First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy

Official transcript at http://sivers.org/ff
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If you've learned a lot about leadership and making a movement, then let's watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and dissect some lessons:

A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he's doing is so simple, it's almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it's not about the leader anymore - it's about them, plural. Notice he's calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself. Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.

The 2nd follower is a turning point: it's proof the first has done well. Now it's not a lone nut, and it's not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.

A movement must be public. Make sure outsiders see more than just the leader. Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers - not the leader.

Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we've got a movement!

As more people jump in, it's no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join now. They won't be ridiculed, they won't stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you'll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they'd be ridiculed for not joining.

And ladies and gentlemen that is how a movement is made! Let's recap what we learned:

If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

Be public. Be easy to follow!

But the biggest lesson here - did you catch it?

Leadership is over-glorified.

Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he'll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

There is no movement without the first follower.

We're told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective.

The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

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Original video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f...

• Category

  Education

[nicholas stedman]

So I tried to start a leadership movement in my area, but its cold up here in Canada and i nearly froze my butt off at the dog park, and my neighbors called the police...guess you need music or something, but I couldn't tell that from the video.

[Pramit Rashinkar]

Notice how it's the people on the outskirts who join in and not the ones nearest to the dancer. Similarly, friends and family (those nearest to you) might think you're crazy - but as long as you get your message to the world, you'll find supporters from anywhere in the world!

[Ben Whitter]

This is excellent and captures the power of Tsunami Leadership. Create movements and inspire people to become unstoppable, together. Search Tsunami Leadership to discover more.

[Squelch133]

:) Wow. :)

[Dona Baker]

I was having this profound conversation about the video with my co-worker and then I read your comment and lost it! Hilarious. We are in Edmonton - totally can relate.

[AlgerienneAtha]

YEAHHH AMERICAN PEOPLE @AthanasiaHalBen <<<<<< FOLLOW ME AND ME I FOLLOW YOU (i think i'm stupid) 

[Bev Martin]

Great lesson to be learned. Also reading the negative comments is a lesson too...People who have to cuss and be ugly are the most afraid of the others possibility of success.

[RealTrueTarget]

3 heroes, 50 losers, a human movement.

[Bart van der Horst]

Beware of the other tipping point. The moment when you think you look crazy when you not join the crowd.

[albert nelson]

That was very revealing.