, I’m trying to empower folks to make decisions here and to be leaders when I’m not around and I’m not telling them left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Then expect bad ideas, and normalize bad ideas. Make sure that your culture is a culture where bad ideas are okay and that we give each other feedback and we name really clearly without people’s feelings or emotions getting involved. Hey, you know what? I don’t think that’s the most effective idea. And here’s why we say it at rebel culture and it’s like, take the weight out of it. It’s not personal. It’s not me against you. It’s about what’s best for the for the team and what’s aligned to the mission and vision. But you said something I think really matters. So I said, how do we make sure this isn’t a waste of time if you do this? And 90% of the ideas are terrible? But what you’ve done is you’ve continued to build a culture, a rebel culture, where folks on teams of two, three, four, five, six, and so on are starting to now see themselves as more empowered leaders than they were before. That’s going to have long-term benefits that far outweigh a wasted 20 or 40 or 60 minutes. It’s going to be a long-term better move for your team. And I don’t think that that’s a waste of time in any way, shape, or form.