Proceed Until Apprehended

I’ve experienced an inverse relationship between my desire to stay at a job and how much value I add.

It seems counter-intuitive, but the more comfortable I become with the idea of leaving, the more comfortable I also become with behaving in a way I know to be right. I don’t let the expectations of those around me dictate the way I work.

Even at the worst of times, I don’t think I actually participate in the frenzy at the same level as those around me, but there are degrees. That’s why exit interviews can be so valuable. Individuals might just give you a glimpse of reality.

When you’re not participating in the status quo, you’re innovating. That’s valuable.

Almost every time I’ve ever been in an interview, they have given me a warm-up question. It goes something like, “Can you tell us how your education and experience are suited for this position?”

It’s the one question where they’re not looking for anything in particular. It’s a great opportunity to give them something you want to deliver.

I’ve got a set of things I’d like to interviewer to know about me by the end of the interview. Call it my “Nevin in a Nutshell” list. If given this softball question, I’ll make sure to use it to talk about what I think is really important.

It will go something like this:

“I would be really pleased if you remembered three things about me by the end of this conversation. First, I’d like you to know that I’m a generalist. This is important for you to know because this is how I approach problems and this is how I solve them. I’m objective and open to all elements of the issue. When I come to a solution, you can be assured that it is considered. This isn’t a particularly fast way to work, but it gets effective results. If you hire a specialist, instead, they can work a lot faster. Their bag of tricks just might be limited.

Second, I’d like for you to know that I’m committed to challenging every assumption and worldview I have to make sure it’s the right one. This has changed the way I do a lot of things, and we can go through some examples. Suffice to say, the most effective choice is rarely the one that “feels right” or is socially expected.

Third, it’s important that you know I’m passionate about innovation and change. This might just be a side-effect of being a generalist and committed to challenging status quo thinking, but I really like pushing to see how effective my efforts, and the efforts of my organization, can be. I’m not necessarily interested in incremental improvements like squeezing more of the same from the budget. I’m interested in asking if we’re doing the right practice. Often, that means revolutionary change.”

This isn’t necessarily what most employers want to hear. Man, am I going to be excited if I find one who likes it.

There’s a significant advantage that you shouldn’t overlook. In whatever you care about, how likely is it that other people are thinking about it as much as you are?

Your advantage is your ability to think through every scenario, every defensive response, every potential roadblock. You can figure out the solution to every one of those items before you ever begin the discussion. There’s the magic.

In “Freakonomics,” Levitt and Dubner use the term “Information Asymmetry.” It’s when a professional has access to information you don’t have. Whether intentional or not, they can use the imbalance of knowledge to their advantage to get the better of a deal.

You can create an asymmetry with your passion, too. It’s an easy and available way to drive your agenda. Let’s call it a “planning asymmetry.” Your recipient is thinking about the eight phone calls they’ve got to return, the conversation they’ve got to have with an unresponsive employee and what they’re going to have for dinner. You, on the other hand, are looking for agreement on one thing, and you’ve spent eight, twenty or two hunred hours thinking about how to get from here to there.

Really, who’s got all the power?

Well, if I’m honest, I’m much too pragmatic to just quit. I may decide to actively find a different place of employment.

Finding the motivation to speak truth to power is a liberating experience.

One of the lingering items for me starting a blog is asking if it will get me in trouble. Am I giving an insider’s look into my organization that shouldn’t be shared? As I start this, that fear is outweighed by my desire to speak truths.

With non-specific language, I’m probably not going to get in trouble, either.

I could see myself becoming more relaxed, though, and wanting to express ideas based on that day’s events.

I’m thinking of a code that says:

I’ll never name my co-workers

I’ll use generic examples

I won’t talk about confidential projects

But also, I will:

Acknowledge that the public service is a huge bureaucracy

That huge bureaucracies are slow to respond to obvious trends

That there is a significant leadership deficit in the public service

That an organization that has elected individuals as its decision makers is prone to a top-down culture

I think a lot of the time we get caught serving our immediate interests at work and at home, rather than serving best interests. The simplest example I can think of is how we push ourselves to burnout. Only then do we take time off or sick leave when we can’t do it anymore. Why do we not acknoweldge that we’re over-extending before we’re there? I think we’re too focused on serving interests. Stephen Covery describes it as the p/pc balance.

Serving the organization’s interests would mean you deliver on everything asked of you, right up to the point where you’re not thinking clearly, you’re exhausted and you’re certainly not strategic. Serving best interests would mean you “govern” your own actions to meet a longer-term result. Even though the things asked of you are limitless, you define a healthy limit and stay within it.

The problem with clearly saying, “I’m drawing a line in the sand so that I can serve the organization’s best interests,” is that it’s also something you can say if you’re wanting to avoid a task. Everyone else, especially the person that gave you the assignment, isn’t seeing the “ask” as too much or too demanding. They will likely see what you’re saying as resistance to a good and true path. It’s gut-check time. Are you willing to speak truth to power?