If you are one of those people who is always looking for a better way, the chances are you find yourself walking down the paths less travelled – often on your own.
Adam Grant in his best-selling 2016 book Originals described two paths to achievement – conformity and originality. The first is the easiest as it involves following the crowd down established paths, fitting in, and maintaining the status quo. The second is taken by the minority and is the harder path as it involves change, not fitting in, questioning the status quo and taking the path less travelled in the hope of creating something better. It is the path that ultimately leads to human progress. But you need to have courage and resilience to take this path.
Are you a conformist or an original?
According to Grant, there is a quick test that indicates which group you are more likely to belong to – the browser test. An economist Michael Housman discovered by chance that the internet browser people used on their own computers was a good predictor of which group people were in. Those who used Internet Explorer or Safari were more likely to be conformists than those who used Chrome or Firefox.
He put this down to the first group just accepting the default browser that came with their computer, whereas those who were using Chrome or Firefox had made the effort to install another browser and were more likely to show the qualities of an original. Those who do not accept the default are more likely to also demonstrate the curiosity associated with being change makers. They tend to question the status quo and look for a better way.
The pressure to conform
Humans are social animals who naturally have a powerful instinct to conform to the norms of their group. People are rewarded for fitting in and ostracised or punished if they don’t. So change makers will always find themselves in the minority and in a far less comfortable position than conformists. If you are in this group you probably repeatedly find yourself feeling on the outer and wondering if you are making your life harder than it needs to be.
It will be worse for you if you are female, as society places a stronger pressure on females to conform.
The courage to feel the fear but do it anyway
It’s not that change makers feel less fear or less pressure to confirm than their more compliant colleagues. Change makers feel the same fear, but do it anyway. Why do they do this? Grant suggests change makers know in their hearts that failing will yield less regret for them than failing to try.
The research shows they are probably right, as we are more likely to regret errors of omission than commission (Grant, 2016, p.91). People are more likely to regret not even trying than trying and failing. So maybe conformists pay the heavier price in the long run. This appears to be borne out by an earlier blog I wrote on the top 5 regrets of the dying. Four out of the five top regrets of the dying were about what people had not done in their lives, rather than what they had done.
Making it easier to stand up, speak out and lead change
Being a change maker or an original requires far more resilience, courage and energy than just fitting in. So are there ways you can make the journey a little easier for yourself? Well it turns out Grant has some tips on how to make being a change maker a little easier and I thought they were worth sharing with you.
1. A sense of control and commitment predicts speaking out
Successful change needs enough critical mass of support to reach a tipping point where support for change starts to become the new default position, and this means you need others to stand up and speak out for that change. People are more likely to do this if it is something they care about and if they think they have a chance of success.
Change makers are more likely to do this, but what about the others they need to get on board for change to happen? This highlights the importance of other people caring enough about why your change is important for them and having an environment in which it is safe enough to support the change.
So if you are a change maker you are more likely to shift conformists into change allies if they see you are working for change they care about and if it looks like there is enough chance of success.
2. Look for disagreeable influential people to convince rather than agreeable ones as they will become more active advocates
The people who are more likely to stand up for change are those with the courage to stand up and speak out on other issues, not those people who agree with you in private but are quiet in public. Such people are sometimes seen as disagreeable. They get the most joy from criticising, confronting and challenging others (Grant 2016, p.80) and have the independence and courage to speak out rather than being compelled to fit in and be nice. You might see them as prickly characters you may tend to avoid, but once won over, if they are people respected by others, they can be your best advocates for change.
3. Bring in outsiders to help challenge the status quo and help point out new paths
It is hard to see the woods when you are buried in the middle of the trees. Outsiders and strangers can see possibilities that those close to the problem miss. Originality rarely comes from insiders as most people have learnt that it pays to stay quiet and fit in. Outsiders however are not yet indoctrinated into the system so they see your world through fresh eyes – at least for a brief time. So make the most of it when people start in an organisation, or bring people in to help your team look at the situation from new angles. This is where consultants can really help your team see things differently and break through fixed mindsets to see new possibilities for change.
4. Make the change more familiar by talking about it a lot
John Kotter found when he studied change agents that they typically under-communicated their vision for change by a factor of 10. The research shows that the more exposure people have to something – including stories and ideas – the more comfortable and accepting they become of them. If you want change to happen, weave it into all parts of people’s daily lives so they come across it all the time and it becomes familiar to them.
5. If you’re a woman you’ll be listened to more if you speak out on behalf of others rather than for yourself
Research shows that women pay a high price for speaking up and are more likely to be ignored or penalised more than males for not fitting in (Grant, 2016, 85). One way around this is to speak out on behalf of others. This conforms to the social expectation that women should be communal and support others and means you will be more likely to be heard. Sadly, sometimes you need to bow to the norms to increase your chances of being heard.
So when your energy for change is flagging and you wonder if it is all worthwhile, it may help you to remember you’ll probably regret more what you didn’t do than what you did do, even if you fail. And if you’re a leader and want to sponsor performance improvement and change in your team – make it easier for others to feel it’s worthwhile to stand up and speak out.
If you’d like some help with this – give me a call.
Susan Kehoe
Consultant | Coach | Change Leader
Work with Susan
Susan specialises in people-focused strategy development, implementation and performance improvement; human resource management and people, leadership and culture; and transformation and change. She brings practical experience and thought leadership gained from many years of leading successful performance improvement and change in some of Australia’s leading businesses and government. Her approach engages people and unlocks people’s potential to deliver exponentially better results.
Adam Grant in his best-selling 2016 book Originals described two paths to achievement – conformity and originality. The first is the easiest as it involves following the crowd down established paths, fitting in, and maintaining the status quo. The second is taken by the minority and is the harder path as it involves change, not fitting in, questioning the status quo and taking the path less travelled in the hope of creating something better. It is the path that ultimately leads to human progress. But you need to have courage and resilience to take this path.
Are you a conformist or an original?
According to Grant, there is a quick test that indicates which group you are more likely to belong to – the browser test. An economist Michael Housman discovered by chance that the internet browser people used on their own computers was a good predictor of which group people were in. Those who used Internet Explorer or Safari were more likely to be conformists than those who used Chrome or Firefox.
He put this down to the first group just accepting the default browser that came with their computer, whereas those who were using Chrome or Firefox had made the effort to install another browser and were more likely to show the qualities of an original. Those who do not accept the default are more likely to also demonstrate the curiosity associated with being change makers. They tend to question the status quo and look for a better way.
The pressure to conform
Humans are social animals who naturally have a powerful instinct to conform to the norms of their group. People are rewarded for fitting in and ostracised or punished if they don’t. So change makers will always find themselves in the minority and in a far less comfortable position than conformists. If you are in this group you probably repeatedly find yourself feeling on the outer and wondering if you are making your life harder than it needs to be.
It will be worse for you if you are female, as society places a stronger pressure on females to conform.
The courage to feel the fear but do it anyway
It’s not that change makers feel less fear or less pressure to confirm than their more compliant colleagues. Change makers feel the same fear, but do it anyway. Why do they do this? Grant suggests change makers know in their hearts that failing will yield less regret for them than failing to try.
The research shows they are probably right, as we are more likely to regret errors of omission than commission (Grant, 2016, p.91). People are more likely to regret not even trying than trying and failing. So maybe conformists pay the heavier price in the long run. This appears to be borne out by an earlier blog I wrote on the top 5 regrets of the dying. Four out of the five top regrets of the dying were about what people had not done in their lives, rather than what they had done.
Making it easier to stand up, speak out and lead change
Being a change maker or an original requires far more resilience, courage and energy than just fitting in. So are there ways you can make the journey a little easier for yourself? Well it turns out Grant has some tips on how to make being a change maker a little easier and I thought they were worth sharing with you.
1. A sense of control and commitment predicts speaking out
Successful change needs enough critical mass of support to reach a tipping point where support for change starts to become the new default position, and this means you need others to stand up and speak out for that change. People are more likely to do this if it is something they care about and if they think they have a chance of success.
Change makers are more likely to do this, but what about the others they need to get on board for change to happen? This highlights the importance of other people caring enough about why your change is important for them and having an environment in which it is safe enough to support the change.
So if you are a change maker you are more likely to shift conformists into change allies if they see you are working for change they care about and if it looks like there is enough chance of success.
2. Look for disagreeable influential people to convince rather than agreeable ones as they will become more active advocates
The people who are more likely to stand up for change are those with the courage to stand up and speak out on other issues, not those people who agree with you in private but are quiet in public. Such people are sometimes seen as disagreeable. They get the most joy from criticising, confronting and challenging others (Grant 2016, p.80) and have the independence and courage to speak out rather than being compelled to fit in and be nice. You might see them as prickly characters you may tend to avoid, but once won over, if they are people respected by others, they can be your best advocates for change.
3. Bring in outsiders to help challenge the status quo and help point out new paths
It is hard to see the woods when you are buried in the middle of the trees. Outsiders and strangers can see possibilities that those close to the problem miss. Originality rarely comes from insiders as most people have learnt that it pays to stay quiet and fit in. Outsiders however are not yet indoctrinated into the system so they see your world through fresh eyes – at least for a brief time. So make the most of it when people start in an organisation, or bring people in to help your team look at the situation from new angles. This is where consultants can really help your team see things differently and break through fixed mindsets to see new possibilities for change.
4. Make the change more familiar by talking about it a lot
John Kotter found when he studied change agents that they typically under-communicated their vision for change by a factor of 10. The research shows that the more exposure people have to something – including stories and ideas – the more comfortable and accepting they become of them. If you want change to happen, weave it into all parts of people’s daily lives so they come across it all the time and it becomes familiar to them.
5. If you’re a woman you’ll be listened to more if you speak out on behalf of others rather than for yourself
Research shows that women pay a high price for speaking up and are more likely to be ignored or penalised more than males for not fitting in (Grant, 2016, 85). One way around this is to speak out on behalf of others. This conforms to the social expectation that women should be communal and support others and means you will be more likely to be heard. Sadly, sometimes you need to bow to the norms to increase your chances of being heard.
So when your energy for change is flagging and you wonder if it is all worthwhile, it may help you to remember you’ll probably regret more what you didn’t do than what you did do, even if you fail. And if you’re a leader and want to sponsor performance improvement and change in your team – make it easier for others to feel it’s worthwhile to stand up and speak out.
If you’d like some help with this – give me a call.
Susan Kehoe
Consultant | Coach | Change Leader
Work with Susan
Susan specialises in people-focused strategy development, implementation and performance improvement; human resource management and people, leadership and culture; and transformation and change. She brings practical experience and thought leadership gained from many years of leading successful performance improvement and change in some of Australia’s leading businesses and government. Her approach engages people and unlocks people’s potential to deliver exponentially better results.