“Originality is independence, not rebellion; it is sincerity, not antagonism.”
~ George Henry Lewes, English philosopher and critic of literature and theatre
At a turning point in my life, I looked back to look forward. Leaving an ‘old’ life behind, I had an opportunity to shape the days and years to come. As I looked back on my career, acknowledging successes, failures, and acknowledging revelations gave me pause.
This is a time when I recalled times when I complied for the sake of convenience, when I questioned the situation I observed, simply for the sake of fostering creativity. And there were other times when I just blanked out! Why? I was consumed by work, office politics, ambition. I lived in a foreign country and had a thriving and challenging career. And yet, my vision was turned almost entirely inward.
That said, I also recall building a trusting relationship with my manager to manage my own time and leave 3:30pm on Wednesdays to take my boys to Karate class. Leaving early challenged conventional work practices. Yet, it was necessary and the arrangement worked. I figured stuff out. However, more often than I would like to admit, my mind was cluttered. I was in sensory overload!
At a turning point in my career, I asked myself what truly lit me up inside during my years in the corporate world. These reflections led to flashbacks of challenging projects and collaboration, hard work and laughter, late night crises turned into high fives. I remembered struggles that turned into adventures.
At the core of my reflections, the memories that really made me feel alive were those when I was alert and focused. I fostered progress and disrupting the status quo. These were times when I rebelled instead of unquestioningly doing what I was told. I asked lots of questions. The opportunities to mentor, coach, and lead teams on pioneering projects were ever present. Projects stretched us as a united team and helped us each learn and grow.
George Henry Lewes, English philosopher and critic of literature and theatre said: “Originality is independence, not rebellion; it is sincerity, not antagonism.”
The occasions spent being original through challenging the status quo and finding better ways to get stuff done were the times that had us as a team grow the most.
In remembering the drama. I felt the heartache when there was push-back, when relationships soured, when stressors hijacked our humanity. Human connection was missing at the hardest and darkest times in my career. I experienced noisy, cluttered, and ambiguous conversations. Processes, procedures, rules, policies that worked in the past, were clearly out-dated. Experiences of complacency and inertia rubbed painfully on my sensibilities for progress. These were times when I rebelled and helped shape new processes, better ways to develop, relate and lead. Other times, I felt ineffectual and watched with horror. Not always, yet often enough.
Today, as I once again step through the imaginary looking glass, I feel the urgent need to cut through the clutter. It’s time to shine the light on what’s most important, to disrupt the status quo, to be purposefully radical.
Mostly, I feel compelled to inspire a human connection. In so doing, we disrupt convention and tradition in favour of fostering real conversations. Sometimes, the elephant in the room just needs to be seen, spoken about, and explored. In those times, we blend originality and sincerity with radical ideas and constructive rebellion. We lead from the present and into the future, with authenticity and with courage.
What is your own story on challenging the conventional system and shaking the norms?
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