Give a tight, 15 minute presentation and then discuss the idea for 45 minutes. Rather than spending 45 minutes presenting and leaving 15 minutes for Q&A, flip it. You only need to pitch three things: WhatвЂ™s at stake вЂ“ the вЂњso whatвЂќ factor what will be different if the idea is adopted and assurance that the proposed idea is likely to work. So they stuff every research point, potential benefit, and details of implementation into an obese presentation that overwhelms and confuses listeners and leaves them no time for thoughtful discussion and feedback. WeвЂ™ve see rebels who feel as if the meeting at which they pitch their idea is their One Shot. Making the idea community property will improve it as more people will be bringing fresh perspectives to it, and you can avoid the backlash that can sometimes occur when you challenge management orthodoxy. You may even need to be prepared to relinquish ownership of your idea so that a broader group can implement the change.

Temper that ego by working with others to advance your ideas for change.

ItвЂ™s important to recognize that and to not let that sense of being the rebel lead you to try to go it alone. WeвЂ™ve found that those who want to buck the pressures for conformity in a large organizations tend to have healthy egos. Go forward with the one or two suggestions you have that are most relevant for the organization and stand the best chance for implementation. Leaders may tune you out as someone who continuously feeds them new ideas. But when you constantly suggest ideas, you risk diluting your impact, particularly if you never engage in the hard work of implementation. If you feel like a constructive nonconformist you probably have more than one controversial idea for improving performance and maybe even your companyвЂ™s bottom line. Here are the top pitfalls for you to avoid if youвЂ™re a rebel at work trying to break through. WeвЂ™ve found that no matter the organization, rebels are susceptible to making several common errors. Over the last three years, weвЂ™ve validated our suggestions in meetings with thousands of employees in large corporations, non-profits, academic institutions, and government departments at every level. In our book, Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within, we offer suggestions for how employees can more effectively advance their good ideas, even in organizations resistant to constructive nonconformists. ItвЂ™s time for companies to embrace their rebel talent as a way to foster innovation, employee engagement, and change from within.Д«ut what happens when a brave employee decides to challenge organizational conformity and offer new ideas that she sincerely believes would improve operations, before the company has embraced the idea of rebel talent? SheвЂ™s often on her own, making it up as she goes along, often tripping over organizational potholes and stepping on cultural landmines.

Change pitch to avoid copyright