REBEL BLOG

Author: perfect-rebel-admin

Three things your leader probably isn’t

Posted on by perfect-rebel-admin

Tell your boss they’re wrong and watch what happens

Leadership. Can’t think why we’re talking about this right now. Oh wait …

Like people, businesses can have a muddled view of leadership. The character traits we seem to value in leaders are often the same ones that make for a piss poor leader.

Let’s skin it like this: the personality traits that’ll land someone the big job are the personality traits that’ll likely cause them to botch the big job.

Research says so. Our experience says so. Here’s more …

It’s science

Different studies point at this paradox, but Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premusic makes an excellent presentation in his book Why Do So many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?

In a nutshell, society tends to conflate confidence and competence and this dates back millennia. Freud wrote that humans instinctively want to recognise and promote brave, confident and even narcissistic people and, well, we do.

But oh the irony. Because the character traits commensurate with genuinely successful leadership are modesty and conscientiousness. Does that describe your C-suite?

Very unfortunately we see this play out most obviously in the realm of gender (per Tomas’s book). Men are more likely to present as unbreakable, self-assured and tough – women not so much hence this bears out in board rooms and pay gaps.

Leadership material

In the context of the Big 5 OCEAN traits of personality, successful leaders tend to score highly in open-mindedness, conscientiousness and agreeableness. So to answer the question posed in this article’s title: the three things your leader probably isn’t would be humble, considerate and emotionally mature.

These traits translate into effective leadership if and when a business culture provokes authenticity, respect, collaboration and, in fact, sees vulnerability as an asset.

Sweet Aunt Nelly that’s vulnerability and effective leadership in the same sentence.

This matters because we’re at a turning point. The changes coming down the pike have the power to rip through businesses that cannot adapt. We’re into Darwin rules and businesses need to stay agile; to evolve and keep rolling as the pace picks up.

Almost all modern businesses need to compete in arenas such as brand, tech, customer experience and purpose. Getting ahead in these domains needs seamless integration of human talent, analytics, data, AI, marketing, media and more.

Basically, every business requires more brains and expertise than ever before to ensure its dogs are barking.

The humble leader, admitting their lack of omnipotence, knows the necessity of a culture of trusting relationships, stakeholder ownership, discussion and collaboration so as to discern the course of action best for business. The humble leader is open-minded. This is strength. This is effectiveness.

The reality

So often, consultants and transformation gurus gather the data and build a watertight case for change, yet they temper the big reveal to pander to leadership narcissism.

Can’t say that. They won’t like that. They won’t want that. No, that’s the CFO’s treasured project. No, I’m tracking for a promotion. No, that dumpster fire’s a CEO initiative. That’s a no-go. That’s untouchable. That’s taboo.

Don’t criticise, wear blue, bring coffee, smile more …

You’d be surprised how many times transformation consultants feel compelled to water down the work and undersell the job. There might even be two versions of the final report: the what we really need to do document and the what we can get away with document.

The message is softened so that, best case, a handsome 75% of what needs to happen can pass through the board. It’s a lie to make sure CEO Smith feels sufficiently fluffed and fuzzy; feels not the need to sulk or activate douchebag mode.

Change consultants might die a little inside but they’ll settle for half-baked because a) it’s better than nothing and b) let’s hope the cheque clears.

Redefine and rebel

Some leaders want to keep all the power for themselves, but empowering, trusting and nurturing others is essential for buy-in. For organisational agility.

Some leaders want to appear tough and impenetrable, yet culture stalls and productivity nosedives when collaboration and challenge are taken off the table.

Transforming businesses is a fact-finding and fact-facing endeavour. Leadership egos and taboos are often elephants in the room too big to navigate. Hence, perhaps, why almost all change projects wind up falling short and disappointing.

In transformation, leaders are the glue. If they’re not able to stick themselves to the process and the solution – and inspire others to do the same – the lot’ll come unstuck.

This is business survival and there are no sacred cows.

So what ‘bout you? Are you ready to evolve and change the way things are done around here?

We’re sparking a movement and the question is this: how Rebel are you?





    Fur coat and nae knickers

    Posted on by perfect-rebel-admin

    Culture eats strategy for breakfast

    In our industry that breakfast quote’s like a Beyonce-level megahit.
    Attributed to management guru Peter Drucker, the quote effectively says that business strategy is doomed to fail unless company culture can accept and encourage it.
    And sweet Cowboy Carter that’s as true today as it ever was …

    Is this culture?

    First nostalgia. Circa 2010 the push was on to build, emphasise and publicise company culture. Some businesses went a bit mad.

    Part of it was The Social Network effect: the Facebook biopic depicted an unpretty workplace world of energy drinks and atomic wedgies that exactly fit the company’s vibe, ethos and purpose.
    Poetic Hollywood license, sure, but true in broad brushstrokes. Kid-coders shared a common goal to change the world, and a culture of frattishness, democracy, meritocracy and transparency was the perfect framework to do just that.

    Remember this was already social media’s growth spurt hence firms were freely able to pump out culture PR. Playing for fans, followers and fresh talent, they showered us with diverse and inclusive shots of foosball tourneys and tales Beer Pong Friday.

    But it’s plain today as it was back then – culture is too often just a photo op. Just a press release. Just a handout. Too often the five core values embossed on company walls bear not a kirdy of resemblance to the diktat which actually defines a business and its people and its future.
    Too often, to coin our favourite Scottishism, it’s fur coat and nae knickers.

    80% commitment ain’t enough

    Transparent. Inclusive. Progressive. Innovative. Dynamic.

    Give or take the above values are listed on every business About Us page ever. The branding gurus who distil ‘em and write ‘em have it made. Copy, paste, to the pub …

    Anyway. As aspirations and values these five are all very worthy. When forensically and painstakingly embedded through a business, almost any set of values working in concert can effectively comprise this thing called culture.
    Okay. But let’s grab the first of the five and run a thought experiment. D’you reckon most businesses want to be 100% transparent, or d’you think they’d rather just look 100% transparent?

    Exactly. Too many firms settle for as much of a value as looks good, yet it is ultimately compromiseable. Bosses maintain a cultural bufferzone (circa 80%, say) should they ever need an out. Should they ever need to conceal, cover up, gloss over, pull rank, swerve, weave, deflect, dodge or deny.

    And this is the crux of a major problem. Great culture is DNA. It’s fundamental.

    Culture is a way of life, not an abstract idea, and as such we need leaders to embody, embed and protect it. It’s a relentless undertaking to weave an essence through every system, person, function and facet of business. It takes courage and commitment with rigorous checks and balances.

    So the price is high but the juice is always worth the squeeze. Forbes reckons exemplary business culture is worth a fourfold increase in revenue.

    The values chain

    No value lives in its own air just as no team, operating model or company structure lives in its own air. A thriving company is singular entities working in concert just as a thriving culture is singular values working in concert.

    When singular workers are divorced from business objectives, power structures and one another then quite frankly it’s cultural kryptonite. When employees can only see through the narrow lens of self-interest then the battle will rage for budgets, attention, promotions and territory. Cue disillusionment, resentment, turf wars, obstruction and conflict …

    Today’s businesses can afford precisely none of that. Reality is that business needs to be more cohesive, not less, to run bigger, faster, smarter, stronger. Getting there demands dynamic, high-performing cultures which embrace diverse perspectives and nurture worker freedoms.

    A major wrinkle in the mix is that one in four workers globally are Gen Zs. In a handful of years this’ll increase to one in three. Autonomy, self-direction, transparency – Gen Z’s workplace expectations are a matter of public record yet too many leaders seem determined to swim against the stream.

    Rigid hierarchies, inflexibility, walls, silos – firms where leaders march the halls espousing old-fashioned subservience can kiss Gen Z talent goodbye, Beer Pong Friday or no.

    Culture is an action

    Culture is action and it’s tough. It’s toil. Glossy photos and witty captions are easy but business culture is that which happens away from the cameras in every deep, dark corner of business.

    The best way to gauge how well a business is meeting its own cultural aspirations is to simply poll the rank-and-file. Does the carpet match the curtains? Spoiler alert the answer’s rarely …

    When change consultants begin to probe a firm’s cultural disconnects, the leader’s response often says all we need to know.

    Should bosses lapse into excuses, deflection, justifications and blame then Houston, we have a problem. Should they own the gaps and start testing for culture leaks then we’re in a much more positive spot.

    Progressive firms know that culture is key in securing and retaining top talent and with the best people on board the odds of survival just improved.

    A good strategy could save a business. But the business that’s not culturally primed to facilitate that strategy … well, it’s breakfast time.





      Embracing the digital drive

      Posted on by perfect-rebel-admin

      PS it’s not all about the tech

      A timely truth bomb for the techies: it ain’t all about the tech.

      The shiny AI, the gleaming new dashboard, the polished bits and bytes – it’s intoxicating stuff. But without the right people, culture and vision it can be an expensive distraction.

      ‘Cos tech isn’t the hero of the piece. The story of the ages is that technology brings to life that which begins in the human imagination.

      Aligning the two is still just good business …

      The digital delusion

      For organisations, digital transformation isn’t any longer optional. It’s a matter of survival. Firms need to engage the market’s best solutions if they’re to maintain their competitive edge.

      But those who think this is just a matter of tech miss the forest for the trees.

      It’s the classic trap; focusing on tech before outcomes is a killer …

      What does digitally driven really mean?

      We talk about being digitally driven as a necessity in business. It is. But it’s sometimes important to explain what digitally driven is not …

      Being digitally driven is not about fetishising fashionable tools and shelling out on blind faith. It is not assuming that because it’s shiny or new, or ‘cos Wired magazine thinks it’s tops, the results will come Field of Dreams style.

      No. Being digitally driven is more holistic. It is a culture of continuous learning and innovation; where data informs sharper, faster, better business decisions. It is leveraging appropriate technologies specifically to facilitate business outcomes; whether that’s strengthening customer relationships, enhancing productivity or facilitating creativity.

      Digitally driven? It’s more about the casing for the technology than technology itself.

      Throwing kit at the wall to see what sticks

      There’s a stat which gets a lot of press in our industry. It says that nine in every ten digital transformation projects fail …

      But that’s misleading. Nine in ten business transformation projects don’t fail per se – they just disappoint. Nine in ten projects do not live up to leaders’ expectations and the perception is that tech tools ultimately underdeliver versus their price and promise.

      If we had a nickel …

      Should business leaders identify the need for new tech solutions then those solutions cannot be seen in a vacuum because they will not succeed in a vacuum. Results hang on other forces; human ones …

      When business culture and / or leadership are not in place and primed to receive, embrace and optimise new tools, it’s basically throwing kit at the wall to see what sticks.

      ‘Cos tools are just that – tools. They’re not magic beans. They won’t sprout efficiency and profits as soon as we flick the on switch. Technology might’ve changed but the land of milk and honey is built on familiar bedrock.

      The ingredients of digital success

      Tech or no, strategy, culture and leadership are the trinity. Groundbreaking new kit won’t live up to expectation if the fundamentals aren’t working in harmony.

      For technology to succeed it needs to align with broader business outcomes. That’s strategy.

      For strategy to succeed, it needs all people pulling in that direction. That’s culture.

      For culture to continue on its course it needs management. That’s leadership.

      The organisation that is truly digitally driven – with the trinity and its structures in place – can have the confidence to view technology almost as icing on the cake.

      AI needs HI

      These solid business foundations are just as vital as we stare down the next frontier.

      For sure, AI’s potential is massive but all is abstract and academic until a business can activate that potential. Strategic alignment with business outcomes, a culture of competence, and commitment from leaders, an investment in getting your data together would be a starting point. “as the saying goes Sht in, sht out…. AI is different … but it isn’t that different, and it isn’t a unicorn

      There’s a huge opportunity to use AI to solve problems, bridge gaps, expose efficiencies and evolve outcomes, but humans remain at the business end of everything.

      That story of the ages mentioned in the intro, well the numbers still tell it: automation might displace 85 million jobs but it’ll create 97 million new ones. The key is adaptability.

      The PerfectRebel challenge

      Our challenge to business is to urge that you stop obsessing over the technology you could buy and start obsessing over the outcomes you want to create. Start there.

      Identify where next-gen tools may be able to address clear and present business problems and honestly appraise whether business culture is ready and optimised for the change.

      And let’s say you’re ready today, what about tomorrow? What about next year?

      Digitally driven is a constant. It’s not static. It’s a verb. The pace of progress is only getting quicker. Yes the story is evolving, but tech is tech where humans are still front and centre.