Watch the power of the leader – and his first follower – with making a movement happen … start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and dissect some lessons. For me this is a perfect metaphor for how to achieve organizational adoption.
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!
The first follower has 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.
(recording from Sasquatch music Festival 2009)