The First Follower

Ideas and tips to get along and get stuff done-------- --------September 19, 2024

The First Follower

In a sec I'm going to tell you about Jim, my first follower, but first I have to tell you about this 3-min video.

It starts with a lone nut dancing at an outdoor concert. Then he's joined by another nut: the first follower. To be a leader you need followers. Someone, at least one person, needs to say “that person is onto something.”

The video has 8 million views and it gets me every time I watch it. Check it out here.

Here are some quotes from the video:

Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership
The first follower has a crucial role: publicly showing everyone else how to follow
New followers emulate followers, not the leader
The leader may get the credit, but it's the first follower that turns the lone nut into a leader
The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow

Click here to continue reading about the video, my friend Jim, and even a photo of me at a Taylor Swift concert. Yup. And comments.

See you at the Fair!

I'm leading a workshop at 11am on both Friday and Saturday.

How to Bridge Political Divides

Workshop Description: Many of us fear current environmental and political trends. Some of us are terrified. Many of us are retreating to our own corners, increasingly alienated from each other; increasingly afraid to engage with others who think differently. Come learn some practical tips and tools for navigating this scary world. Learn strategies to get along with others even when you disagree; even when you don't like what they believe. Come get inspired and gain confidence to forge conversations and partnerships across divides; political divides, religious divides, wealth divides.

★ THIS WEEKEND ★

How to Mediate Disagreements

Strategies to help adversaries get along

Wednesday September 25

1pm ET Free Online 50mins

Let's say you have two friends who are at odds with each other. Or maybe two co-workers who have it in for each other. Or family members not on speaking terms. And you want to help.

Then this Training Talk Show is for you.

I'm going to discuss the basics of being in that neutral third-party role; the person who's not in the fight but who wants to help the fighters stop fighting and get along with each other.

What are the key conditions for successful mediation? What do mediators do? And don't do? How to be in a formal mediation role? Or casually counsel a friend?

In just 50 minutes I'm going to share answers to these questions. Further, I’m going to ask you to share YOUR answers; tips and strategies that you have found helpful when it comes to mediation. It’s a TALK Show; we’re gonna talk about this. We’re going to learn from each other. And support each other.

My Training Talk Shows are always free. Always interactive. Just 50 minutes online.

WEDNESDAY September 25, 2024 1pm MaineTime Register Here

Three Ingredients for Successful Volunteerism

Here's a video I made at the Common Ground Country Fair a few years ago. The Fair is a fantastic volunteer effort and in this video, I explain the three things that are essential for robust volunteerism and happy volunteers. Check out the video here. And transcript.

Did you know you can search all the Tips, Videos, and Handouts by keyword? Did you know you can organize and browse them by category? Did you know that you can read about each resource before accessing it? So many resources about meeting facilitation and related topics. Learn more here.

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