Flashmob 101: A great example of leadership

By Caroline Fox

Today we’re going to take a look at leadership in pop culture and social media. One of my favorite examples is of the relatively new “flash mob” phenomenon.

A Flash mob? You may be wondering what this is. Wikipedia defines a flash mob as:

A flash mob (or flashmob) is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. The term is generally not applied to events organized by public relations firms, protests, and publicity stunts.

Said to have been first staged in 2003 at a Macy’s store in Manhattan, flash mobs are simple concepts. At its most basic level, a flash mob is when a large group of people flock to a certain area, perform some sort of quirky action, and then disperse at the action’s end. These actions are not (usually) in protest or to make political statements, and are more about having a fun shared experience. It must be noted that I am against the term “pointless” in Wikipedia’s definition; having fun is never pointless. But that is beside the point.

Perhaps some of the most famous flash mobs are if dancing flash-mobbers. In these cases, a choreographer teaches the members of the group to perform some sort of dance routine. Group members are voluntary; they hear about the flash-mob through word of mouth or via social media. The routine, usually fairly simple, is usually taught utilizing social media or other digital forms of communication and passed virally from person to person.

Two of my favorite flash mob dance scenes are featured below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aSbKvm_mKA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

So now that we have explored the definition of a flash mob, how does it relate to leadership?

A Common goal
While it may not be earth-shattering, members of the above flash mobs shared some sort of common goal. For some, it stemmed from the desire to belong to something. For others, it was an excuse to learn choreography and be part of a dance. For others, they just wanted to be able to say that they were part of a flash mob. The common thread through all of these reasons is this: These people joined a flash mob to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Think about your office. Are your employees working together, or are they working for themselves? Is there a culture of camaraderie, or does your work seem divided or disjointed?

Clear communication
Clear communication is key when organizing something like this. Any large-scale event requiring people management can create chaos; even small-scale organization can feel more like herding cattle than planning an event. In successful flash mobs, one communicator creates the time, date, type of event, etc. and begins to pass it on through easily accessible and sharable venues like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and email. Huge ads and fliers aren’t the way flash mobs are created; organizers use smaller, more intimate forms of communication.

Think about the way you communicate with your employees. Do you just send out mass emails, or do you take the time to respond and check in personally? Do you respond to Tweets and blog replies? A little effort goes a long way, and can create a significant ripple effect.

Training
There was clearly some sort of training when it comes to these successful flash mobs. Members weren’t just born knowing exactly how and when to execute certain dance moves. They had to be taught—most of the time by example—how to perform the piece. While some dancers picked up the moves more naturally, others had to watch the training videos over and over or have fellow mobbers help them perfect their boogie style.

We see the same pattern in leadership development. Some people are naturally born leaders, and need little to no coaching. Others are less natural at leading, and need help identifying their issues and working to correct them. This is where 360 assessments, coaching, and encouragement from superiors comes along. With a little bit of help and a lot of hard work, struggling leaders can become just as strong and as skilled as leaders with natural born talent. Make sure that when it is time to perform, you have trained your employees effectively!

Positive Attitude
Finally, I hoped you noticed how much fun these people were having. Everyone was smiling; everyone wanted to be there. Why? Because the organizers/leaders of the flash mob made it fun. They created something that people enjoyed, even if it was silly and pointless. The leaders created a fun way to connect with other members, and to share the common goal. This created a sense of camaraderie where individuals worked together to create relationships as well as a form of visual art. Now that is something to be proud of.

Do people in your office like to be at work? Do your employees look at their jobs in a positive way, or do they just want to get out of there? If employees feel like they are in a jail cell rather than at work, productivity and innovation will be at an all time low. Creating a way for employees to have fun or enjoy their jobs will inspire them to create connections with other employees, establish a positive emotional response to their job, work harder, and increase their productivity.

I’m not saying that a flash mob is the best way to do this, but there are many small ways to inspire a culture change. Try entering your company in a softball league. Organize a team for a nearby bar’s trivia competition. Invest in a wall-sized crossword puzzle (one can be found here http://www.hammacher.com/Product/76004?source=FROOGLE ) and challenge your employees to finish it within a year. Create Foursquare competitions. Organize a company-wide bar crawl that makes a stop at a karaoke bar. The possibilities are endless! Just organize some fun outlets, and positive culture change will follow. One thing to note: These will only work if you have an organization’s leaders on board. Make sure you have the support of your other managers and executives—its much harder to start a one-man (or woman) revolution than it is to have partners-in-crime!

Or, in this post’s case, “partners-in-mobbing.”