Friday Forward - Counter Moves (#448)
Sometimes the best way forward is to find the crowd and head in the opposite direction.
In a world where popular opinion often dictates decision-making, there’s something uniquely powerful about those who are comfortable going against the grain.
I’m not talking about people who are contrarian for its own sake—rather I refer to those with the courage to trust their principles and vision, and take a stand against the general consensus.
In American politics, candidates follow a well-established script. In the primaries, politicians bend their positions to the far right or left to win over the party base. Then, just a few months later, candidates from both parties tend to tack back to the middle to appeal to the undecided, moderate voters who typically swing elections. This works so well, and we’re so accustomed to it, that we hardly notice it anymore.
I’d argue many people outside of politics do this as well. We all know people who hide their opinions in certain circles or agree with something they don’t totally believe just to avoid rocking the boat or to gain favor with the right crowd. If we’re honest, we can all think of times when we’ve done this ourselves.
But what happens when you choose to stay true to your principles rather than bend to popular opinion?
This week, renowned programmer and entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson returned to the Elevate Podcast for a second time. David and his business partner, Jason Fried, have spent decades growing a thriving company, 37signals, by challenging conventional wisdom and bucking startup trends. They’ve chosen to remain small, independent, and fiercely focused on their core values, rather than seeking venture backing and trying to become a unicorn.
In 2021, 37signals made headlines by banning political discussions on their internal platforms, a move that sparked intense debate and led to the departure of several employees. Despite this turmoil, David and Jason held firm that the company should be a place for work, not activism. They maintained this conviction despite the intense initial backlash, fully aware that their stance might cost them their company. They agreed they were willing to pay the price.
As I wrote in more detail in a Friday Forward earlier this year, history has been favorable to David and Jason’s approach—they’ve even received apologies from some of the biggest critics of their principled stand. Today, 37signals remains a healthy, profitable business.
For David and Jason, deciding to ban politics and activism in their organization’s communication channels wasn’t a hard decision, even if it was criticized. Instead, it was the culmination of years of thinking differently about how to run a company—putting long-term sustainability over short-term gain, valuing autonomy over rapid growth, and prioritizing the well-being of their team over chasing the latest social or business trends.
David and Jason’s story is a reminder that going against the grain can be a path to success that others might miss because they’re too busy following the crowd. But what does it take to go against the grain consistently and come out ahead?
First, you must have unwavering commitment to your values. When you know what you stand for, it's easier to make tough decisions that might seem counterintuitive. Crucially, commitment to values is what separates principled defiance from reflexive, unconsidered contrarianism.
Second, you must be resilient and willing to be disliked by certain people, especially in the short term. Going against the grain often means facing criticism, mischaracterization, and short-term financial setbacks. But as we've seen with 37signals, those who can weather that initial storm usually emerge stronger.
Third, you must be willing to embrace discomfort. While it's tempting as leaders to seek the safety of consensus, simply following the crowd has rarely been a formula for innovation or exceptionalism.
Finally, you must have the long-term orientation to care more about winning the war than the battle. It’s so easy to get caught up in scoring points by appealing to the mob, virtue signaling or trying to win the 24-hour news cycle. But the most impactful leaders are those who trust their instincts, stand by their principles, and believe that history will prove them right.
As 37signals’ story shows us, sometimes the best way forward is to find the crowd and head in the opposite direction. I would highly recommend listening to my latest conversation with David—his perspective on this topic and others may help you change your mind about a lot of “conventional wisdom.”
Quote of The Week
"To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can have.” - Author Unknown
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