Do You Covet a Spot Inside The Velvet Rope?

We mimic how other leaders behave and how other assistants comport themselves, believing that if we act the same way, we will have the same results.

February 27, 2020

“If 40 million people say a foolish thing, it does not become a wise one.”

— W. Somerset Maugham, British Playwright & Novelist

American philosopher Eric Hoffer once wrote, “When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”

No matter how confident we may appear on the outside, we often lack the courage to take the road less traveled. We love to claim our independence, but the reality is that we’re often influenced by the words and actions of the masses.

In the early 20th century, Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi capitalized on this. He duped investors seeking to get rich quickly out of millions, promising them major returns on their postal coupon investments. Despite his absurd guarantee of 50 percent profit in less than two months, he still had hundreds of investors from up and down the Northeast who didn’t want to be left behind.

Ponzi seized on what’s now known as the Velvet Rope Theory. We all covet a seemingly exclusive spot inside the velvet ropes and do not want to miss out on what could be a life-transforming opportunity, regardless of how toxic the reality might actually be.

We see this all the time in leadership. We mimic how other leaders behave and how other assistants comport themselves, believing that if we act the same way, we will have the same results.

How many business executives wear black turtlenecks simply because Steve Jobs did? How many coaches put pencils above their ear not because they actually need them but because they’ve seen others do it and want to look the part?

Remember, just because someone else does something does not make that person right or mean that you must conform. You are neither right nor wrong just because the crowd disagrees with you. Being correct only comes from data and correct reasoning, not from others’ perceptions.

You cannot lose comfort if a few people disagree with you. Stand for something you believe in, regardless of how many stand alongside you. Have the audacity to trust your knowledge and experience — even if few others do.

It’s time to bypass the velvet rope and to start believing in your methods. It’s time to trust your preparation and, above all, have confidence in your judgments!

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