Rebel for the soul of government
/“Please don’t tell rebels like me to abandon organizations that clearly need them, and thereby abandon the public those organizations serve.”
A city government manager sent an email last week challenging the point in the Managing Conflict chapter of our “Rebels At Work” book that “if your values are far removed from those of your boss or organization, you have a stark choice – suffer at work or leave.”
Here are his views, which are inspiring and informative.
Real rebels embrace conflict
“When you’re ready to be a real rebel, embrace these conflicts.
“I agree values-based conflicts are the hardest types of conflicts to address and they will produce some suffering for the rebel and all around…But should we just assume that a government agency should be left to its own devices when its values decay or become misaligned with their public mandate or do we have a duty, especially as rebels, to do something about it?
“I've facilitated, nurtured, and instigated positive organizational culture change centered around perceived values-based conflicts. Values-based conflicts can be remarkably constructive. They're a shortcut to camaraderie that fails to materialize through decades of strategic, wise, fearful, or polite avoidance of these issues.
“They produce highly efficient relational synapses of trust in critical relationships. What's more, people's values (distinguishable from priorities) are often less at conflict than we or they believe.
“The only way to discover that in any specific time and place is to talk about it; i.e. experiential learning. This is the conversation bad bosses fear most, as they should. The worst bosses have values that are deeply immoral by any standard. Commitment to avoiding these matters through rebel "self-deportation" ensures a lost organization will never rediscover its collective soul from within. “
Resiliency as antidote for suffering
I’m thrilled that this person has the moral motivation, resiliency and relational skills to work through values-based conflict.
While much is taught and written about organizational values and conflict management I’d like to see more people develop a capacity for resiliency. Resiliency practices help you keep going, find meaning in the often long and political process of creating change, and see the good in government agencies – even on days that can feel like you’re lost in a bureaucratic hairball.
Without the capacity to stay resilient, rebels often suffer, becoming bitter, angry and not the best versions of themselves. And then they serve no one well – not their organizations, not their family and friends, not themselves. That’s when they need to leave or find ways to reset their mindset.
The quest for one more day
A policy innovation adviser at the U.S. Department of Defense recently told Rebels at Work co-founder Carmen Medina that one of his goals is “one more day.”
“If I can get talented people to stay one more day working for the government, I’m succeeding,” he said.
So much attention is focused on national political campaigns.
The people who are making a real difference are these rebels in government, working to make sure agencies deliver on their mission and values.