I recently was shown a video that made this clear to me.
This video and the accompanying text creates a whole new perspective on leadership. The video, forwarded from a friend, follows a seemingly crazy shirtless dancing man as he creates a swarm of fellow dancers, starting with one follower. It champions the “first follower” as a leader in his own right. The “first follower” turns the lone leader (sometimes seen as the “lone nut”) into something validated, something to be considered, and assures others that he or she is worth following. While shot with a shaky camera and a bit political at the end (YOU CAN IGNORE THAT PART), the message of the importance of the “first follower” is clear. That first person to take the plunge and embrace change is as much of a leader as the originator. Because what would a leader be without followers?
Take the time to watch this video and read the description (otherwise, it won’t make sense). And take this lesson to heart, because it took a crazy shirtless dancing man to teach society that those first followers are courageous, too.
As posted on Youtube:
"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."
So what do you think? Do you agree with the value of the "first follower?" And do you have the courage to be one?
