Every now and then I notice cattle on my 32 acres here in Tennessee. I don’t have cattle, but my neighbor does. All it takes is one cow to step over the wire fence that separates our property and the rest seem to follow. I don’t mind it, but it’s interesting to me how cattle are herd animals. One takes the lead and the rest fall in line.
I see this in other areas of my life as well. In my field of expertise, there are a whole lot of experts. One comes up with an idea such as mindfulness, and the rest of the herd lines up. People quote the expert, read what the expert writes, buys certifications the expert sells, and proudly tell other people about what the expert says. Then a new expert shows up and starts the idea that the newest generation in the workforce, Generation Z will do such and such and businesses have to start changing their work processes and benefits packages to accommodate them. And then of course the herd falls right in line!
You’ve probably experienced the herd mentality too. One of your neighbors takes a cruise. You get jealous and don’t want to be a loser so you book a cruise. Now all of your neighbors book cruises so they won’t feel left out. You don’t even want to take a cruise, but you certainly don’t want to be excluded from the herd.
Keeping up with any herd is a recipe for disappointment, frustration, and lack of creativity. A good friend of mine used to stress out when she’d see a colleague post on LinkedIn “Honored to be speaking to the Society of Transgendered Engineers today” or something similar. She felt as though she wasn’t keeping up with the herd and got frustrated.
I gave up on my professional herd long ago. Nothing personal, but I figured there was enough new knowledge out there to chase on my own. Sure there is safety in the herd, but I’d rather risk going it alone. It’s how you get noticed. It’s how you get quoted.
What about you? Would you rather lead a herd or just take your place in line? It’s higher risk, but much higher reward!
This week, look at your herd. Are they worth following? Should you be leading?
