James Patterson, the world’s best-selling author, says his storied career has been defined, and fueled, by one cornerstone: positive disruption.

Pursuing his first job in the advertising world post-college, Patterson took a portfolio of his work to a prospective employer—and took another one the following week, and another the following and the following, until they offered him a job. As his literary career took off, his publisher told him the standard rule was one book per year; he questioned why, and now publishes nine a year. Patterson pushed back against the expectation that he was a solo writer, and now he has authored books with Dolly Parton, President Bill Clinton and has a forthcoming work with Viola Davis.

“In all cases, it’s been positive disruption that moved me forward,” Patterson told the crowd at Wednesday morning’s HR Tech keynote in Las Vegas.

What is positive disruption? 4 fundamentals

One of Patterson’s latest co-authors is Dr. Patrick Leddin, who joined him on stage at HR Tech to discuss their new book, Disrupt Everything, and the imperative for today’s HR leaders to embrace positive disruption.

Leddin outlined four basic truths about positive disruption that he says HR leaders can look to as they lean into increasing expectations of their strategic leadership:

• The status quo is a “deceptive little devil.” Change is constant. If you like things the way they are, Leddin said, enjoy it—because it won’t last. Conversely, if you’re unhappy, change is coming—and HR can lead it.
• Disruption is in our DNA. Humans inherently can think creatively, envision the future and leverage their past experiences to change the path they’re on.
• Our relationships provide headwinds and tailwinds. HR, in particular, Leddin said, can either drag down others’ progress or serve as the accelerant.
• Time is finite. Whether in the context of one’s experience with an organization, a team or more broadly in life, there will be an eventual end. “So,” Leddin said, “make it count in ways that matter.”

Change is going to keep coming

From economic uncertainty to the proliferation of AI and ongoing political tensions, disruption is happening all around organizations and their people today. Leaning into positive disruption, Leddin and Patterson said, can provide a measure of control in a highly uncertain environment.

Positive disruption isn’t simply about “chasing change,” they emphasized. Instead, it’s about making bold and targeted decisions. At times, positive disruptors may need to lean more toward stability; buying a new HR tech product after a series of failed implementations, Leddin noted, may not serve the company’s mission at the moment.

“In moments of disruption, you have to decide if you move toward change or toward stability, and both will happen in life,” Leddin said.

Increasingly, workforces can navigate such moments more collaboratively, the authors said.

Traditionally, disruption prompted employees to look to the CEO—now, organizations are “more networked,” Leddin said.

“In times of disruption, especially when time is of the essence, people don’t just look at the boss or to their own skills but across the whole team,” he said. “What can we all do, and how can we make choices that align with our purpose and values?”

HR will be integral to reinforcing what those are companywide, so that as moments for positive disruption appear, mission and values drive decisions.

“Get to the right mission and stick to it,” Patterson advised. “It makes so many decisions more simple.”

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