“I’d love to step up and be more of a rebel at work, but I’ve got (fill in the blank: a mortgage or a family or college loans) to think about. I can’t lose my job.” This is the greatest fear for rebels at work.

Here’s the deal: few people ever lose their jobs when they’re trying to put forward ideas for the good of the organization. We hear people voice this concern all the time, but few are fired for trying to improve things at work. Positive intent helps neutralize negative reactions.

Figure 7-1. What are you afraid of?

The more closely aligned your idea is with what the organization actually cares about, whether it is improving safety or increasing revenue, the less likely you will be fired. If you are viewed as a person who focuses on what’s important to the organization and is going the extra mile to develop ideas to accomplish important goals, you will more likely be viewed as a problem solver than as a troublemaker.

Troublemakers get fired; thoughtful fixers are appreciated for earnestness and relevance.

In a recent Canadian survey of the top 10 reasons why employees get fired, issues such as dishonesty, poor performance, and inability to work with others dominated the list. The one reason cited that does resonate with rebel fears of losing their jobs is “refusing to follow directions and orders,” what is called insubordination in the military.

Some rebels get fired because they attack people rather than going after policies and approaches that don’t work. Be aware that if you attack people personally, they will go after some of your greatest fears: trying to get you fired and publicly questioning your professional competence. It’s also important to realize that the greater the risk your idea poses to the organization, the greater the validity of your fear of possibly getting fired.

Takeaways:

The fear of not being promoted can be very real for rebels. Whether rebels get promoted can depend on a number of things, some out of our control and some we can influence.

Even if we’re valued performers, the fear of what can happen when we upset our boss or senior managers is real.

When our boss is unhappy with us, it’s as bad, sometimes even worse, than fighting with a spouse. The world feels off and we can’t relax. We walk on eggshells and obsess over what we can do to get things back to normal. We spend time worrying whether we’ll be able to repair the relationship. We begin thinking about whether we should update our resumes, reverting right back to that fear of losing our jobs.

As rebels, we rightly fear upsetting our boss, or our boss’s boss. They can make our lives miserable in so many ways.

But how real is our fear of upsetting our boss? Start by considering what most concerns or upsets her and look for ways to avoid those triggers. Most bosses:

Make it your business to learn what your boss dislikes as well as what he likes. The more you understand what upsets your boss, the more likely you won’t do it.

One last point about fearing management. We have found that the more senior the executive, the greater the rebel’s fears about upsetting or displeasing that person. Presenting an idea to a middle manager might make you nervous, but presenting that same idea to the executive vice president would make you extremely anxious. Don’t be afraid of presenting to senior executives. Remember that they got to where they are by being open to new ideas.

Takeaways:

If I stand up for an idea that is foreign to how we do things around here, will I hurt my reputation? Will I be taken seriously? Will people think I’m a troublemaker? Is the effort worth the potential risk? These fears about our reputations can stop us cold.

John, a rebel manager in a healthcare company, was elated about a new program that his management team had just approved. “This is a ‘bet my reputation’ kind of an idea,” he explained. “If this idea doesn’t work, my career at this company will be over.”

John didn’t need to worry about ruining his professional reputation. He is known as a positive, thoughtful, trustworthy guy who delivers on his promises, and when things don’t go as planned, he gives his bosses a heads up as early as possible so that they aren’t caught by surprise. He has a track record of introducing and managing successful programs.

Some rebels fear being seen as a troublemaker. As we said in Chapter 1, rebels are focused on creating positive change for the organization, not wreaking havoc and destruction as troublemakers do.

But the fear of being seen as a troublemaker may be valid if people in the organization view change and new ideas as “trouble,” which they may, and which you have no control over.

One way to evaluate how much your ideas would help or hurt your reputation is to ask yourself (and maybe some trusted friends at work), “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, how much would the organization benefit if my idea is successful?” If you answer 8–10, it’s likely worth the risk. If it’s 4–7, take time to consider it more before charging ahead. And if it’s 1–3, it may not be worth it.

One of the questions job interviewers often ask is “What was your biggest failure?” If your idea flames out and you have to look for another job, know that you will have a fascinating story to tell if your idea was in the 8–10 range.

Takeaway:

Often we have no control over how our coworkers will respond when we are in full rebel mode, working intensely to get something important changed at work.

The fact is that being a rebel is a calculated risk when it comes to how others see us.

We’ve found supporters and detractors during our careers. Letting the lure of the former and the fear of the latter influence your work is not helpful. It’s not predictable and it’s ego- rather than mission-driven.

Some people may envy our courage to tread where they wish they could. Others may not like the fact that our ideas would require them to do their work differently. We can’t control how others may feel.

What we can do is to stay positive, appreciate and acknowledge our coworkers’ ideas and contributions, help others wherever we can, and act with integrity and in the best interest of our organization.

Takeaways:

We discussed this issue in Chapter 6, but it still deserves a place in any list of the rebel’s greatest fears. Fear of conflict stops many rebels from pursuing ideas that could benefit others. Indeed, the desire to avoid conflict or tension of any kind is why the culture of consensus pervades so many organizations today. (And we wonder why organizations aren’t changing fast enough or why employees are disengaged.)

This desire inevitably seeps into the workforce as individuals take their cues from the behavior of those in management. Agreement becomes the ultimate good, and disagreements, particularly in public, are criticized as unprofessional.

It is important not to internalize these values. It’s absurd for us to censor ourselves just because we know people will likely disagree with us.

What we need to do instead is to reframe conflict as a necessary and potentially fertile part of any change process and handle conflict productively so that we avoid its potentially destructive consequences.

Takeaways:

While the discomfort of engaging in debate and conflict is especially intense, the fear of looking stupid or of not being smart enough also stops many of us from speaking up.

We’ve both been in situations where we held back, concerned that we might not have the answers and could come across as misinformed troublemakers. But over our long careers we have found that, more often than not, asking a question makes us look smarter. Other people in the room often have the same question but didn’t have the courage to ask it.

Being a rebel in the workplace rarely looks like reinventing your company, creating new business models, or solving other major challenges. Mostly it’s simply being willing to raise our hands and put words to what we and possibly others are feeling, and offering a different way of looking at a situation.

People often look dumb when they don’t have all the facts, ask questions not related to the context of the discussion, or complain incessantly. However, if your intentions are positive and you’ve done some homework, you won’t look dumb—just concerned.

Takeaway:

Some people say they worry that if they bring up a better way to do things, their boss will say, “Good idea. You go present that to the senior management team.” Often this is code for, “I don’t want to deal with your idea so I challenge you to present it to the executives and hope that you won’t bother.”

That dare conjures up our earlier fears about upsetting the powers that be.

Being asked to present your ideas to senior management is a good thing. It’s not to be feared, just prepared for. Think of it: this is what you’ve been waiting for, a chance to present your ideas to people who have the resources and authority to give them life. You are likely the best advocate for your cause. If you’re not, ask someone who is expert to provide support.

If your fear is really about public speaking (a fear for about 40 percent of the population), that can be overcome with good preparation and an understanding of what management cares about.

The thing to remember when presenting to senior management is that they don’t like long presentations about how your idea will work. Avoid getting bogged down in execution details. We’ve seen too many rebels lose the interest of leaders by going into long explanations of the problem and exactly how their ideas would solve the problem.

Rather, senior leaders will want you to cut to the chase and address some important questions:

They may also want to know how long it would take to implement your idea and how you plan to measure progress and success.

Keep the formal part of the presentation short, and leave time for comments. If there are questions and lively discussion about your idea, this signals that they are intrigued and interested. To wrap up a meeting about an intriguing idea, senior leaders are likely to ask you, “What’s the next step to assess this idea?” or “What do you need from us to move this idea forward?” Be prepared to answer those questions. They will keep your idea moving and boost your credibility.

One last tip: stay positive. People—at all levels—respond more open-mindedly to positive people intent on helping the organization and the people in it. Senior leaders will actually more clearly hear your idea if you remain positive and focused on the vision of the idea. Whatever you do, never succumb to finger pointing, blame, moaning about problems, or other types of drama. When conversations descend into drama, senior leaders may view you as a whiner rather than a competent person with ideas worth considering.

Tips for overcoming this fear:

A related concern is, “Gosh, what if managers like my ideas and ask me to implement them?”

This is a valid fear. The good news is that it is almost completely under your control. If you have prepared correctly, researched your ideas, and created the right kinds of alliances in the organization, you can articulate how the idea can best be implemented.

We’re reminded of that wonderful scene toward the end of Finding Nemo when Gil and his aquarium mates have escaped the dentist’s office and are bobbing in the bay in their little individual plastic bags. “Now what?” they ask. As a rebel at work, the ability to think ahead is one of your greatest strategic assets.

You may be asked to run the entire effort, or if you’ve done your homework, you may be able to suggest a better way to get the job done without you. If implementation isn’t your strong suit, partner with someone who is. Create a “hand-off” plan.

Takeaway:

We rebels don’t need to run everything or even to be recognized for every idea we have. One of our real values is seeing opportunities and ways to solve problems before other people and signaling for help. As future thinkers, we’re like scouts who spot a small brush fire that could turn into a wildfire.

Several successful rebels have told us that one of the best indicators that they’re succeeding is that others in the organization start talking about their ideas without giving them proper attribution. We call that a rebel win.

Most rebels are not one-trick ponies. We keep coming up with ideas and often become known as the go-to people for new ideas on how to tackle gnarly problems.

Both of us are much happier letting someone else run with our ideas. Remember the three types of thinkers we mentioned in Chapter 2: future, present, and past? As future thinkers, rebels spot what’s coming and create ideas for how to respond to that change. Let the present thinkers figure out how to implement the ideas and manage the projects. That’s what they do best, not us.

Takeaway:

When in doubt, look for what has worked for you before. What did you do to move through that earlier storm of doubt? Which of your strengths helped propel you through these periods, and how have you leaned on that strength before to get through a period of doubt?

We all have about five key strengths, according to psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, authors of Character Strengths and Virtues. Knowing your strengths helps you push doubt aside and lean on the strengths instead. One way to determine yours is to take the assessments offered at the Authentic Happiness website. Table 7-1 provides a list of strengths to consider.

Lois’s dominant strength is her love of learning. When she falls into periods of doubt, she turns to research and learning, which helps her see new ways, test ideas, and jumpstart her confidence. Carmen’s is fairness. Another rebel friend’s strength is perseverance. When in doubt, he recognizes that if he keeps pushing forward, small step by small step, he is likely to accomplish his goals.

When we’re aware of and appreciate what works best for us, we can keep going back to those practices. Most of us, however, get through a self-doubt cycle but don’t pay attention to what helped us. Next time, make a note of what helped, because that technique will probably work for you again.

When we are at the end of our rope, we often mutter something under our breath. That’s our “give-up” line. The subtext for the give-up line is “I give up” or “I quit.” Here are a few give-up lines:

All rebels can benefit from hearing that little articulated outburst of emotion that signals growing frustration and self-doubts. Identify it and get it under control as soon as you can. You may not be able to prevent cycles of self-doubt, but you can shorten them through self-awareness.

Another practice in times of doubt is to change your environment. Have you ever heard someone say, “What you need is a change of scenery”? There’s plenty of wisdom in getting physically or mentally away from what we’re obsessing over. Move away from the issue that’s drowning you in doubt.

Read a good book. Turn off your devices. Take a walk. Have lunch with someone you enjoy. Meditate. Just get your mind off the nagging rebel problem for a while.

In much the same way that nutritionists urge us to go on mini-fasts to rid our body of toxins, we need to do a mental and emotional cleansing to clear our minds of ideas and habits that are holding us back. What assumptions are blocking you? Which of your deeply held beliefs are in the way? What seeds of doubt are beginning to take root?

Has your idea hardened into an assumption? Is your new idea still relevant? Have you been pushing the same set of “new ideas” for 10 years? Perhaps the reason why you’re not getting an audience is that your ideas are no longer new or relevant. This is not an uncommon problem for rebels who become so attached to their original thesis that they forget that even “new ideas” can become old. A good rule of thumb you might find useful: if you’re sincerely testing your assumptions, some of them should fail.

Do you lump everyone together by thinking that “no one understands”? Are you ignoring potential supporters because you don’t think they would understand your ideas or you think the work they do is not relevant to your goals? One of the most interesting ways to advance a new idea is to start someplace marginal to the larger organization. Starting small or starting stealthy is often a good rebel strategy for building support. There may be supporters you are overlooking; just because people are quiet doesn’t mean they’re not listening and interested.

A more rigorous approach to driving change, backed by years of research, is to use the Immunity to Change model developed by Drs. Lisa Lahey and Robert Keegan, professors at the Harvard University School of Education and authors of Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in You and Your Organization.

Their straightforward model walks you through what you’re unconsciously doing to protect yourself from having to change (the immunity) and helps you pinpoint the deep-seated assumptions that stop you from doing the things that will help you achieve your big goal.

“People rarely realize they hold big assumptions because, quite simply, they accept them as reality. Often formed long ago and seldom, if ever, critically examined, big assumptions are woven into the very fabric of people’s existence. But with a little help, most people can call them up fairly easily,” say Lahey and Keegan.

We want to assure you that everyone, no matter how successful, has fears and doubts. This discomfort is a sign that you’re being true to your convictions and doing meaningful work. Fear and doubt can stop you, they can give you energy, or they can just be neutralized. The only thing any of us can really control is how we think. Name and acknowledge your fears, do a little investigating to see how real they are, and then think about the value of what you’re trying to accomplish.

And sometimes just pretend that you are a person who can.