Echo Chambers in Business: When you find yourself in the wrong room.

You ever walk into an industry event and think, Blimey, it’s like Groundhog Day with name badges?

Same faces, same voices, same “how’s it all going?” dance.

It’s nice, in a cosy jumper sort of way. But it’s possibly not where fresh thinking lives.

Echo chambers in business are sneaky little things.

They look like networking. They sound like wisdom.

But really, they’re where creativity goes to have a little lie-down. When everyone’s nodding along and saying the same thing in slightly different fonts, we can often lose the spark.

Innovation needs a bit of tension, a bit of curiosity. Maybe even a courage shake-up.

I learnt this in hospitality, which (queue the stampede of unsubscribes) I have sometimes found to be the ultimate echo chamber.

Everyone’s worked with everyone. The same ‘big ideas’ get wheeled out year after year, like a tired old cheeseboard.

Don't get me wrong, I love a natter and a buffet, but if no one’s questioning the script, we’re just passing round the same stale snacks.

So, a little provocation for you: Are you in the right room? Are you being stretched, challenged, inspired? Or just politely applauded while everything stays the same?

An alternative way?  Get curious. Seek out voices that think differently. Read stuff that makes you go, “Wait, what?” Hire people who don’t fit the mould. Say yes to the uncomfortable room, not just the familiar one. Look outside of your immediate space, business or industry.

Because progress doesn’t come from polishing the same ideas with the same crowd. It comes from letting in and being open to something new.

Practical tip: Find an event or community completely outside your industry, tech, arts, sustainability, social change, whatever piques your interest, and go as a learner. Listen, ask questions, notice what makes you uncomfortable.  That’s often where the gold is.

Let’s go and explore some different horizons, shall we?  I’ll bring the biscuits.