The Pitfalls of Asking Everyone: How to Rely on Trusted Feedback

Recently, my friend Jackie shared this quote by Naval Ravikant:

"If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone."

It reminded me of a recent edition of Friday Favorites on enlisting the experts (with discernment), about the idea of not outsourcing our intuition, and of a concept from Expansive Impact —the ambiguous many versus the trusted few. 

 As a naturally curious person, I have certainly fallen into the trap of “asking everyone" —most recently, to the tune of several thousand dollars and a long list of conflicting opinions and advice. 

 I perhaps would have been better served by taking my own advice, and stepping back before enlisting “everyone” (in this case, a group of “experts,”) to identify my trusted few —a small group of trusted individuals that I could enlist to help me solve my problem.

 “Asking everyone” shows up within our teams and organizations as well.

 While employee pulse surveys where we survey the full team can certainly be useful and valuable, it can be helpful to also make sure we are getting feedback from our strongest employees, in addition to feedback from everyone —perhaps through focus groups, targeted conversations, skip levels (where we meet with the direct reports of our direct reports), fireside chats, or “ask me anything” sessions with the leader(s) or CEO.  

 A question to consider for this week is:

Are there any instances in which I'm asking everyone, instead of asking my trusted few?

If so, what could it look like to recalibrate a bit? 

Relying on the right voices can be the key to making clear, confident decisions. If you're looking to refine your decision-making process and ensure you're consulting the most trusted individuals, we're here to assist. Let's connect and work together to empower your leadership with precision and focus.

This post was originally shared via Friday Favorites —a free weekly curation of resources, reflections, and inquiries on leadership and life. Join us here, and join the weekly conversation, if you’d like.

Choosing the right path: Trusting your intuition and the counsel of your trusted few.