Mavericks – must-have or management nightmare?
If a member of your staff came to you and said that they’d found a new use for sub-standard glue, would you say: “What a brilliant idea, let’s explore it further?” If someone in the team announced that they’d designed a bagless vacuum cleaner would you tell him to concentrate on his day job? The anonymous inventor of the post-it note made a fortune for his company; James Dyson quit his job and made a fortune for himself.
Every organisation needs mavericks but few are good at nurturing them, probably because they are the people who ignore the rules, refuse to follow conventions and are difficult to work with. But they are also the people who think outside the box and come up with zany ideas which might just work. The word ‘maverick’ has negative connotations but if you substitute ‘creative minds’ then mavericks must be top of the must-have list for any company which wants to stay ahead of its competitors.
Kaye Thorne, founder of Talent Perspectives and author of Managing the Mavericks, likens a maverick to a test pilot: the risk taker with the who-dares-wins attitude. “They’re not afraid to challenge the status quo and are often disrespectful of authority, with the power of their own convictions. But there is the danger that a maverick’s risk awareness and risk management may be out of alignment. Some people live on the edge, and because they cannot control their behaviour they self-destruct.”
Many frustrated mavericks walk out of employment and sink without trace. Others set up their own business where their unconventional approach sometimes brings fame and fortune. Ricardo Semler turned his family company upside down, introduced innovative working practices, wrote a best-selling book called Maverick and became a guru on the subject.
Mavericks don’t grow up to be conventional citizens. The late Dame Anita Roddick is still regarded as a maverick in the business world 30 years after starting her own company, characteristically reinforcing her reputation as a rebel when she referred to potential corporate City investors as “boring old men in suits”.
On the subject of suits, professional practices – accountants, lawyers and their like – are usually seen as sober, conservative and conventional. Yet James Underhay, commercial director of Chiumento Consulting who previously worked in an international professional firm, claims that mavericks rise to the top of these practices.
“Professional partnerships are owned collectively by the partners who enjoy autonomy. Those who generate significant fees – and that’s how performance is judged – are left to do more or less what they like. But the people below them suffer from working with a maverick who is singularly focused on output not the collegiate values of the organisation, so ultimately vote with their feet and leave.”
A successful organisation doesn’t necessarily need a maverick at the top – though EasyJet, Virgin and Dyson have all flourished because their founders did things differently – but it does need creative talent at all levels. How can this be managed? As business guru Tom Peters says: “Weed out the dullards and nurture the nuts.”
Kaye Thorne argues that you must begin by understanding how mavericks eventually become frustrated by working in organisations. “They are irritated by the time it takes to reach a decision about taking new or different action, and often feel that feedback is more negative than positive. They are easily bored and constantly in need of new challenges; unlikely to be swayed from an intuitive decision and often believing passionately in particular causes.”
The ethos of 21st century businesses, the heirs of the dotcom era, are often based on a flexibility which encourages unconventionality. Innocent drinks was founded by three friends who asked the customers at a music festival, where they were selling pure fruit drinks, to vote on whether they should quit their day jobs by putting empty cartons in ‘yes’ and ‘no’ bins.
Karen Callagham, innocent’s head of people (there’s no boring old HR department at the company HQ Fruit Towers) argues that the whole business is founded on mavericks who she sees as “independent thinkers who challenge the status quo”. She has clear views on recruiting. “We look for people who in their previous job have challenged the ways things are done, put their heads above the parapet and made a difference.”
A dynamic culture is encouraged because functions aren’t segregated into departments. “I sit next to someone from marketing who’s next to someone in sales and another in finance. You can chat to your neighbour about an idea you’ve just had, and the crossfertilisation could result in a brilliant new product for the company.”
Forward-thinking organisations clearly need mavericks, but what do mavericks want from organisations? “Flexibility, guidance, a safe belonging”, “recognition and freedom of expression” and “a machinery to implement my ideas” are some of the responses in Thorne’s Mavericks Talking survey. Mavericks aren’t interested in implementing their ideas, they want to move on to the next one. Microsoft, Amazon and Yahoo! incubate an environment where people can be creative, and put resources into bringing their ideas into being.
Managing mavericks is undoubtedly a challenge because they go against the corporate grain says Dr Phil Smith, managing consultant with business psychologists YSC. “If they are engaged with the mission of the organisation you can probably tolerate some difficult behaviour because it’s being done in the company interests. But a maverick who is disengaged is a loose cannon who can do more harm than good.”
Mavericks are vital in the fastmoving digital marketing sector according to Faith Carthy, group managing director of ILG Digital, “But if you employ mavericks you have to work harder to keep them inspired.” The company has a family space in its open office where people can chill out, watch football or just chat. The Wild Card scheme encourages staff to train in something totally outside their work – one employee learned to drive a tank. “If people go into an unfamiliar environment they bring new ideas back to our business,” adds Carthy. But even mavericks, she claims, need a few boundaries: “The company has a philosophy of respect – you can do your own thing as long as you’re respectful and professional with suppliers and staff.”
Some organisations are mavericks themselves. Neil Henderson, managing partner of St Luke’s advertising agency, concedes that they do things differently there. “We let the client into the whole creative process, which can be quite risky.” Even the management style goes against perceived wisdom. “Most managements stick to a decision however badly things are going, which is stultifying. Here, if things don’t work out we move on to the next, new idea or go in another direction.”
Every organisation needs mavericks argues Henderson. “Business can’t evade change, because the world is changing around it. Progressive companies are constantly looking for a new way to go, and it’s the mavericks who’ll take you there.”
The message for successfully managing mavericks is clear. Set the boundaries then give them their head. James Dyson’s former boss must be kicking himself – while 3M’s Post-it Notes have transformed office life and the company’s bottom line.
