Start a Movement, Be the First Follower

A common theme among non-profit organizations, including those in the sport community, is the lack of volunteers. We hear over and over again that no one wants to volunteer these days, and the volunteer pool is dwindling. If you are reading this, it is likely because you are in that dwindling pool of volunteers, or in a leadership position in an organization that depends on volunteers.

What we need is a movement. A sweeping way to share the fact that volunteering is good for the community and the volunteer, it has real, life-changing implications. A movement to spread the message that volunteering can, and should, be fun.

If you’ve never seen the video “First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy”, please take a minute to go watch it before you read on. Even if you’ve seen it again, I encourage you to watch it again. The video is from a Ted Talk by Derek Sivers in 2010.

Here are some lessons from that video, all of which could be about dancing, or they could be about sport volunteering. The best part is, they are all taken directly from the video description:

1. 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!

2. Now comes the first follower with 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.

3. The 2nd follower is a turning point: it's proof the first has done well. Now it's not a lone nut, and it's not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.

4. A movement must be public. Make sure outsiders see more than just the leader. Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers - not the leader.

5. Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we've got a movement!

6. As more people jump in, it's no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join now. They won't be ridiculed, they won't stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you'll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they'd be ridiculed for not joining.

TLDR:

1. Remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

2. Be public. Be easy to follow!

3. Leadership is over-glorified. Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he'll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

4. It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

5. There is no movement without the first follower.

6. We're told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective.

7. The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

8. When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

Now it is doubtful that you will be initiating a dance party at an outdoor concert any time soon, but there are take-aways from Derek Siver’s First Follower concept in regards to sparking volunteerism in sport. Here are three ways that the First Follower concept might help you and your organization expand your volunteer base.

1. Legitimize the idea of volunteerism in your organization. Be loud and proud about your own personal volunteering. Talk about the impact your efforts are having, and invite others to join you.

2. When that first follower appears, regard them as an equal and embrace them as part of the community. Ensure they feel valued, and make space for them to be as loud and proud as you.

3. Make the movement sustainable. Ensure your policies and practices create safe and enjoyable spaces for volunteers. Promote the value that comes to your community through volunteering, and give the volunteers as a whole credit for the impact they’ve made in the lives of the athletes in your organization.

Sources:

https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ?si=BYfibfaX6huToA9w
https://sive.rs/ff
https://medium.com/innovate-624/why-the-first-follower-is-the-key-to-innovation-a424718eed00