A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. The first follower turns the nut into a leader.
Link to Derek Sivers post about his TED presentation including transcript from video embedded below.
I expected nothing, but it got a standing ovation. Peter Gabriel came up to me afterwards and said it was “funny, profound, and important.”
From his presentation:
The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader.
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.
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.
It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.
HAVE THE GUTS TO BE THAT FIRST FOLLOWER!