IRREVERENCE AS A SKILL
Should you not have at least one person skilled in irreverence on board?
Not crazy. Not I don’t give a xxxx types. Or those that make a joke about everything.
Its a word or term mostly associated with a wise ass that’s not really useful. Disruptive……
But there is an alternate way to think about this. And the personalities might surprise as to who this may be .
But those with enough detachment to help you see through the debris that comes from culture at times. There is value in doing it the [insert organization name here] way. There is value in some normatives. But, there is also road blocks, baggage, datedness, and frankly wrongheadedness.
Since I was a kid I don’t Recall giving a significant amount of reverence to any thing or person. And not any institutions. Authority often irritates me. This may come as some surprise to some.
I spent a few years in the Army. Not a place that many would think a rebel lives in for long. A place where they are broken and remolded is the typical thought. At least where some shine on the rough edges is needed to be polished up to meet a minimum standard.
Until recently I could have even been considered a company man. I spent over a decade with one firm (after not being in any other place longer than for more than a year and a half). I was a pretty good champion of the place while I was there; at least tried to be.
I went to college and graduate school. Some rules to follow to get in and finish. Degrees on the wall.
I have respect for these organizations and institutions. Even value some authority roles and those in them and can be supportive of earned. I don’t think I intentionally tried to make my parents life hard. And I don’t think I ever been enough of a rock star to come in anywhere and be as disruptive as possible.
Yet I’ve never looked at any one or any place or organization as any level of be end and end all, infallible, incomparable, and beyond reproach (despite a slew of junior officers in the Army who saw that they were).
I’ve been able to learn over time to work within and with some insane and pointless bureaucracy; government and corporate. But not buy into any fables of cancer curing.
Early on I had some peril and did not last long in a few places because I had not yet learned to manage myself. And I was not given to fealty, so got some unwarranted labels. I suspect my hubris and mix of over and under cooked confidence also got the better of me in a few situations.
Some of these experiences I think have aided the resilience of my irreverence and helped me mask it where appropriate. And temper it enough that when its unmasked its taken as useful, not disruptive for the sake of that.
I think it’s a streak that shows willingness to not be so concerned with a certain way that is valuable in any organization.
I think about the Keegan-Michael Key Obama Anger Translator somewhat.
Don’t you need a little of that around? Not super cynical that everything is just a mess all the time or the world is too far gone. Or an ego and attitude that the persons excrement doesn’t smell. Or those whose irreverence conceals massive insecurities that can go off the rails and be totally disruptive to a point of blowing up the building from the foundation. But, some detachment to a point where they will call bullshit to get things back in focus because the “way” is flawed.
I believe Irreverence is a skill. It’s learned behavior sparked.
For me I think there is some family history. I also spent some formative Friday nights watching Letterman in the 80s with my brother who is 4 years my senior. A bumpy academic ride (read my Drop Out Story). A few years in the Army (where I did learn all I needed to about skilled irreverence), a few firings, and a few other lessons. Like I said though. Not much changes. Shined and skilled? Yes.
