"Work to get kicked out." This is how one of the most provocative chapters of the book The Irreverent Leader begins, by Adriana Arismendi, a writer and speaker with managerial experience in companies such as Sony, BBVA or Bancolombia. According to the author, in the professional field we must adopt an attitude of continuous constructive challenge, which is capable of questioning the status quo, through proposals made from coherence and daring. “Because organizations no longer need soldiers who fulfill the written functions step by step. What they need are talents willing to break schemes, with their eyes always set on strategic objectives, ”says Arismendi.
Working to get fired is a disruptive philosophy that generates important benefits, although it also holds an exciting paradox, and that is that it can only be carried out when you are really convinced that you are not going to be fired. Getting rid of this fear is the first condition to take risks, act honestly and develop true professional potential.
The problem is that the fear of losing a job is too widespread a perception, as reflected in the latest data from Randstad, which reveals that the majority of employed people in Spain (up to 56%) feel their immediate future employment is threatened. And what happens when fear settles in organizations? The answer is given by professors Cristian Bedoya and Mónica García, who carried out solid research to conclude that these situations deteriorate the work environment, slow down innovation, reduce productivity, limit decision-making and even affect the health of workers.
Thus, it is more convenient than ever to join Adriana Arismendi's thesis and work with determination to get us fired. For example, you have to speak whenever you consider it appropriate, providing sincere reflections that put the organization in crisis. And it is that it is always preferable to make our superiors lose sleep than to provoke it.
It is also recommended to recognize mistakes clearly and decisively, understanding self-criticism as a strength and not as a weakness. It is about raising your hand when something has been done wrong and sharing it with the team, as it is an opportunity to share learning and avoid repeating mistakes. Working to get kicked out consists of avoiding medals and naturalizing mistakes.
Likewise, we must dare to undertake actions aimed at transformation. Organizations do not need petulance, but they do need people capable of understanding (and making people understand) the inherent benefits of change and the dangers derived from immobility. If we want to get fired, we must promote projects anchored in reason and that contain a high degree of uncertainty, becoming apostles of one of the most clairvoyant principles of management: "To make an omelette, you have to break eggs."
Working to get fired also has to do with active militancy in the personal values that our parents transmitted to us, avoiding the spirals of toxicity that are generated in companies, and that can infect us with the virus of envy, arrogance or callousness. Although it may seem that we are swimming against the current, we must act with integrity. Working to get fired is not easy, but doing it well has a great advantage: that you will never be fired.
