People Want to Follow; Are You Ready to Lead?

I’ve been thinking about the terminology that we use to describe our relationships on various social networks.  I “follow” people on Twitter and people “follow” me back.  I have “friends” on Facebook.  I am “linked” to people on LinkedIn.  The “follow” relationship is the one I find most fascinating.

When you “follow” someone, you:

• Accept them as a guide or leader
• Imitate or follow their example
• Watch their movement or progress

While I understand that my “followers” on Twitter probably don’t see me as a leader, there are certainly people on Twitter who I “follow” because I consider them thought leaders and I want to know what they’re reading and thinking. Think about it.  We never say that we “follow” a Web site, company or newsletter, but we do say that we “follow” someone’s blog.  I know I consider it a high compliment when someone tells me that they “follow” my blog.

In the book Tribes, marketing guru Seth Godin tells us it’s human nature to want to be part of a group that shares a common passion and recognizes the same leader; in other words, most of us want to be part of a tribe.  Further, Seth believes that using the Web and social networking tools, everyone can now find or assemble a tribe and lead it.

So I say to each of you and your organizations:  People want to follow, are you ready to lead?

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• Tags: leadership, social networking