President Obama - Leaders & First Followers

“Leadership is not self-proclaimed but a receivership presented to a leader by their first follower.”

President Obama, who are your first followers?   Who are those persons who stand beside you which others consider or is considered to be your equal and as important in the development of bringing about “change”?  That person which makes your viewpoints more credible and believable.   Did you see the recent media coverage regarding your ISIS/terrorist plan - 65% disapproval.  There’s two messages within this rating; (1) your approach is not credible, and (2) your approach is not working.

For a leader to lead a business, a sports team, a nation, there must be a first follower in their mist.  This brave person who carries the flag into battle which others follow with cause.   So why does society focus solely on the leader?   Perhaps we want to believe the leader alone has the brilliant answers, political influence, or the singular ability to bring about change.  This couldn’t be further from reality.

Turning the situation around?   Begin by having a first follower, this is a transformer, i.e. the person who transforms a leader’s ideas and viewpoints into credible and believable solutions which others follow passionately.      Take ISIS as an example, the first follower transforms a radical idiot into a leader whose business model is murder which many practice.

Handling the ridicule?  Your first follower is charismatic, brave and willing to risk ridicule as you do. However, once a single person follows the first follower, it becomes less risky for others to join, ridicule diminishes, a movement emerges, and solutions are inherent, e.g. battles are won.   As many people follow the first follower, it becomes riskier to sit on the sidelines.  The table has now turned, the sideliners are seen cowardly – their arguments are less of a solution – they fall by the road side. 

President Obama, you’re presidency has received tremendous ridicule, more than any other president in my lifetime and now added criticism for not taking first chair on this war on terror.   Seek out your first follower, this brave person others accept as an equal and who’ll generate great enthusiasms which you and our world leaders must have to create a movement which ends terrorist organizations like ISIS. 

Likewise, ISIS is a movement, without the first follower their leader’s become vulnerable, their flock weakens, and the domino’s fall. 

Final thought.  If the leader is the flint the first follower is the spark - together they ignite "change" in our world.

VS