No man can own another man’s soul—body maybe, but a man’s soul on the zephyr is free. The sea is one long sigh.
Antoinette Brim-Bell, What Caesar Learned at Sea
An article in a newspaper had me riled yesterday. The piece was innocuous, an executive engaging in ‘thought leadership‘. The arguments were weak to the point of flimsy, which is often to be expected. There was literally no surprise in the views expressed. The executive argued for the prevailing consensus. Another voice in the throng of agreement. So where’s the issue?
Voice matters. We have the right to express an opinion to express something meaningful and significant. Saying the safe thing is just adding more clutter to a world struggling to process information. Platitudes aren’t thought leadership. The consensus is craven unthinking subservience to popularity.
In recent weeks, we have seen a range of business leaders say what they think is the new most popular thing. Social moods shift and change with animal spirits. Values, logic, and facts don’t. Chasing popularity is fine for social media influencers and politicians. However, that doesn’t make it a sign of leadership or influence.
Now more than ever, we need cogent well-reasoned arguments that people are prepared to stand behind. A valuable opinion is often a different and risky one. Don’t fall into the business book problem: if it has already been said with the same examples and the same logic, why are you saying it again unthinkingly? The vast majority of business literature is unreadable for simply regurgitating past arguments without reflection.
Importantly, there are lots of common arguments that are simple, intuitive, reassuring and fundamentally wrong. Despite the errors they are repeated over and over again because they ‘feel’ right. We do real danger repeating these views.
I know how hard it can be to say what you believe, to argue against the majority view, and to assess arguments made to you for yourself. These simple acts can cost jobs, rewards, and careers, if they go wrong. They often go wrong in unpredictable ways. As an old Japanese proverbs says, the nail that stands out gets hammered down. Talking truth to power and to the bullying mob is often dangerous for one’s health, wealth and wellbeing.
We still must use our voice with integrity. We can’t always leave or change situations. Sometimes the only path to better is to speak up. Vaclav Havel’s famous essay, Power to the Powerless, revolves around the danger of cultures of conformance, exploring the many layers of damaging signals that a greengrocer engaging in the simple act of displaying an innocuous propaganda poster can send. Saying the usual thing makes it harder for you and for others to say anything else at all. Havel argues forcefully against the moral corruption of unthinking compliance.
When popular opinion is weaponised for control, conformity, and power, we are confronted with a loudhailer of blah. Our attempts to think independently are drowned by the overwhelming weight of nonsense. In these moments, we must speak with care, thought, and compassion, even if only in a whisper.
we all have a right to speak, and an obligation
to pay attention to the slightest whisper.
John Tranter - Whisper
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