Should one follow the crowd to achieve goals and objectives?

Humans have a natural tendency to copy what they see other people doing just to fit in. This reflects in their ways of dressing or eating, attitude, mannerisms et al. In other words, we tend to follow the crowd. But, what does it mean to ‘follow the crowd’? And should we follow the crowd just to achieve our objectives and goals?

To follow the crowd here means to go along with the majority, or do what most people are doing. In simpler terms, it means to imitate whatever people are currently doing, be it fashion, mannerisms etc. And the reason why people do so is to avoid being tagged a JJC (Johnny-Just-Come).

This brings us to the question: Should one ‘follow the crowd’ to achieve certain objectives and goals?

Aleeyhu Ishmaeel, a student, told Lifextra “If following the crowd aligns with your ideology, and in the long run will fast-track your achievement, it’s a yes for me.”

To know what he would do if the crowd doesn’t ‘buy’ his ideas, Lifextra asked “If the crowd doesn’t follow your ideology, but following the bandwagon will make you achieve your goals, will you tag along?” his response was “Yes, follow the crowd let’s get it done.”

Salim Yunusa, a corps member, responded with an emphatic No. He said, “A popular adage says, ‘To go nowhere, follow the crowd’. Therefore, one has to be extra creative and quite innovative in order to blaze a path. You can carry people who share your ideologies along, but that shouldn’t be a priority. Your goals are yours, and you should hold yourself responsible in order to achieve them.”

Also speaking to Lifextra, Ahmed Mohammed responded thus “Depends as usual. If it’s something never been done before like creating a smart phone or tablet, be on your own. However if it’s something that needs the wisdom of many like deciding the changes a country needs for its future to be brighter, then everyone’s opinion is important.”

Concurring with Yunusa, Bandana Shah, an Indian-based journalist, also responded with an emphatic No. “Though it is natural to compare achievements with our contemporaries, if we keep at it, we won’t be able to focus on our personal goals. There will always be people who are doing better than us as well as lesser than us. We can’t be satisfied looking at either lot. We have to keep pushing our goals little higher and work towards it in the best of our capabilities,” he said.

“Never! You will lose focus during the process if care is not taken. I personally don’t follow opinion of others except we have the same vision,” Juliana Odu told Lifextra.