The Power of the First Follower

The video below was shown at a recent TED conference in the US and apparently got a standing ovation.

The video is not particularly good, which isn’t the point. The insight regarding the video is exceptional. It redifined what leadership meant to me within 3 minutes…

See if it will do the same for you?

So if you see someone doing something that you find exceptional do you have the guts or conviction to be one of their first followers?

And if you are a leader what do you do to welcome your first followers as equals?

How do you make the movement more important than you?

The answers to these questions, I believe, will define your success as a leader. And you should ask yourself these questions with any new project -particularly ambitious ones.

…Speaking of leaders, and ambitious projects…

A good example of leaders (or in some cases, lone nuts) can be found at Kickstart.com where people seek ‘crowdfunding’ for their projects dreams and aspirations.

I would like to introduce you to one author that I have pledged financial support for.
You need to watch the video which I think is instructional in a different sense:

-How to communicate your cause effectively as a leader.

(click on the widget below, it will open in another window or tab, watch the video and think about why this guy was so effective)

Update 02/09/10: Thefunding for the project finished with a whopping $28,701 USD raised. Considering Tom was after $2,400 originally this is impressive. I hope the video remains there as an example of how a successful crowdfunding video is done…

So does sharing this make me a first follower?
Perhaps, in the sense that I am showing others how to follow…

I would love your thoughts in the comments below

🙂