Dr Rebel: I might have offended my boss. How can I make up? I believe today’s question is pretty recognisable for many rebels. At least it is for me, and probably during my corporate career, I have offended my bosses more often than I realised. There is one instance I remember from yesterday. And so, […]
Dr Rebel: Ooops … I did it again! Upsetting the boss, now what? Read More »
Dr Rebel: My co-worker always says ‘Yes, but …’ and it drives me crazy. Please advise! The “yes, buts” can kill change and smother attempts at innovation. Well, that’s the general belief. And in some cases, it does. But it can also spur creative thinking. Let me share a story to explain what I am
Dr Rebel: My co-worker always says ‘Yes, but …’ and it drives me crazy. Please advise! Read More »
Dr Rebel: The rebel in my team bypasses me, and it upsets me. How do you think I should handle this situation? Before I get to why people in your team bypass you and what you can do about it, I want to share a story. In the mid-seventies, young Ken Kuturagi started working in
dr rebel: 2024 … it’s a wrap 💫 this is it – we near the end of 2024 so it’s time for a reflection, an overview, and a gift (or two)! this was the first year of the ASK DR REBEL newsletter. below you can find the full overview of all 23 questions, categorised into three
dr rebel: 2024 … it’s a wrap! Read More »
dr rebel: i don’t know how to interpret the rebel’s behaviour in my team. am i dealing with a toxic person? we often refer to a toxic colleague as someone who is always negative, critical, or just plain difficult to be around. there seems to be an overlap with rebels. they criticise many things and
dr rebel: when people are not open to what i have to say, i get super frustrated and become cynical. how can i manage my emotions better? becoming cynical works counterproductive; people don’t like negativity, so the more sarcastic you get, the more they’ll avoid you. i know, i have been there, and i had
dr rebel: my rebel boss changes his mind and comes up with new ideas all the time. how should i deal with this? creative and innovative bosses can be exciting, fun, and inspiring. they can also make you feel overwhelmed and frustrated when you can’t keep up with all their new ideas. to prevent yourself
dr rebel: i wish my team would develop more new ideas. how can i help them to rebel a bit more? people don’t come up with new ideas for a variety of reasons. the assumption is it’s due to a lack of imagination, but i have a different perspective. i lead many innovation sessions, and
dr rebel: rebels dare to speak up without feeling uncomfortable. how do they manage? for the majority of people, speaking up in a group while everyone else remains silent is too scary. thus, most people decide not to. however, rebels seem to be pretty confident in sharing a different, sometimes even unpopular, perspective. appearances can
dr rebel: rebels dare to speak up without feeling uncomfortable. how do they manage? Read More »
dr rebel: i want to improve how we work, but i keep my mouth shut because i feel people think i am a know-it-all. what should i do? know-it-alls in the workplace can be pretty annoying. they believe they have the answer to everything, are stubborn, unwilling to listen and want to look good to
dr rebel: is there a rebel in all of us? “is everyone a rebel?”, or put differently: “are you born a rebel?” is one of the most frequently asked questions i get. my first response is always to look at children. they all are rebels, no exceptions. they keep asking questions (why? why? why?), are
dr rebel: is there a rebel in all of us? Read More »
dr rebel: rebels seem to fix stuff really well. how do they do that? many people in organisations are super busy and their agendas are fuller than ever. but if you reflect on how they spend their time, a great part goes to ‘firefighting’. fixing problems caused by solutions that were supposed to solve the
dr rebel: rebels seem to fix stuff really well. how do they do that? Read More »
dr rebel: i have to collaborate with the rebel in our team, but it’s damn hard. how can we make it work? rebels can move mountains for you but you need to understand them a little to let that magic work. they can be stubborn and opinionated (i know 😅), but they have the biggest
dr rebel: the rebel in my team keeps giving me unsolicited advice and it drives me nuts. please, help me! we all have been there. you are presenting your idea or solution, and then you are (again!) bombarded with suggestions about things you didn’t ask about, or someone frequently points out flaws before fully understanding
dr rebel: how can i empower rebels in my team? often, rebels are seen as troublemakers, and people tend to go around them. i have a slightly different view on rebels 😎 (read the ASK DR REBEL newsletter edition about what makes a rebel). by empowering rebels, they become your most valuable employees. they will
dr rebel: how can i empower rebels in my team? Read More »
dr rebel: all this opposition makes me feel stressed. what can i do to prevent myself from burning out? seeing things differently, asking many questions, and bursting with crazy ideas are not always welcomed with open arms. and thus, many rebels experience a high level of stress because they face so much opposition. interestingly, there
dr rebel: how can we ease tension in the team? rebels are intrinsically motivated to make things better, and their urge to speak up is so much stronger than their will to fit in. they care so much that they are willing to face lots of opposition. and thus, with rebels in a team, things
dr rebel: how can we ease tension in our team? Read More »
dr rebel: how do you recognise a ‘rebel-proof’ workplace? the original question i received was: “i am a rebel and orienting on a new workplace. which questions do i ask my new colleagues to check if this workplace is rebel-proof?” when you are a rebel, you don’t want to end up in a place where
dr rebel: how do you recognise a ‘rebel-proof’ workplace? Read More »
dr rebel: what makes a rebel? when i share my perspective on rebellious behaviour, the most common response is people telling me they also identify as a rebel (or they now finally understand that their spouse is a rebel 😅). however, they also confide in me that they are hesitant ‘to come out’. in many
dr rebel: what makes a rebel? Read More »
dr rebel: the rebel in our team has become very cynical. how can we improve the situation? the word ‘rebel’ has a negative connotation. when you search for synonyms, you’ll find suggestions like disobedient, unmanageable, alienated, disaffected, fractious, recalcitrant, restless, turbulent, unruly, and warring. rebellious behaviour is often associated with a troublemaker. someone who always
dr rebel: people find me difficult, but i just want to prevent the team from making mistakes. what can i do? from research by sarah bond and gillian shapiro, we learn that the number one reason that drains our resilience at work is ‘managing difficult people or office politics at work. not a real surprise,
dr rebel: the rebels in our organisation complain a lot and are unmanageable. should we just fire them? in my almost 20 years of working in corporations, this probably was said about me too. and yes, it’s true that i was pretty critical and chose to speak up, but never to sit and idly watch
dr rebel: i am collaborating with a fellow rebel, and we are both pretty opinionated. how can we make it work? most rebels are pretty passionate about their work. whenever they get excited, they go all in. they always strive for the best result and can be determined and stubborn. if two rebels work together
dr rebel: the rebel in my team always comes up with dumb ideas. what can i do about that? often, managers (and co-workers) complain that the rebel in their team brings dumb and useless ideas to the table. they get annoyed and try to silence the rebel, who becomes cynical. now, everyone gets frustrated and
dr rebel: my co-worker always brings problems to the table, but i need solutions. what can i do? when i talk to managers about rebels, they often associate a rebel with someone who complains a lot and only brings problems to the table. managers feel frustrated and tell me they don’t want to hear all
