We talk a lot about leadership and making
a movement. So let's watch a movement happen,
start to finish, in under three minutes and
dissect some lessons.
First, a leader needs the guts to stand alone
and look ridiculous. What he is doing is so
simple, it's almost instructional. This is
key. You must be easy to follow. Now, the
first follower here has a crucial role. He
is going to show the others how to follow.
Notice how the leader embraces him as an equal,
so it is no longer about the leader. It is
about them, plural. Notice how he is calling
to his friends to join in.
It takes guts to be the first follower. You
kind of stand out and brave ridicule yourself.
I think the first follower is an underestimated
form of leadership. The first follower is
what transforms a lone nut into a leader.
[ Laughter ]
Can we turn up the volume just a bit, please.
All right. Here's the second follower. This
is a turning point. It means the first has
done well. Now it is not a lone nut and it
is not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd
is news. A movement must be public. It is
essential that everybody see more than just
the leader. They need to see the followers
because new followers emulate the followers,
not the leader.
Now, here come two more and there's three
more. This is our momentum. This is our tipping
point. Now we've got a movement!
So as more join in, it is no longer risky.
So those who are on the fence before now have
no reason not to join. They won't stand out.
They won't be ridiculed but they will be part
of the in-crowd if they hurry.
So, eventually, over the next minute you will
see the rest prefer to stay with the crowd
come in because eventually they would be ridiculed
for not joining.
So, ladies and gentlemen, that is how a movement
is made. So let's recap what we learned. If
you are a virgin of the shirtless dancing
guy all alone, remember the importance of
nurturing your first few followers as equals,
making sure that everything is clearly about
the movement and not you.
Be public and be easy to follow. But the biggest
lesson here -- did you catch it -- leadership
is overglorified.
That, 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 the lone nut into a leader.
There is no movement without the first follower.
So as we're told that we all should be leaders,
I think 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, and when you find the lone
nut doing something great, have the guts to
be the first one to stand up and join in.
And what better place to do that than at Google
Zeitgeist. Thank you.
[Applause]
