justin timberlake snl beyonce single ladies video
By J.T. O’Donnell
What can be learned from a comedy skit? Plenty. All humor is rooted in some truth, and this hilarious video is no exception.
In this clip, Beyonce is dealing with some pretty frightening back-up dancers, a.k.a. Justin Timberlake. (Kudos to JT for another funny SNL appearance!) What’s funny is how she hesitates to speak up, even though she knows something is really, really wrong. In an effort to be nice and not make waves on-the-job, she prolongs taking action and things get worse. When she finally gets pushed too far, she calls out the video director on his poor judgment in dancer selection. At which point, he comes clean and admits to Neopotism (he put his step-sons in the video because his wife told him to spend more time with them.)
What’s the lesson to be learned? Follow your instinct and don’t shy away from conflict. How do I know? This happened to me…
Years ago, I joined a company and was assigned to a team who was working on a huge presentation to a big perspective client. At the first meeting I attended, I knew the strategy they had come up with was off-base, but I didn’t want to jump in and seem bossy with my new peers. So, I kept quiet. However, as we progressed, I became more uneasy. I would ask the occasional question in hopes of getting a dialog going that would enable me to point out some errors in judgment, but the team was so caught up in their idea that they couldn’t see the problems. I should have spoken up, but I didn’t – I just didn’t want to make waves that would hurt my ability to build relationships with my new teammates. Looking back now, I realize it wasn’t the right choice.
The big day came and the team presented their concept. It went over like a lead balloon. The team was stunned and depressed. It should come as no surprise that we didn’t get the business. Afterward, we had to go back and explain what happened to upper management. I was sick to my stomach. I hated that I had allowed this to happen without at least trying to make my point. I learned my lesson that day – I’d rather cause a little conflict then to cause a major loss. My job as an employee is to collaborate. Yes, I need to play nice and be a good teammate, but part of that involves speaking up and making sure I share what I know, even if it goes against the mainstream. I let both my teammates and my employer down that day. I swore I wouldn’t do it again.
Moral to the story: When things don’t feel right, find the courage to speak up. Be careful in how you say it, but say it!
Now, tell me your stories. Has this every happened to you? How do you share in difficult situations?
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12 Comments
That was HILARIOUS!
That was HILARIOUS!
That was HILARIOUS!
Key to this is self-confidence. We all lack it at some time or another, some of us more than others. In this example, just walking into a new environment, it would be hard to be confident that one knows better than the more experienced employees. But you need to remember that you have been hired for your expertise: if they didn't think you were at least as smart AND experienced as everyone else on the team, you wouldn't have gotten the job.
Keep in mind that your experience and point-of-view are ALREADY respected by your new colleagues, then step up and voice your point of view.
I did that about ten years ago when I was brought into a new client site (I'm a consultant) where they were getting ready to launch a new network for their website. I immediately saw that their network would unnecessarily limit the number of people who could access the site at one time. For a minute I thought “I just got here, I can't say anything, somebody here must know what they're doing.”
But then I said 'Well, if I speak up and I'm mistaken, the person who knows better will explain their point of view, and I can see if I agree.” So I spoke up.
Everyone at the table agreed with me, and the network was immediately redesigned. if I hadn't spoken up, I would have been denying the client exactly the point of view they hired me to deliver. The client would have been dissatisfied with their network and had to spend a lot of money to redesign it later. Instead, right there I saved my client more money than they would end up paying for my services over the course of my contract.
Speaking up can be risky. Having confidence can be a challenge. But remember WHY you're there, and that while the worst that can happen to you might be a little embarrassment, failing to speak up could cost your client or employer a lot of money.
Excellent points made about needing to speak up when we feel something is going wrong. I also observed that Beyonce did speak up and was ignored. That often happens and it can discourage people from voicing a dissenting opinion.
While it is important to keep giving one's opinion, it's also important for us as team members and leaders to listen to a dissenting voice. The minority opinion will at very least help refine and improve an idea for which the group is enthusiastic.
When I'm part of a team, I make a point of listening for the lone voice and asking for their reasons. Simply asking why someone has a different opinion or approach breaks the “group think” and creates space for a new idea. As the leader, I make a point to ask each member what they think, especially those people who haven't been talking.
Some personality types (per Myers-Briggs) sit back, observe, and then come up with their approach or response to what the group has been doing. If no one asks for or creates room for their participation, it can either come too late or not at all.
Excellent points made about needing to speak up when we feel something is going wrong. I also observed that Beyonce did speak up and was ignored. That often happens and it can discourage people from voicing a dissenting opinion.
While it is important to keep giving one's opinion, it's also important for us as team members and leaders to listen to a dissenting voice. The minority opinion will at very least help refine and improve an idea for which the group is enthusiastic.
When I'm part of a team, I make a point of listening for the lone voice and asking for their reasons. Simply asking why someone has a different opinion or approach breaks the “group think” and creates space for a new idea. As the leader, I make a point to ask each member what they think, especially those people who haven't been talking.
Some personality types (per Myers-Briggs) sit back, observe, and then come up with their approach or response to what the group has been doing. If no one asks for or creates room for their participation, it can either come too late or not at all.
Madison's 'devil's advocate' idea is a great one. Collaborating with others effectively is a great tool to have and personally, I've learned the more in group projects rather than solo ones. Other's ideas and perspectives are very valuable but there's a fine line between agreeing and disagreeing with the group. It's a sensitive situation that could lead to conflict but I believe that voicing your opinions can help the group in the end. Exhausting everyone's ideas (good or bad) ensures that you've ultimately come out with the best result possible!
Madison, that is a great point! Group think can be a pain in the butt sometimes and other times it can cause a disaster. It happens in many places besides just the work place. The Mai Lai Massacre in Vietnam and the Marines in Haditha, Iraq were both results of group think. Horrible things happened because no one spoke up and “said this is wrong, we can't do this!”
this is obviously some of the worse case scenarios, but sometimes worse case scenarios gives you a better perspective about a smaller situation that you may say “well it isn't that bad.”
In actuality, you are only hurting yourself, and letting others get hurt too. If JT spoke up all those years ago, instead of not getting the business and looking bad in front of her management, she could have made her peers look great and herself even better.
Great points Anthony. Group think has implications at all levels. As I said, it still bothers me to this day what happened, but at least I learned my lesson. Now, I just hope this post saves others from making the same mistake.
Thanks for contributing!
In my small group and team communication class, we learned that when the group has one idea and doesn't consider other, it is called group think. In our group for class, we assigned someone to be our “devil's advocate” who questioned decisions that were made and made sure that everyone's ideas were being considered. I've personally never been in a group that experienced group think but I'll remember your post next time I am put in that situation!
..And the video is really funny!!
Hey Madison, thanks for connecting a theory from school to this – it is really important that we show how the things we learn in class are applied in the workplace. This is one of the challenges we face as we graduate i.e. applying what we've learned. I love the group think concept and that you assigned a 'devil's advocate.' More companies should do this. Imagine how much easier it would be to voice concerns if it was expected.
Thanks for the great added perspective!
This is funny but true! Sometimes it’s hard to choose your words when trying to voice your opinion without showing emotion. She did a great job with the first couple of takes trying to say she wasn’t comfortable with the video in a civil manner. Sometimes it’s hard to get your point across when your boss doesn’t seem to understand why things don’t feel right.
Try to stand your ground but at the same time let the other person happen to you. By this I mean voice your opinion, but work with your boss to try and fix the problem in a way that both of you are happy with, without offending each other. Problems are best solved if people take each other’s views into consideration before making a final decision.
So if you’re unhappy or uncomfortable “…speak up. Be careful in how you say it, but say it!”