Speaker Spotlight Lois Kelly, Co-Founder Rebels at Work Movement
Lois Kelly is a lifelong rebel.
Co-founder of the global Rebels at Work Movement, and author of five books, including “Rebels at Work: Dispatches” and “Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within,” she has created a worldwide movement that inspires leaders to appreciate rebels as a force for positive change, instead of casting them as troublemakers. By helping businesses understand the value these agents of change bring to organizations, she paves the way for innovation and disruption.
It is a true honor to be able to welcome Lois to our virtual stage for our upcoming leadership intensive, “Let’s Change the Leadership Game,” centered around how we can continue to fight for a better, more inclusive, more equitable, more psychologically safe workplace. We stole a few minutes with Lois to get her thoughts on rebels, particularly during a time of unprecedented change.
To begin, can you tell our readers about your background and what led to your forming Rebels at Work in October of 2010?
A few things. Years of push back as I advocated against sexist behaviors in the workplace and for more equal policies. Seeing my sister labeled as “just a troublemaker” as she rebelled against incompetence and for better medical practices at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world before someone died. (And they did.) My epiphany came one day at an innovation conference after listening to all the smart alpha male speakers summit go on and on about transformation, innovation and change. They were all CEOs or company founders. The second to last speaker was a woman who had just retired from the CIA as deputy director of intelligence. With a quiet wisdom and humility vs. the bravado of so many of the guys, she talked about her experience working “inside the belly of the beast” and just how hard it is to change things inside a big organization when you’re not the boss.
As soon as she finished speaking, I rushed down to the stage, introduced myself to Carmen Medina and said, “We need to talk. No one is helping people who are trying to change things. There’s something big and important here.”
It was just a light-bulb moment for me. Probably because I had always rocked the boat at school and work, and not always successfully. What if, I imagined, someone had given me practical advice along the way. What else might I have accomplished? What hurts and frustrations might I have avoided.
Like many big ideas, the belief that I must help Rebels came out of left field. But I knew with my whole being that it was important work to do. Especially for women.
Your presentation—Free Your Rebel Thinkers—was downloaded more than 100,000 times, confirming a massive interest in how to challenge the status quo. What is a rebel in your eyes and why are they so important in our workplaces, particularly now?
The world is being disrupted and this is a time for Rebels to rebel FOR positive changes and new ways of working.
Rebels see things differently than most people at work, especially what’s not working or could be done differently and better. And they care enough about their organizations to be willing to speak up and try to improve what no longer works or could work a whole lot better. In some ways we’re canaries in the coal mine.
There’s a recognition in 2020 that things have to be different, that what once was is not relevant. These disruptive times are such a tremendous opportunity for Rebels to speak up, be heard, and introduce new ways.
However, to get people to understand new ideas and feel comfortable adopting them, we need to understand HOW to introduce change. The frustration I’ve repeatedly heard from Rebels: “Why won’t my bosses pay attention to this? Why do they keep saying “no”?”
That’s been our focus: helping Rebels advance great ideas and overcome often formidable obstacles and personal reputation land mines.
What do most Rebels need most to be successful?
The three most important things:
Knowing how to read the organization or personal situation. Understanding what’s at stake because what’s valued and important is what gets attention and support.
Don’t go it alone. All good change comes from work with and getting support of others close to the situation. Especially those who are likely to disagree or oppose your idea. (Counterintuitive, yet true.)
Practicing self-care and resiliency so you manage your energy and maintain optimism. Especially when things get tough.
What can we all do tomorrow to start becoming the "good rebel?"
Create a Rebel Alliance with friends at work, find out what’s really important to your organization—the unspoken and unwritten things that people most value or fear, and make friends with Bureaucratic Black Belts in your organization. Similarly, tap into your wild pack and support pack of professional and personal friends.
Against the notion of Rebels at Work, and the macro climate in which we find ourselves, how must our definition of leadership shift? How do you define leadership?
We are all leaders. Leadership is not positional authority or a C-level title. If you want to shake things up and lead the charge, you can do it. However, you do need to know how to work the system, build the right relationships, position ideas within different contexts, have the tough conversations, and maintain optimism and perseverance. All learnable!
My favorite views of leadership happened in the last season of Game of Thrones. The old gang of Knights was sitting around the fire and sharing war stories over wine when Tormund Giantsbane learned that Brienne of Tarth wasn’t a “ser” like her male peers. He boasted that he’d make her a knight if he was a king.
Jaime Lannister chimed in to point out that it doesn’t take a king to make someone a knight. A knight can make someone a knight. And then Jamie knighted Brienne. Knight to Knight. “In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave.”
We can all help one another be brave and claim our power. To act as leaders even though the Kings and Queens have not bestowed fancy titles on us.
BONUS: What is next for you? What can we expect from you and Rebels at Work next?
We recently published a second book, “Rebels at Work: Dispatches” with what we’ve learned from so many Rebels around the world since our first book in 2014. Our hope: help Rebels avoid mistakes, try useful, new tactics, and find the inspiration and self-awareness to become more resilient and keep on going despite obstacles and bureaucratic sinkholes.
The ideas are practical, provocative, grounded in real-world experience, and served up with optimism, occasional outrage, and so much love.
To connect with Lois, click here.
Nexus members, to register for “Let’s Change the Leadership Game,” where you will have the chance to hear Lois speak, click here.