Management Tip of the Day: Finding Your Inner Rebel

The Harvard Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

Challenging the status quo at work may help drive innovation and push an organization forward, but be wary of going too far, says Harvard Business Review.

"American culture often celebrates heretics, misfits, and entrepreneurs - anyone who challenges the status quo.

Yet, many workplaces do not; instead, conformity and accord are rewarded.

However, a challenging voice can help an organization discover a potential misstep, push to innovate, and ultimately succeed. You can rarely be an effective leader without having a little bit of rebel in you.

Next time you find yourself agreeing with everyone in the room, ask yourself whether that's truly what's best for the company. Play devil's advocate to test assumptions and poke holes in the strategy.

Don't go too far, of course. Knowing when to step back is as important as knowing when to push."

Today's management tip was adapted from "Are You a Rebel or a Leader?" by Nilofer Merchant