One of my mentors, Dr. Viet Nguyen, once said: "People are born different. One may be like a hammer, another like a scissors. Don't use a hammer to cut paper then blame it's bad. Similarly, don't use a scissors to hit a nail then blame it's bad, too." Managers, however often have problem with mavericks, by definition "nonconformists". Very often, managers blame that mavericks don't fit with any "normal" plan. I somehow attribute this frustration to the managers' lack of diversity management skills. Like in my quote before, they try to use the hammer to cut paper.
Managing mavericks is quite an experience. Leading them without power is much more challenging. In my early management career, I once had a maverick in my team, so decided to check Mary K. Pratt's tips in her "Managing Mavericks" article immediately.
Her 8 tips include:
(1) Engage them. Draw out their ideas, listen to their questions, and provide them with the information they need to fully understand initiatives rather than brushing them off.
(2) Coach them. Help mavericks learn to navigate office politics and present ideas in ways that are appropriate for the company's culture.
(3) Enlist peers. Ask a colleague to do some peer mentoring.
(4) Work with their strengths. Give mavericks "their own place to play" - a role where their restlessness and skepticism can be channeled to good use, such as working on a team that's dealing with an intractable problem.
(5) Give them space. Mavericks need challenges and the leeway to meet them.
(6) Beware of the Peter Principle. Mavericks often find that the demands of management don't mesh with their style.
(7) Show respect. Don't label mavericks as complainers or troublemakers. Don't ignore them, either, by passing them over when making assignments to key committees and the like.
(8) Draw the line. Decide how much maverick behavior is too much.
I completely agree with these points, but have a couple of comments. First, showing (and earning) respect and playing their strengths should be the most important of all. Mavericks don't take things for granted, not even the fact that you are his manager (or leader). Showing respect is the first step to getting one. Play their strengths will help making the kind of connection you need to lead. Enlisting peer is important, but select that peer mentor(s) carefully or you'll fail miserably. Drawing the line is crutial to keep him productive while preserving some predictability that you need.
More importantly, one lesson that I learned the hard way that I want to add to the list is sell them to your boss, and maybe you successor. Your boss may question your decision, or you may not be there anymore. The last thing you should expect is mavericks will stop being... mavericks, and many managers don't want them. In my experience, the maverick that I mentored was fired on the same day I announced my resignation.
So much for experience and lesson, but what I like most from the article is this:
"They're passionate about their work; creative, curious and energetic; willing to take risks; unafraid to stand alone or fight for an unpopular position; evangelical in their passion for change; and at once insightful and annoying. Mavericks provide essential reality checks. Because they may refuse to follow a process they consider stupid, mavericks might be described as complainers, irritants and dissidents. But smart managers recognize their value. Mavericks help people think differently, and they do it by just showing up."
Uploaded in Heidelberg, Germany (with an empty stomach)
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