Innovators: Change the Game and Maintain Your Authenticity

The truth is you are different and outnumbered in the world. That’s right. The deck is stacked against you and you didn’t even know it. You probably find politics to be insincere and manipulative. If you are like me, you probably value principals of truth and authenticity ahead of climbing the corporate ladder — you want to maintain your authenticity. (Yes, there are great managers and leaders out there that have the interests of their teams front and center. This is about those challenging cultures that don’t.)

Authenticity With a Twist

Years ago, I met with a Chancellor at a large university. He said, “Well that is all and good Natalie, but do you want to be right or do you want to win?” My response? ‘I STAND BY MY PRINCIPALS!’ And then I would lose. Repeatedly.

I now understand the wisdom of his words, but with a twist. I want to maintain truth and my authenticity and I want to advance the idea for the team. It is never about me winning. It is about doing excellent work with people who care. I learned that the only option to advancing your ideas is to create your own game, played by your own rules — you know the kind with ethics and integrity? Politics is self-serving. Smuggling is team-serving.

What You Need to Know About the Peter Principle and his Posse

You have probably heard of the Peter Principal (a management theory developed by Lawrence J. Peter) where a person in a seat of power is promoted beyond their competency. People who fit the bill are typically blind to their shortcomings and rarely seem interested in ways of improving their interpersonal and business skills.

They hire yes men and keep them close to avoid dealing with any counter opinions. They think that everyone should have an understanding of what they mean, yet fail to think through the entire idea along with any landmines or unexpected consequences. They play favorites, or worse, punish those who don’t fall in line. They use the yes men to deliver bad news and take credit for any good news.

In order to keep their position, they construct a protective barrier around them with their yes-men who collect hefty paychecks which should be spent on those who actually do work. These yes-men have one job — protect the boss from what happens on the front lines from a customer perspective as well as any issues that front line workers face. This way the big boss is far enough away from the problem to not be responsible for fixing it. If the problem happens to penetrate his yes man shield, he just has to delegate the issue right back to a yes man to figure out, who is sacrificed if it becomes a bigger problem. What is worse is even though this is the way of the world these leaders look decisive by firing the yes man. Then the boss is promoted with a raise.

Peter’s Peer Group Feels the Same Way

Peers of the boss who are at the same level recognize the game and are totally detached from what happens to his workforce because they are doing the same thing to their workforce. At this level, it is about holding on to what you’ve got and surviving politically. You see, as a minion, you really don’t matter in their game outside of ensuring their survival and, of course, ensuring their bonus.

To implement new ideas or approaches in an organization you need to influence people’s behavior throughout the ecosystem. As an innovator, any proposed change program will threaten the current perceived power distribution by those in seats of power. People who seek to maintain their own power or eliminate your power are not playing for the good of the team. They are playing for themselves. Systemic cultural change programs deployed throughout the enterprise fall prey to the personal political strategies designed to block the change effort.

You don’t get to pick your peers nor leaders. If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you are fooling yourself. That is like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn’t eat the lion first.

Why You Need to Get Over It and Win On Your Own Terms

So those are the rules of the game. They have their game and you will not be invited. The yes men are there to protect the boss and to extract work from you so they can achieve their bonus. Great. Rules set.

However, you too have goals of your own. Either to achieve a line item on your resume or to achieve a goal that makes sense for your team in your department. This should be your sole focus. This should be your number one priority because similar to your boss man putting his needs first, you need to ensure that your needs are being met so you don’t feel the drain of being used day in and day out. Think of it as putting on your own oxygen mask first. Yes, of course you will support the yes man and the boss. That is your job. But you will first support yourself, and your team, because that is where the loyalty and support is felt. The Smugglers are the ones helping you feel a sense of meaning in your work.

Play your own game Smuggler. Win on your own terms. Remain authentic. The corporate game isn’t changing any time soon.

Natalie Neelan

P.S. For more blogs about Smuggling go to www.smugglinginnovation.com and check out the blog archive. Also feel free to share with others who are fighting the same fight! Smuggle on!