(Sharing a great post below from Lou Pritchett - Author of "Stop Paddling & Start Rocking The Boat", 36 year sales veteran of Procter and Gamble, and Brand ManageCamp 2003 speaker. Lou's an amazing guy and if you haven't read his book...you should. Enjoy his post! - Len)
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Rock the Boat - by Lou Pritchett
Over the years they have been called movers, shakers, change agents, entrepreneurs and weird dudes. These are the men and women from all walks of life who were never satisfied with the status quo, who were always uncomfortable with just a job, who were always asking, what if, and who were deeply depressed during the lull between finishing a project and starting a new one.
These are the individuals who, if they aren't stretching, pushing, challenging, the System and everybody in it, they aren't earning their pay.
These are the men and women who thoroughly enjoy taking on city hall or senior management because they, like Thomas Jefferson, know there is a better way and they are driven to help find it.
These are the individuals who do not suffer fools lightly. They innately know that those with rank are handicapped by that very rank and will rarely stand up and speak out. These are the people I call the 'boat rockers' and throughout history they have been the ones who have made the difference in politics, in education, in religion, in the military, in business, or in society in general.
Unfortunately, for many of the 'boat paddlers', the 'boat rockers' make life very uncomfortable. They create unwanted motion, they make waves, they speed up events, they change the direction of the boat and in the process they make the paddlers seasick.
Sadly, the captains of the ships in which the 'rockers' are riding demand that they all sit down shut up and just paddle like all the others. These captains want no conflict, no rough water, no counter motion to the speed and direction they are steering the ship. Few of these captains and paddlers recognize that these people they want to silence create the very safety and success of the ship. Today's manager has no choice but to encourage more individuals to rock the boat even harder because in this information and knowledge driven era it is the paddlers who are the threat to the enterprise and it is the rockers who will save it.
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