A traffic jam is often the first sign that some strategy is reaching its expiration date. Early on, a successful strategy has few proponents because the strategy isn't successful yet . There are few people on the highway because there is no way to know yet whether that highway is going to get you where you want to go.

But as it becomes more apparent that, yes, this is a good route, the traffic gets heavier and heavier. Even before vehicles start to jam up and grind to a halt, that strategy is past its usefulness. But cars keep flooding in from the on-ramps because it seems like everyone else is going where they want to go.

Some of the very first cars on the highway end up getting lost. They were cruising—but they missed their exit. But many others do manage to get to their destination with relative speed. The next group takes dramatically longer since traffic has gotten heavier, but they get there, too.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of cars entering the highway get stuck. They stay on the road because everyone else is—and because the people ahead of them did get where they wanted to go. But that last group just isn't going anywhere. They're burning fuel idling in the middle of an enormous traffic jam.

So, to sum up:

The earliest movers often get lost

Some early movers get where they're going fast

A larger group of first followers get where they're going slowly

And a huge group of late followers just get stuck

To extend this metaphor just a little farther, the key is being early and not missing your exit.

Or, to put it the way Rebekah did, you've got to zig when others zag.

Of course, that's a lot easier to say than to do.

Our penchant for safety and certainty will cause us to opt for "proven" strategies rather than crafting our own. Our busyness and sense of urgency—constantly stoked by the political economy we exist within—make it difficult to step back and even consider new ways to achieve our desired ends. And add to all of that the way profit and power tend to flow to the people giving directions—rather than those blazing new trails—which means the loudest voices are often encouraging people to get on the highway rather than take an alternate route.

from How to Zig When Everyone Else Zags