Be an Agitator, Not an Irritant
Getting things done. That is what leaders do. The difference between the best leaders and others (usually more manager driven) is they find ways to get many things done. They deliver consistently positive results with their team functioning as willing and efficient partners in the process. You may ask how being either an agitator or an irritant play a role in effective leadership, as they both sound bad.
Both words can mean bad things, but diving a little deeper you can see the value that can come from the right type of agitation. Irritation is bad. Let’s look at the two.
Irritation — provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure. (Yep, sounds bad)
Agitation — to move with violent, irregular action. To move. To stir up. (Sounds less bad, but I could see how it’s different.)
Like many things, it is the way you approach it that can define whether it can be effective or not. There are likely situations where being an irritant is a necessary stance to take; however, it will not have a positive lasting effect. Agitation 1, done appropriately and in the right spirit can yield excellent, and sustainable results.
Let’s compare how these two things can be different from each other.
Daniel Pink wrote about this general idea in his book To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others. He explains how agitation can be a positive thing. Irritants get under your skin, they annoy, they nag, they tell -versus ask. They drag you down versus push you forward. They make you mad instead of inspire. Agitators stir things up and inspire action. They create a desire to move and act in new ways. They create benefits and reasons to move.
He also references a conversation and quote from Larry Ferlazzo, who stated,
Irritation is "challenging people to do something we want them to do." By contrast, "agitation is challenging them to do something that they want to do."
Ferlazzo went on to state -
What he has discovered throughout his career is that “irritation doesn’t work.” It might be effective in the short term. But to move people fully and deeply requires something more—not looking at the student or the patient as a pawn on a chessboard but as a full participant in the game.”
Ferlazzo also compared this approach to teachers. Teachers need to move students to a point where they pay attention, understand concepts, or think differently. Leaders and teachers are often compared. I think this is a perfect parallel.
To adopt these thought processes, I would propose that effective leaders would define agitation as: To inspire action creating change through the adjusted behaviors of others.
Be an effective agitator
There are some simple steps you can take to use the idea of being a positive agitator. They will sound familiar but fit perfectly for this approach.
Ask — It starts by asking questions and being curious about what needs to be solved. What action needs to occur in the first place? In the absence of being able to ask, observe.
Listen — It is one thing to ask or to engage in observation, but you must listen to what is said as well. Remember, Pink investigated these two adjectives under the premise of selling or influencing. Leadership is almost entirely about influencing others. Hearing what their challenges are and why it is important to them is critical to being able to articulate a solution that will solve their needs and problems.
Connect to their needs — Getting people to move effectively and consistently only comes from their understanding of what benefits they will gain. Short-term benefits such as staying employed, currying favor, or monetary incentives can be a substitute for meaningful connection points. Those will not last for long periods of time. Real engagement comes from people realizing they have a say in what is happening and how. They can learn and get better at a new skill. Or they are a part of something larger that has real meaning.
The connection points are something that Pink has referenced in his work as well. The idea of autonomy, mastery, and purpose are covered in his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.There is also an excellent YouTube Video on this as well. And, if you want even more information, I have written on this subject as well in, AMP Up Your Team’s Motivation with These 3 Things.
Being irritating is not something anyone really wants to be labeled, and certainly not from a leadership perspective. It is a recipe for ineffectiveness and disengagement. Done well and purposefully, being an agitator, one who moves people to action for positive outcomes, is something every leader could be proud of. It is about how you approach it and the intentions you bring. Inspire action, create change, move people to make a difference — be an agitator.
How can you make agitation a positive approach in your environment today?
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In a previous article, I mentioned the importance of not being an agitator. Timing is everything, as is the context in which you play the role of agitator. There is also a difference between being a productive agitator and being a jerk. ↩︎