The Corporate Bogeyman vs the Rebel Talent

The Bogeyman is an imaginary evil character supposed to carry off naughty kids who misbehave and break the rules.

Several years ago, I read the book by Francesca Gino - Rebel Talent - and she describes what « breaking the rules » means, why it’s necessary and how one can do it skillfully. This book provides some great stories about people who break the rules and how it helps an organization to advance and remain innovative.

Now, wait a moment. Breaking the rules? You can’t do that. What I mean by breaking the rules is not about unethical behavior or endangering someone’s security. It’s more subtle.

Whose rules are they?

It’s about challenging a team or organization’s prevailing mindset and culture. Culture is often defined as « how we do things around here.» And most of us, when joining an organization, is supposed to fit it and play the culture game. At the same time, if all of us abide by the same beliefs and behavior, we are bound to stay where we are and do more of the same. It’s also a perfect recipe for groupthink and lower decision-making quality.

And over time, beliefs crystalize in a set of rules. And whoever breaks those rules faces backlash or reprimand that can take many forms. It is what I call the Corporate Bogeyman.

Nobody knows what it looks like, and it carries different names such as « People say», « They», and «The company.» The primary function of the Bogeyman is to discipline us, to make sure we don’t create tension and suppress the possibility to change.

However, more often than not, when facing the Corporate Bogeyman, it’s enough to ask a couple of questions such as « Who is the company » or « Which people specifically ? ».

Try this

If you want to take a notch further with your team or peers, try this

• Ask people to write down the ten rules currently applying to the team or the company.

• Then ask, « Whose rules are they? »

• Start discussing in pairs or as a team and ask, « Are those rules useful or holding us back? » and « Which are the ones that we want to keep?» 

When challenging others

You might not change anything, but at least you will raise awareness of the team about those rules. But you may change some of them.

At times, it can be uncomfortable to go against those beliefs and rules, and it must be done carefully. It’s a bit like an equilibrist - you want to challenge some of those patterns but still in a way that doesn’t block everything.

When you feel challenged…

When I am on the receiving side of the challenge, I might resist, and I can ask myself, what makes me react like this? What chord did this person touch, and most importantly, what if I tried it?

Inclusive leadership as an antidote to the Corporate Bogeyman

An inclusive team and organization culture must have those weird and challenging moments. It is comfortable to stay well seated, but any chair, no matter how comfortable, will start hurting after a while…

There is such a richness in all of us that when a rigid set of rules blocks us, we suppress our diversity and our ability to be creative. We might navigate on the illusion of a calm sea but drift towards an iceberg slowly and dangerously. So now and then, do the exercise above, keep what is helpful, but push the boundaries, experiment, and adjust.