Do you follow the herd or break from it? A friend and coworker made a remark recently that took me by surprise regarding how infrequently people break from the herd mentality.
Most of us go along for the ride. We may question the reigning cultural attitudes, political opinions or business direction, but for the most part we don’t do anything to change our behaviors.
We get up and put on similar clothes the next day, do our jobs in a repetitive manner and stick to our beliefs. The oddball is singled out, and most of us want to remain anonymous.
My buddy made the point about how important it is to stand up and be yourself. That can come in many forms.
He cited an example at his son’s high school baseball game. I forget what he said the team color was. Let’s say it’s red. At the games, everyone is supporting the team.
How do they do that? They wear the team colors. Everyone joins the herd.
My buddy, to retain his individuality (and probably to swim against the current, which he enjoys doing), wears a different color. Let’s say it’s electric blue.
He walks into the stands and people don’t know if he’s with the team or not. If they don’t know him by face, he could be with the opponent. This drives his wife batty. Perhaps some people will purposefully hate him because he has on the opponent’s color. Boo, hiss. He probably loves this, as it reinforces his desire not to follow the herd.
It’s easier to go along with the crowd than stand against it. We don’t want to be outcasts.
This plays out in many venues throughout our lives. Regardless of what you think of Edward Snowden, you have to admit he was someone willing to break from the herd and do what he felt was right. Not many people would go as far as he did.
He is an extreme example of taking a stand on something he believes in strongly, and suffering the consequences for it, partially because he must fight against an entrenched view. Despite it being such a highly visible and volatile case, what he’s done is instrumental for many of us when issues get closer to home.
Whistleblowers, in general, are hard to find. Anyone willing to stand up to a business or government entity risks his or her career or good standing within his sphere of influence.
For these reasons, speaking out about corporate malfeasance or government cronyism in a public way is a big risk. You put yourself and your career on the line for your beliefs. You have to not only break from the herd, but also accept the circumstances that could mean you’re never allowed back in the herd again. That’s hard.
Instead, we go along, and then whine to others. We complain. We pretend we’re in agreement, nodding our heads vigorously when we’d rather shout, “This is insanity.”
There is much more room for reasoned discussion than we presume. Airing differences and raising opposing views brings more creativity to the table, and frequently generates new solutions to problems.
You don’t need to break from the herd to get this done. But you certainly can be assured that if you go along to get along, you’ll continue to experience frustrations in work and life.
So peel away from the herd every once in a while to sample the air and view from a new place. It will make you feel better, and give you a broader perspective.
Most of us go along for the ride. We may question the reigning cultural attitudes, political opinions or business direction, but for the most part we don’t do anything to change our behaviors.
We get up and put on similar clothes the next day, do our jobs in a repetitive manner and stick to our beliefs. The oddball is singled out, and most of us want to remain anonymous.
My buddy made the point about how important it is to stand up and be yourself. That can come in many forms.
He cited an example at his son’s high school baseball game. I forget what he said the team color was. Let’s say it’s red. At the games, everyone is supporting the team.
How do they do that? They wear the team colors. Everyone joins the herd.
My buddy, to retain his individuality (and probably to swim against the current, which he enjoys doing), wears a different color. Let’s say it’s electric blue.
He walks into the stands and people don’t know if he’s with the team or not. If they don’t know him by face, he could be with the opponent. This drives his wife batty. Perhaps some people will purposefully hate him because he has on the opponent’s color. Boo, hiss. He probably loves this, as it reinforces his desire not to follow the herd.
It’s easier to go along with the crowd than stand against it. We don’t want to be outcasts.
This plays out in many venues throughout our lives. Regardless of what you think of Edward Snowden, you have to admit he was someone willing to break from the herd and do what he felt was right. Not many people would go as far as he did.
He is an extreme example of taking a stand on something he believes in strongly, and suffering the consequences for it, partially because he must fight against an entrenched view. Despite it being such a highly visible and volatile case, what he’s done is instrumental for many of us when issues get closer to home.
Whistleblowers, in general, are hard to find. Anyone willing to stand up to a business or government entity risks his or her career or good standing within his sphere of influence.
For these reasons, speaking out about corporate malfeasance or government cronyism in a public way is a big risk. You put yourself and your career on the line for your beliefs. You have to not only break from the herd, but also accept the circumstances that could mean you’re never allowed back in the herd again. That’s hard.
Instead, we go along, and then whine to others. We complain. We pretend we’re in agreement, nodding our heads vigorously when we’d rather shout, “This is insanity.”
There is much more room for reasoned discussion than we presume. Airing differences and raising opposing views brings more creativity to the table, and frequently generates new solutions to problems.
You don’t need to break from the herd to get this done. But you certainly can be assured that if you go along to get along, you’ll continue to experience frustrations in work and life.
So peel away from the herd every once in a while to sample the air and view from a new place. It will make you feel better, and give you a broader perspective.
