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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Defy summary
Sunita Sah
The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes
16 mins
Brief summary
Defy by Sunita Sah examines the intrinsic biases that shape our decision-making, offering insightful strategies to challenge these prejudices. The book empowers us to embrace conscious choice over automatic reactions for better outcomes.
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Defy
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The price of compliance
When Alex Kueng joined the Minneapolis Police Department, he carried with him the weight of a promise: to be different, to make change from within. As a biracial officer whose siblings had experienced police harassment, he believed he could help bridge the divide between law enforcement and his community. Yet on his third day of active duty, Kueng found himself participating in one of the most notorious acts of police brutality in modern American history – the killing of George Floyd.
This case crystallizes a fundamental tension in human behavior: the striking gap between how we see ourselves and how we behave under pressure. During senior officer Derek Chauvin’s deadly restraint, Kueng checked Floyd’s pulse on two occasions and found nothing – yet he continued to comply. His fellow rookie, Officer Thomas Lane, questioned the restraint technique twice, but also ultimately remained compliant as Floyd lost consciousness beneath Chauvin’s knee.
Research in organizational psychology has consistently shown that the gap between our moral self-image and our actual behavior is far wider than we imagine. Whether it’s employees staying silent about workplace harassment or patients accepting unnecessary medical procedures, we often freeze or comply in situations that demand action.
So, how do we change that?
It begins with redefining defiance itself. We often think of defiance as disobedience or resistance to authority. But this is an oversimplification. It isn’t just resistance to authority; it’s also actively aligning your behavior with your personal values in the face of external pressure. This definition shifts the focus from mere opposition to purposeful action, from reaction to intention. It acknowledges that significant defiance can occur not just in dramatic confrontations, but also in quiet moments of decisive choice.
The tragedy of George Floyd’s killing lies not just in Chauvin’s actions, but in the complicity of officers who recognized the wrong yet felt unable to intervene. Understanding this pattern – and learning to break it – is crucial, not just for ourselves but for our institutions and societies.
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What is Defy about?
Defy (2025) explores the pervasive societal pressures that lead people to comply against their better judgment and presents groundbreaking research on how to resist these forces. It introduces a revolutionary framework for understanding and practicing defiance as a positive force, offering practical strategies for speaking up and making decisions that align with your values.
Who should read Defy?
- Leaders and managers responsible for building ethical organizational cultures
- Professionals navigating complex ethical decisions in their places of work
- Activists seeking to create systemic change from within institutions
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