Are you in a corporation and see someone above you making mistakes? Put together a case and call them out, don’t ever let someone’s title stop you from that.
Find a better way to do something that’s more efficient than the way it has always been done? Don’t even ask permission, just put your new path into action.
Do you notice a vendor or agency you’re working with may not be the best choice? Don’t suffer in silence, find a better partner and cut those who are dragging you down.
See people trying to spin numbers in a meeting or use excessive buzzwords but say nothing of substance? Make notes and show how they’re wrong later to the right people.
In all of these cases, if you’re sure you’re correct – go for it. There’s no reason to be afraid here, and it’s what being a leader is all about.
Be a disrupter, and if you know something is wrong or could be better, put yourself and your own reputation on the line and say it. There’s no power in being silent, and no reason to maintain a situation that is bringing down the level of your work or the products of your company – whether they’re tangible or otherwise.
If you know something is wrong – by not stepping in and saying what is right, you’re doing as much harm as those who are blind to the situation or too busy to notice. By disrupting the norm to create change for the better, you’ll be seen as a strong source of signal and light in an environment otherwise paralyzed with fear.
And that’s just what smart businesses, marketers and bloggers do every day without hesitation.
Related posts from The Future Buzz
Titles Are As Meaningless As Ever
Don’t Be Afraid To Have Opinions Or Take Sides
Destroy Your Artifical Barriers
Related posts from around the web
Relationships matter (Tim Jahn)
Emergent outcomes (Peter Kim)
Change (Seth Godin)
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The Future Buzz is a blog run by communications professional Adam Singer. Adam has experience as both a digital PR strategist and online marketing manager for some of the top-rated brands globally
Debt-free College (5 comments)25 February 09
I entirely agree. At the same time, it is not easy. Especially in these tough economic times, who wants to risk their job, simply to help their company. I think that this depend on the company. Some want employee comments and others shun them. Either way, make sure you are right before you start disrupting.
Thanks,
Nate
http://debtfreecollege.blogspot.com
Tim Jahn (60 comments)25 February 09
Adam, this may very well be my favorite post of yours. Absolutely amazing.
You’re spot on with each point here. Like you say, those that are disrupters do it every day without hesitation – it’s what they DO.
I’m passing this on to everyone :) Thanks!
Adam Singer (269 comments)25 February 09
@Debt-free College – I would say it matters even more to be a disrupter during tough economic times. If you don’t stand out as a vital element of your company, you’re easily written off.
@Tim – thanks, that is quite the compliment !
stetoscope (6 comments)25 February 09
Hi Adam,
I am quite surprised by your post.
First, I thought being a disrupter was a method theorized by TBWA CEO Jean-Marie Dru, that consisted in isolating conventions, thinking out of the box and then synthtetize in a coherent vision that would break the old model.Somehow we could sum it up by a capacity to think out of the box.
I do not see how it implies to not stay silent. Your post becomes really dangerous to me writing:
“Make notes and show how they’re wrong later to the right people”.
It reminds some very dark periods and behaviors.
I think being “disruptive” would imply to get out of this pretty old way of thinking.
Adam Singer (269 comments)25 February 09
@stetoscope – I think we’re talking about two different things. I was talking about being a disrupter for good – in other words, disrupting the snake-oil types from operating or not standing by silently and letting those who are making poor decisions carry forward merely because they have seniority.
I’ll give you an example: someone at Hulu should have stepped up and put their reputation on the line and said “removing our service from Boxee is a mistake, I absolutely refuse to allow this”. They would have been a disrupter.
Jabiz (Intrepid Teacher) (1 comments)25 February 09
Great post. I agree whole heartedly.
John MacIntyre (1 comments)25 February 09
Adam, I’m not familiar with your other material, so maybe I just missed what is implied … but I’d have to disagree with the boldness of what I read into this post.
Telling your superiors they are wrong, is only going to weaken your influence at that company and make enemies of your colleagues. Your superiors have extended context and information of the company’s goals and constraints which you probably don’t have. And even if they are 100% incorrect, and you are 100% correct, I’d still tread carefully in just boldly declaring it. If you are anything more than a critic, you will one day make a mistake yourself.
While I agree with most of what you said, the underlying tact which this should be approached with cannot be under emphasized.
Adam Singer (269 comments)25 February 09
@John MacIntyre – I’ve got no problems admitting when I’m wrong, and hope that those above me feel the same. You have a point about tact, however sometimes being indirect doesn’t communicate the point.
Perhaps I’m in a good situation in that I’m at a place I can generally voice my honest feedback. Although thinking back, I’ve been doing it ever since I was a kid and it has worked out well for me thus far in life.
People respect both honestly and boldness. I’m in the school of thought you shouldn’t hold back and never worry about hurting the feelings of others, life’s too short.
With everyone else treading carefully, I think there is a big opportunity to run counter to that.
Helena Makhotlova (3 comments)2 March 09
Hi Adam, and thanks for a great post. I so agree with your point of view – not to hold yourself back when you encounter a mistake, even from your superious.
However, I have found out that the way you say things is often much more important than what you actually say. Of course it’s such a thin line beetween sounding confident and appearing cocky and rude. After all, it’s all about perception. I really think you should know your audience. And unfortunately, it’s sometimes smarter to take a long road to get your voice through as ineffective as it sounds.