9.2 Serena Williams: Challenge Group Think

"Don't be afraid to stand out. Normal people don’t change the world." - Serena Williams

Are you willing to speak up and challenge group think?

Great teams don’t just need hard workers and role players — they need truth-tellers and difference-makers who are willing to speak up, hold people accountable, and raise their hands when everyone else stays quiet to question a plan that doesn’t feel right.

But speaking up against the group can be hard.

In the 1950s, Solomon Asch gathered groups of college students and told them they were doing a vision test. He showed them a line and asked which of three other lines matched its length. The answer was obvious, but when everyone else in the group (who were actors) gave the wrong answer out loud, many students went along with them instead of trusting their own eyes. It showed that people often follow the crowd to fit in, even when they know the truth.

We are wired to conform, and this phenomenon has been called group-think bias.

Our brains would sometimes rather be wrong than deal with conflict and debate.

23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams once said, "Don’t be afraid to stand out. Normal people don’t change the world."

Don’t be afraid to go against the group when the group is wrong. Don’t be afraid to hold the group accountable when they need to be. Understand there is a natural pull for us to agree with and want to be like other people. Give yourself the space and time to think for yourself and make the best decisions for you.

Question of the Day: When is it hardest for you to go against the group, and how can you when know it is the right thing to do?