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Leaders and Followers

I happen to be taking a business module, in which teams are given a specific business case study to analyse and answer a set of questions, which they have to present the following week. To be honest, the presentations converged on mental dullness, as multiple teams answered the same question about the same case study.

The lecturer, to make the proceedings more interesting, then told the teams that even if they were given questions to answer, they could choose to completely ignore them, come up with their own set of questions and answer their own questions. Sounds like a delicious prospect doesn't it? Like you walking into the exam hall and there is a blank A4 size paper in front of you with one instruction,

1. Read the passage. Come up with a question. Answer it. (20 marks)

Though ironically, nobody took the bait. Instead, week after week, they stuck to the same given questions with the oh-so-typical answers and the lecturer was left scratching his head (which perhaps explains his balding). Until today, one team finally came along and the presumed leader stood up and said, "These are the questions given to us. We will not be answering them. Instead these are the issues we will discuss". And expectedly, they got full marks for that presentation.

This time, I was left scratching my head (not balding, yet). Why was it that for the past several weeks, nobody had the initiative to take the path less travelled? Though if given the chance, I am sure the next week, every team would do the same, disregard the questions and try mimic the champions in the pursuit of that elusive perfect score. It was as if taking that first step, that initiative  was a painful one. Not that it is not, but if you think taking the initiative is painful, try waiting.



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