Start A Movement. Spread Your Idea.

Ever wondered how a movement takes on a life of its own to become a global phenomenon. In this 35th issue we're going to explore some ideas that form the essence of a quality social movement.

Was just thinking that the 2020s seem to be a heightened Triple A age (AAA) - where the 'net & social media drives, magnifies, and thrives upon: Action; Attention; Amplification. An ever-growing virtuous cycle that feeds upon its own success.

A current embodiment of this AAA virtual cycle process is one Jimmy Donaldson, better known as - MrBeast . His main YouTube channel reached 100 million subscribers on July 28, 2022. He, in part, gains viral attention by giving away large sums of money to individuals who participate in often crazy, outlandish, off-the-wall online video challenges.

The AAA virtual cycle is further embodied in this simple Ted Talk video analogy by Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement

Note how the leader 'needs the guts to stand out and be ridiculed', to draw ATTENTION to himself/herself - 'the lone nut' - in order to AMPLIFY the cause through their ACTION.

Note too, how the 'first follower' gives a semblance of credibility to 'the lone nut' by amplifying the action and inviting other followers to do what they are doing.

Soon 'three is a crowd' and 'the crowd is news', leading to new followers following the early followers (early adopters). Note, that they are not following 'the lone nut' leader. They're following the followers!

Points out Derek Sivers: 'We've got momentum. This is the tipping point . Now we've got a movement. Notice that as more people join in it's less risky, so those that were sitting on the fence before now have no reason not to. They won't stand out. They won't be ridiculed.. but they will be part of the in-crowd.' Eventually, they will be joined those fence-sitters who '..prefer to stick with a crowd because.. they would be ridiculed for not joining in.. and that's how you make a movement!'?

Sivers makes this profound observation: 'It was really the first follower that transformed the lone nut into a leader, so as we're told that we should all be leaders.. that would be really ineffective! If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow.. and when you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first one to stand up and join in.'

One of the more impressive movements in the world currently is.. parkrun - ',,a collection of 5-kilometre?events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Parkrun events are free to enter and are delivered by volunteers, supported by a small group of staff at its headquarters. By October 2018 over 5 million runners were registered worldwide.'

Having myself launched, and facilitated over 100 events of one of the larger parkruns in the world at the time - Lonehill (2014) - I was interested to note the recent celebration of 500 events at South Africa's original launch venue - Delta Park:

In this podcast - Paul Sinton-Hewitt: Are You Part of the Movement? - he states: 'The essence of parkrun is.. it's a simple run in a park with your mates where we socialize at the end of it. Those principles stand today'. 'We are a social movement that just happens to run.'

'It has a very organic approach. We never, ever, marketed parkrun. We didn't try and sell it to anyone. It was pretty much word-of-mouth. People who came down, the enjoyed it, they loved it, they told their friends, they told their mates, and before you know it.. I can remember when we signed up our 10000th person.. our 100000th person.. when we broke a million.'

'I receive all these awards, but I receive them on behalf of all the people who make this happen, as without all those volunteers, we would be one event in a park, and I would still be the person doing all the volunteering.'

For 'volunteers', read followers!

Committed followers are the critical catalysts of a successful movement.

In - So You Want To Start A Movement? Read This First. - we read of a Reverend Jennifer's comment: 'Some of the greatest leadership challenges of our time are not about how you found a new thing, but how you learn how to follow.'

'The truth is that there are amazing individuals working within movements who?are not always the focus of the story, but the story wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for them.?It can be more helpful to the world, more catalytic to the issue you care about, to contribute to something important that's already in motion, rather than start a new organization.'

For me, the above article highlights the importance of leaders growing followers, to become leaders.. who grow followers, to become leaders.. who grow followers, ..in a virtuous cycle. Get it? Some neat further extracts that resonate:

• 'There is wisdom behind us. Go back for it. it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.?Don’t forget to bring forward the wisdom of our past and those leaders who have come before.'?
• 'As you build your work, think about how you might step aside... eventually. Explore the privilege from which we come, and how we might ultimately divest it, and invest in other talent and leadership. Imagine and inquire how you might ultimately support and help others in the community to take over.'
• 'Movement building also happens and is equally important on the inside. At Callisto, for example, Jess works to create a culture and system imbued with the values of a broader movement that supports sexual assault survivors, values mental health, and keeps the team committed to a bigger vision.'
• 'Don’t forget joy. The road is not easy or comfortable. Be mindful and realistic about the challenges that exist and lie ahead. Even so, we must celebrate, we must sing, we must dance to honor the small and large victories we have along these long journeys. It is essential to sustainability and staying whole. As Reverend Jennifer shared: “I don’t want a revolution where I can’t dance.” '

In How to Start a Movement That Changes the World - author Frank McKinley offers three keys to starting your own movement:

1. See a need and meet it.
2. Give people space to make a better world.
3. Encourage them to do it often.

In explaining how a movement takes on a life of its own, McKinley writes: 'As the leader of this sharing culture, I’ve grown to see my role differently. I’m not here to give orders. I’m not concerned with putting up walls. My job is to take the spark lit by the original idea and fan it into a roaring fire.'

'It’s the people that give a movement life. Enthusiasm grows and creates an experiential energy that is contagious. When that happens, the momentum created is nearly impossible to stop.'

Seth Godin in a prescient video from the early days of the social media age - The tribes we lead - concurred: 'I want to argue that we are living through?and are right at the key moment?of a change in the way ideas are created?and spread and implemented.'

'..it turns out that it's tribes --?not money, not factories --?that can change our world, that can change politics,?that can align large numbers of people.?Not because you force them to do something against their will,?but because they wanted to connect.'

'..what we do for a living now,?all of us, I think,?is find something worth changing,?and then assemble tribes that spread the idea.?And it becomes something far bigger than ourselves,?it becomes a movement.'

'You don't need everyone.?What Kevin Kelley has taught us is you just need,?I don't know, a thousand true fans --?a thousand people who care enough?that they will get you the next round?and the next round and the next round.?And that means that the idea you create, the product you create,?the movement you create isn't for everyone,?it's not a mass thing. That's not what this is about.?What it's about instead?is finding the true believers.'?

'What all these people have in common is that they are heretics.?That heretics look at the status quo and say,?"This will not stand. I can't abide this status quo.?I am willing to stand up and be counted and move things forward.?I see what the status quo is; I don't like it."?That instead of looking at all the little rules?and following each one of them,?that instead of being what I call a sheepwalker --?somebody who's half asleep,?following instructions,?keeping their head down, fitting in --?every once in a while someone stands up and says, "Not me."?Someone stands up and says, "This one is important.?We need to organize around it."?And not everyone will. But you don't need everyone.?You just need a few people?who will look at the rules,?realize they make no sense,?and realize how much they want to be connected.'

'So three questions I'd offer you.?The first one is, who exactly?are you upsetting??Because if you're not upsetting anyone, you're not changing the status quo.?The second question is, who are you connecting??Because for a lot of people, that's what they're in it for:?the connections that are being made, one to the other.?And the third one is, who are you leading??Because focusing on that part of it --?not the mechanics of what you're building,?but the who, and the leading part -- is where change comes.'

'Finally, they commit.?They commit to the cause. They commit to the tribe.?They commit to the people who are there.'

'So I'd like you to do something for me.?And I hope you'll think about it before you reject it out-of-hand.?What I want you to do, it only takes 24 hours,?is: create a movement. Something that matters. Start. Do it. We need it.'?

Seth Godin also nailed it in another prescient pre-social media video - How to get your ideas to spread - where he highlights the importance of Innovators and Early Adopters: '..market to these people because they care.?These are the people who are obsessed with something.?And when you talk to them, they'll listen,?because they like listening -- it's about them.?And if you're lucky, they'll tell their friends on the rest of the curve,?and it'll spread.?It'll spread to the entire curve.'

'You have to find a group that really, desperately cares?about what it is you have to say.?Talk to them and make it easy for them to tell their friends.'?

'It's really simple -- you sell to the people who are listening,?and just maybe, those people tell their friends.. one person at a time, the idea spreads.'

'A couple of quick rules to wrap up.?The first one is: Design is free when you get to scale.?The people who come up with stuff that's remarkable?more often than not figure out how to put design to work for them.?Number two: The riskiest thing you can do now is be safe.?Proctor and Gamble knows this, right??The whole model of being Proctor and Gamble?is always about average products for average people.?That's risky.?The safe thing to do now is to be at the fringes,?be remarkable.?And being very good is one of the worst things you can possibly do.?Very good is boring. Very good is average.?It doesn't matter whether you're making a record album,?or you're an architect, or you have a tract on sociology.?If it's very good, it's not going to work, because no one's going to notice it.'

In What Successful Movements Have in Common , author Greg Satell identifies:

• 'Make your purpose clear - Clarity of purpose is a common theme in successful movements.?
• 'Create and instill values - training is a common attribute of successful movements.
• 'The Strength Of A Movement Is Not Large Crowds, But Small Groups

?To wrap up, this is worth a watch - Bang a Drum. Build a Tribe. Start a Movement

You can follow our team's BIG Idea to establish our own global movement -?WISDOMS? DifferenceMakers? in Every City .. maybe even participate with us.

See:?The WISDOMS? Manifesto

See: Be No.1 in Your City. Are You THE One?

See: Visionary Mayors. Inspired Citizens

Some take-aways that have been formulating in my mind since penning this article:

1. The Good Leader ==> Good Follower ==> Good Leader - Virtuous Cycle

• Good leaders are inspired by good followers.
• Good followers are inspired by good leaders.
• Good followers become good leaders.

Both good leaders and good followers are critical catalysts & role models for growing a movement.

2. You don't need everyone.?You just need a few good people who believe in the cause and who will spread the idea.

Keep it simple. Be focused. Be committed. Be patient. Be in it for the long haul.

3. Encourage the movement to take on a life of its own.

We talk of it in our Patreon site as: Light a Spark. Fan the Flames. Set the World on Fire.

Recommended: Extra Reading links added after article was penned:

• Good followers make great leaders - Extract: 'Courageous followers are loyal, honest and candid. Good leaders create an environment where this is encouraged, modelling a transparent and trusting relationship with their team. Also, importantly, good leaders create an environment where people are not afraid to say what they think, where speaking their mind in a constructive way (presenting solutions, not just the negativity of problem) is encouraged and rewarded.'
• Ten Ways to Grow your Followers into Leaders - Extract: '..followership stewardship; the cultivation of followers to help them grow into leaders so you as a leader can scale into a leader of leaders.'
• Followership: The Great Skill of Leadership - Extract: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
• “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” - Aristotle?
• 'Throughout history, we find examples of leaders who were first great followers. Long before General George S. Patton was lauded for his outstanding leadership during World War II, he served as a young Lieutenant and personal aide under General John J. Pershing during the Mexican Expedition of 1916-1917. Pershing mentored other notable followers, including future Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, and George C. Marshall. Each of these followers was impacted by the same great leader. They would go on to serve as the model of leadership for a generation during a pivotal time in history.'

If you're new to us it is recommended that you read issue 1:?One Idea is All it Takes

About:?Trevor Nel is an 'ideas-generating machine' and co-founder of?WISDOMS ?. You can connect with WISDOMS? and become: 1. a?PATRON ?and/or; 2. a?PLAYER ?, and/or; 3. a?PARTNER ?- follow each link for more info.

Next week:?issue 36 - We offer some ideas for compiling your own summaries and an example of a book summary compiled some 40 years ago, that still has meaning today, if not more so - 'to make people look forward to coming to work in the morning'.

Trevor Nel?is author of?One Idea Is All It Takes ?and numerous publications & articles, including :

1. Another GREAT Day in Africa!
2. Confessions of a SERIAL Entrepreneur
3. Here's How To Be Well-Prepared For YOUR Cycles Of Success
4. Here's How YOU Can Make A Meaningful Difference In Other People's Lives
5. COMRADES Marathon: Metaphor For The Marathon Of Life
6. Riding the wild, wild River Of Life
7. Life Lessons Learnt as a Dusi Rat