Ready to Break Free from the 'Sheeple' Flock?

To begin with, the word 'sheeple' is a portmanteau. It is the combination of both 'sheep' and 'people'. (No Kiwi jokes, please!!)

In other words a derogatory term describing those who are easily influenced and compliant - essentially, people who follow the crowd without questioning things for themselves, much like sheep being herded. It's often used to describe those who are perceived to be lacking critical thinking or individuality in their behaviour or beliefs.

So, back to my message.

We are in an era saturated with information and competing narratives, so the importance of not being "sheeple" cannot be overstated.

As I have mentioned many times before, based on the Jobs of the Future report, the top skills needed in moving forward are...

?? Complex problem solving

?? Critical thinking and

?? Creativity

... so this ability to think independently is not only crucial in distinguishing fact from fiction, but in making informed decisions that align with our personal principles and values.

I personally would love to see more thought diversity on LinkedIn rather than the same old same old, especially in the sales and leadership space (eg is cold calling dead, or screenshots of spam messages).

I want to walk away thinking differently, regardless of whether I believe something to be right or wrong. It works my thinking muscle and we all need to exercise our brain just as our muscles as it, too, will atrophy and die.

On the first point - Distinguish Fact from Fiction

When individuals hold back from critically evaluating the information they receive, they become vulnerable to manipulation and are open to contributing to the propagation of misinformation - as we are seeing everywhere today! (No political discourse necessary, nor conspiracy theories, either).

On the second point - Making Informed Decisions

In our roles as sales leaders and salespeople we need to encourage the skill of being able to put forward ideas that are different, no matter how unique they may seem in the moment (ie how I'm feeling about now writing this newsletter) because businesses that consist of, and encourage individuals to think for themselves, have:

?? Better problem-solving skills ?? unique solutions

?? More resilience ?? adapting to change fast

?? Intellectual diversity ?? more thought leadership

?? A more dynamic team environment ?? top talent retention

When thinking of an example to share with you, the concept of LinkedIn's 'pods' came to mind. Pods are content sharing communities designed to boost engagement, yet they often foster a reciprocal 'echo chamber' effect, diluting the genuine interaction that adds true value to our audience.

The idea is everyone shares content and to try to beat the algorithm (which changes constantly), is to respond in the first hour, comment on everyone's post and follow a number of other algorithmic 'rules'. Apart from the fact that ?? 'aint nobody got time for that!??, I noticed a couple of things that ended up happening:

?? People didn't share. Period.

?? People didn't reciprocate.

?? You had to share content from people whose content added zero impact and value to your audience.

??The whole response thread ended up being rote 'thumbs up ??' emojis or '?? well done!' or 'I agree' with our favourite ?? comments which added zero value to your well thought out ideation.

?? In one instance a few members were berated, as if at primary school, for not sharing the correct ratio over a set period of time! Really?

I stepped away from the 'pod' life, risking lower reach, but wanting to prioritise meaningful content over popularity, instead. The result? Paradoxically, more reach! And the bonus? Deeper, more authentic connections with those people.

Does that mean I don't share, comment and engage with colleagues?

Far from it! When I see their content, I come to the table with a more intentional mindset - to contribute with 'real talk' not 'rote talk'.

So, the message to me is clear:

Committing to think independently is crucial. As sales leaders, encouraging your teams to do the same is also key. Be the person who reads between the lines, who adds a unique perspective to the conversation, who values intention over 'likes'.

Dare to step out of the 'sheeple' fold. Cultivate teams and communities where innovation is encouraged and where every contribution is valued for its substance (regardless of what you might think of the idea!)

Stand out. Be heard. Make a real difference.

And on that note,

I wish you ease, flow and business growth.

Bernadette

Whenever you're ready, here are four services I offer:

1. Engage Me As Your Fractional Sales Meeting Facilitator: Revitalize and inject a new, dynamic energy into your sales meetings and have the team gain fresh go to market insights. Let's Go! ????????
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4. Hire a Keynote Speaker - when you need the motivation and inspiration for your members or your team, yet you want relevant prescriptions on how to embrace uncertainty to achieve those results, then I'm your speaker. Let's talk! ??