A few years back, I was talking with a friend of mine, Neen James (who is one of the smartest people I know), and she asked me, “So, what made you different from other leaders you knew in the Navy?”  It took me by surprise because I had never been asked that question before. I knew that my approach had been different from most in multiple situations.  From putting my underwear on my head during a locker inspection during boot camp to the way I approached people in getting things done.  Unable to answer right then, I went through the painstaking task of looking up, finding, and asking that question of the people I had worked with during my 22 years in the Navy.  Interestingly, 98% of the responses came back the same with, “You were different, you approached things unconventionally.”  Like I said, I knew I was a bit different (I’ve always been a bit odd) but I never really saw my people approach to leading as anything but common sense.  My main mantra was that of “treat people like people, serve them to the best of your abilities, value their contribution and they’ll give you their best.”  What made it unconventional was the confines within which I worked (the military) and how I did it (with a sense of humor and play).  Which led me to believe that conventionality is in the eye of the beholder.

Convention is tradition.  It based on the status quo and how “we’ve always done things.”    With that being the case, my unconventional approach might be conventional for your organization or personal leadership style.  Conversely, the opposite can also be true.    We as human beings love the status quo. We love knowing what is coming next.   We rely on routine as a way of keeping consistency and predictability in our lives.  This can bleed over into the way we lead too.  If things aren’t “working” well in leading your teams, it’s time to do something different.  Here are a few ways to insert a little unconventionality into your leading.

First, insert a NOT!  Anytime you put “not” in or out of a statement it completely changes the dynamic of that statement.  For instance, I might think that my coworker, James is a “lazy good for nothing.”  If I insert the power of NOT, James is “not a lazy good for nothing.”  It sounds simple (and is simple) but I have to consciously remind myself to do it.  What if that is NOT the case?  What if it’s something different.  Inserting the power of NOT gives you a different view and can lead you in a different direction.

Second, ask “Why?”    When I took over the supervision of a large security department, I had very little experience in that field.  I read the instructions, policies and procedure manuals but I still was at a loss why things were done a certain way.  So I asked, “Why!?”  This would garner some “puppy like” quizzical tilts of head but it nearly always got people thinking the same thing.  If it was governed by higher authority and had to stay that way, we’d keep it.  If not, we’d normally try a different approach.  Not everything changed turned out 100% right, but we always learned and improved.

Third, get some help.  Each of us, as human beings, want to be valued as people and the contributions we make.  Getting some help from the team on how to do things differently not only gives a greater breadth of ideas, it also shows you care enough to include (and value) all members of the team.  Like I always say, “Many brains make bright work!”

Last, have some fun.   I did a survey a few years ago of over 200 people and 98% of the people responding said that they liked to have an equal balance of working/getting things done and having fun while they do it.  Granted, fun is subjective.  However, each organization/department has things that are funny to just them.  Start there and build.

These aren’t the only things to shake things up and get unconventional, but they are a start.  If you keep doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting a different result and the only result you get is frustration, get unconventional.  You won’t be sorry.  Step up today!