Why you should rebel at work by Paolo Gallo

Guest post by Paolo Gallo. It’s a true story under a fake name.

Peter has been the reliable deputy head of the Legal department for almost 20 years. He never missed a deadline; he always under-promised and over-delivered. Peter had an impeccable attitude and gentlemanly manner and fully supported his peers and colleagues. People liked and respected him: he was considered “the wise man”, a safe pair of hands. Peter nickname? Swiss Watch. Finally, his Manager, who also worked in the same organization for nearly 30 years, retired. He unconditionally recommended Peter to replace him.

Now in his mid-fifties, Peter was ready to move to the top job, reporting directly to the President, part of the Executive committee, made by the 7 most important roles/people in the organization.  The President summoned him one day. As Peter entered the President’s room, he was relaxed and convinced it was a pure formality. I was present at this meeting, and – honestly – I also thought it was a purely ceremonial conversation. The President was a tough cookie, not likeable, but highly respected for his vision, work ethic and straight talk.

“So Peter, can you tell me one original idea you brought to my attention during the last five years? Peter’s smile disappeared from his face in a nanosecond. He remained silent for a while, which looked like an eternity, and started by sharing an idea he had implemented a few years earlier. The President, indeed not a patient person, interrupted him. “That was my idea, Peter; you just implemented it brilliantly: and this is the problem I have.

For the top job, in the executive committee, I want rebels and creative people who bring new ideas and suggest alternative options. You are reliable and trustworthy, but I must shake things up after 20 years. I have decided to appoint (x) to the top role, and I wanted to let you know personally since I am the one who made this decision. Thank you for your service, Peter, the meeting is over”. It was brutal and clear at the same time. You know the rest of the story: Peter was heartbroken. Twenty years of waiting for a promotion, 60 seconds later, gone.

As a former HR Director and now as Executive Coach, I have observed Peter’s behavior many times. To quote Marshall Goldsmith’s book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”, the modality and mindset that allows you to climb the corporate ladder – up to a certain level – won’t be helpful to advance the next steps. What did Peter do wrong? Absolutely nothing, also the answer to “What Peter created”: big mistake.

Should you, therefore, become a rebel at work, and what do we mean by that? If you only execute orders, you will build a reputation – at best – as a reliable “delivery person”. Here are three tips for you. First, you need to navigate and find the soft spot between providing continuity and breaking the rules, a paradox not easy to master.

If you are a Manager, you need to reassure your team that you can steer the ship in the right direction while exploring new avenues, markets, products, and possibilities. Second, there is a moment in your career when you stop using your legs (delivery, operational capacity) and start using your heart and brain almost exclusively. In other words, focusing on the “delivery” again, the same outcome for the 100th time, will not increase your value.

Rather than trying to do more of the same – maybe faster and cheaper – ask yourself “what if” and see which possibilities this question will provide. Take, for example, a world-famous Cruise company that, during Covid, could not operate. The predictable question was ‘how can we reduce costs” while a true rebel saw a different possibility. What if we were to rent our ships for events – such as the Soccer World Cup – so we can get an advanced payment and solve momentary cash-flow problems?

It was a rebel who found the solution, not an implementer. Third, to feed your rebellious traits, engage, listen and mingle with people different from you. Listen to what they have to say, then re-pack their perspectives and present potential solutions to the top leadership team (if you are not yet part of it) by a) acknowledging and providing clarity about the problem definition, and b) teasing them, nudging them to explore different solutions not yet considered.

Be blunt, with due care and respect. Break the rules. Being a rebel does not mean having an aggressive or confrontational approach: it means seeing a problem from a different angle, provide solutions, sell them, having political and business acumen, say no when needed, your secret weapon.

One of my first memories of my career was a high level meeting with the Senior Vice President at Citigroup in New York. I was 25.  I shared an idea with her and her team: I was the most junior person in the room. My idea was truly not feasible; it did not fly.

I left the meeting demoralized. The SVP called me the following week, and I expected negative feedback. She told me, “Paolo, your idea wasn’t what I was looking for but it is better to have a bad idea than having no ideas at all. Keep thinking, and I am sure next time will be better, be a rebel, don’t worry’. Since that time, I have had a pirate flag in my office. My daughter ‘stole’ it from me recently and is now in her room. She’s a rebel, and I love her for that and for at least 1000 other reasons. But this is another story.

More about the author

Over the last 30 years, Paolo Gallo has been Chief Human Resources Officer at the World Economic Forum in Geneva; Chief Learning Officer at The World Bank in Washington DC; and Director of Human Resources at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in London.

I am an executive coach, bestselling author and keynote speaker. I collaborate with Bocconi and Ashridge Business Schools. In my career I have been chief human resources officer at World Economic Forum in Geneva, chief learning officer at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. and director human resources at European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in London, with previous experiences at International Finance Corporation in Washington, D.C. and Citigroup in London, New York and Milan, my hometown.

I studied organizational behavior at Bocconi University, Milan, was a chartered fellow of the FCIPD, UK and became a certified leadership coach at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. I have worked in more than 80 countries and write for Harvard Business Review (Italian and Arabic).

I am a regular contributor to Forbes and World Economic Forum Agenda Blog, on themes related to careers, future of work, leadership development, executive coaching, resilience and well-being in the workplace, creative decision-making, artifical intelligence and machine learning, trust in the digital age, public speaking and organizational behavior.

I wrote (in Italian) La Bussola del Successo (2016), a mix of coaching, self-improvement, organizational behavior and business ethics. The book has reached its 5th edition, translated into Portuguese, Arabic and Korean with additional languages coming in 2019. The English version, published by Bloomsbury London, is The Compass & the Radar: The Art of building a rewarding career while remaining true to yourself became available in October 2018. I have given more than 50 keynote speeches and two TEDx talks in front of thousands of people worldwide.

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