The other day I watched a great Ted Talk by Derek Sivers that can be seen here. I stumbled upon it after watching a couple of Simon Sinek’s talks about why we do what we do.
I watched Sivers’ talk a couple of time as it really hit home for me in that sometimes leadership does make you seem like a lone nut.
Do we attempt to lead in a way similar to what we are currently doing, the way things are currently done OR do we go out on a limb and find something that we want to do? something that we are truly interested in and feel passionately in?
When we decide to be a leader it is always easier to follow a path beaten by a predecessor and if this is something that we are interested in then the path of being a follower of a great leader is fairly easy as you ‘know what to do and how to do it’ if you wish to be a new version of an existing leader then you can simply fit in and make any changes you see fit as time passes by. But would anyone follow you because of your leadership style or would they even realise you are leading ? I had a discussion with a colleague of mine whom had taken on a new role that was a real challenge and way out of her comfort zone with few familiar points to it. The change she described to me was amazing. Sometimes the unknown is the best place of learning.
When we are presented with a new challenge, a ‘different’ challenge and we are given the opportunity to be the ‘lone nut’ we lead because we are invested and interested in the challenge. We believe in it and we want to work towards it. This is far harder !
I was presented a challenge of co-creating a mentoring program that changed our school timetable and was not popular as it was ‘not how we do things’ I believed in it and luckily had a couple of co leaders who had the same vision as I. We were lone nuts in a sea of calm. This was a big challenge and took a lot of work to keep up a positive and passionate outlook. Our belief in our movement was what kept us going. Being the lone nut was made easier by the fact that there were 3 of us !
So a new challenge presented itself, one path was familiar and easy to continue with, the other was unknown and did not have a recipe book. I became the lone nut. It was exciting but then terrifying!
I realised I had to surround myself with people who thought the same way as me. Once we amassed more followers it became easier to move the project forward. We were building the plane as we were flying it (another great clip) and we needed to have a group of passionate and invested people with us. I have the belief in this program and am finding my way along the pathway of building a team of first followers so that in a year we have a movement and not just me …. ‘the lone nut’.
So why was I the right leader for this project?, at times I have wondered this and fallen into the pit of doubt, the imposter syndrome overtakes. But it is at these times you go back to your why, why are we doing this?, why is this important?, why did I take on this challenge in the first place? Always go back to your why then it makes it easier to be that ‘lone nut’
Sivers makes a very important point and that is that you must nurture your first few followers as they are the ones that change you from a lone nut to a leader. Find these people and listen to them, learn from them and work with them. Then you go from a lone nut to a leader who has a great bunch of people around them. This is often called finding your tribe. This is so much easier with social networks as your PLN, find your tribe here or in person and listen to them and learn from them. In this way, you will continue to grow and extend yourself.
So the read already travelled is often the easier way, but is it as rewarding as being a lone nut? Are the gains bigger being the lone nut?
It is harder without a doubt but I believe that being the lone nut with a clear direction, passion and belief will pay off far more in the long run and you will grow as a person far more. Bring your tribe with you and grow more lone nuts into great leaders. Now, that’s a movement!