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How to Lead a Movement
A couple of blog posts ago, I mentioned Seth Godin's TED Talk titled "The tribes we lead." That video actually had a pretty big impact on me, so I want to talk more about it. In the beginning of the video, he says that what we're all doing with our lives is finding something within the status quo that needs to be changed, and trying to change it. He then goes on to give the example of Nathan Winograd, the animal advocate who made a big change in society, despite opposition, by creating no-kill shelters that don't kill stray animals.
Godin then explains that society has gone from the "factory model" to the "TV model" to the "leadership model" of making change and spreading ideas. Leaders form tribes by bringing together people who have interests and ideas in common. Even those on the fringes of society can be reached and can connect with one another through the Internet. These tribes are more powerful than factories and mass media because they aren't being forced to do anything; they want to connect with one another and make a change. These tribes then grow and expand on their own as each member brings others in. This is how movements are created. Word-of-mouth is very important.
Leaders are people who see something wrong with the current status quo and try to fix it by starting a movement and leading a tribe to make a permanent, meaningful change. They stand out and break the rules for something important. At the end of the video, Godin points out five things that all leaders have in common: they challenge the status quo, they build a culture, they are curious, they connect people and make them feel special, and they commit to the cause they believe in and to the members of their tribe.
There are lots of disconnected people out there with similar ideas who just need a leader. That's the power of social media: It gives us the ability to connect these tribes and lead them in a movement. It can be as simple as an idea for a new product or as drastic as a major change in the way we live. My favorite quotation from this video is, "If you're not upsetting anyone, you're not changing the status quo."
One of the reasons this video resonated with me so much (besides the fact that it relates so well to the power of social media and the way social media marketing should be approached) is because I recently started a university chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. It's called NAMI on Campus, and it's a way to advocate for mental health and to educate people on it. I started this chapter because I wanted to do something about the stigma surrounding mental illness. It's part of the reason many people don't get help and don't get better. Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it's so taboo in society.
In the video, Godin asks three questions about leading a tribe:
1) Who are you upsetting?
I'm obviously upsetting those who are uncomfortable with talking about mental health and those who harbor fear or contempt toward those with mental illness.
2) Who are you connecting?
This club would not have gotten started if I hadn't found other students and faculty and staff members who believed in it as much as I did. I found these people by emailing the dean of student activities to help me get started, hosting and advertising info sessions on campus, emailing professors in the psychology department to get their students involved, and literally just asking around in the campus center and in conversation with friends.
3) Who are you leading?
I'm leading a group of people who believe in my cause. Whether they have a mental illness, know someone who does, or are simply curious about the topic, they care enough to want to see a change in how people treat mental health and want those afflicted to get the help they deserve.
This is just my example of leading a tribe, but there are so many more out there. Whether you're a company utilizing social media in your marketing plan, or an individual trying to make a change, this is how you obtain followers and lead them.