Capitalogix

Leadership Lessons of a Shirtless Dancing Guy

You don't need a formal setting to learn about leadership.

Derek Sivers gave this 3-minute talk at a TED conference.

You can watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, while he points-out some of the lessons.

 

 
 
A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he's doing is so simple, it's almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it's not about the leader anymore - it's about them, plural. Notice he's calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself. Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.

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.

Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we've got a movement!

As more people jump in, it's no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join now. They won't be ridiculed, they won't stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you'll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they'd be ridiculed for not joining.

And ladies and gentlemen that is how a movement is made! Let's recap what we learned:

If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

Be public. Be easy to follow!

But the biggest lesson here - did you catch it?

Leadership is over-glorified.

Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he'll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

There is no movement without the first follower.

We're told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective.

The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

---

Original video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk

Official transcript at http://sivers.org/ff

Related articles

• Special Interview with Derek Sivers (marketingovercoffee.com)

Video Mashup of Presidents 'Singing' the Star Spangled Banner

This was fun.

Presidents from Truman to Obama come together for a rousing rendition of our national anthem.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

 

Hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend.

Here is a Simple Test of Attention and Focus I Bet You'll Fail

In my experience, managing attention is harder than it seems.

Let's start with something easy ...  Do nothing for 2 minutes. 

Here is a link to a website that will let you try to do that.

 

Focus can be pretty fragile if it isn't a conscious choice.

OK, Let's Try Something a Little More Challenging.

Controlling your body by doing nothing is one thing; but, controlling your mind is something else altogether.

To get a sense about this, here is a seemingly easy challenge ... simply listen to a favorite song.

The challenge is how you can truly do that without losing focus and having other thoughts intrude (for example, without thinking about your to-do list or other songs that you like, or who you're going to meet with later in the day, etc.)?  For me, the answer was not that long.

Sometimes it feels like modern life causes attention deficit disorder.

Attention Deficit Can Be Dangerous If You Aren't Aware of It.

Yet, losing focus while trading, in business, or even during a simple conversation - can have serious consequences.

When you are not aware of your focus, I bet it wanders.  Mine does; I get distracted easily. 

It didn't take long for me to realize that this happened to me while talking to my wife, while listening to a telephone call, even when ordering food at a restaurant. How can I lose focus on the waitress while I was ordering? Apparently, quite easily.

How about you?  When you're listening to someone talk to you, are you really listening to them - or are you checking e-mail, texting, browsing a website, watching TV, playing a game, or thinking about what you're going to say? 

Be honest with yourself; how often are you fully present?  For me, the answer was not nearly enough.

Practice Mind Control.

Try listening to one song with your full attention and focus. 

Now, imagine how different a conversation with someone important to you would be if you were consciously aware of your intent for them to experience being heard the whole time they were speaking to you.

Maybe it is easier to recognize how different it is for you when someone is truly present and focused on you when you talk with them?

If you want to explore more activities like this, pick up a copy of Dianne Collins' book "Do You QuantumThink".  It has dozens of clever ways to wake back up and operate on a higher level.

 

Bohemian Rhapsody Played on the Ukulele at TED

And now for something a little different.

Jake Shimabukuro strums some big sounds out of the tiny Hawaiian ukelele. 

Here he plays a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”  

 

(Recorded at TED2010, February 2010, in Long Beach, CA. Duration: 7:08).

Click here for a different take on Queen's Classic. It made me smile.

Also, if you want to hear a different use of the Ukulele, try this video from U900.

Related articles

• Jake Shimabukuro, an Un-Hawaiian Ukulele Virtuoso, Is Finding His Hawaiian Side (spinner.com)
• Music Review: A Carefully Honed Image as a Master of the Ukulele (nytimes.com)
• Jake Shimabukuro: "143 (Kelly's Song)" (texasmusicmatters.kut.org)

"Imagine" - A New Song Around the World, by Playing For Change

Here is something worth sharing for the holiday season and new year. It is a video of different musicians, playing around the globe, combining their talents to create a new version of of John Lennon's classic, "Imagine".  Here is the video.

 

Imagine from Playing For Change Foundation on Vimeo.

Here is a link to "Stand By Me".  And here are more Playing For Change videos. 

Song Around the World.

It toook almost a year for the Playing For Change crew to complete John Lennon's "Imagine." Like other Song Around the World productions, it is played by various musicians from around the world.

Creating this piece took the crew from the favelas of Brazil to the shrines of southern India, from villages in Nepal to the glittering urban landscape of Tokyo and New York, and beyond.

The filmmakers asked musicians to record their version of the song by themselves. The finished project combines these performances to create an a "music video" of these artists playing together.

The Playing For Change Foundation and Yoko Ono joined together to launch the Power to the People campaign. The campaign seeks to advance John Lennon’s vision of peace by engaging artists and audiences to contribute to music education programs worldwide. Proceeds raised will help build music schools, support teachers and music programs, purchase instruments, and connect schools for cross-cultural learning and conflict resolution across borders.  As they say "Music IS the power: Power to the People."

Find out more at Playing For Change.

Related Articles

• John Lennon's 10 Best Songs, as chosen by Yoko Ono (current.com)
• Playing for Change Connects the World Through Music (abcnews.go.com)
• Playing For Change Foundation and Theatre Within Advance John Lennon's Vision for Peace With POWER TO THE PEOPLE Campaign (prnewswire.com)
• Street Musicians From Across The World Play For Change (npr.org)

Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song Video

With Thanksgiving coming this week, I thought this would help you get in the holiday spirit.  In case you forgot, Thanksgiving is an annual tradition of observing how people used to communicate before the Internet.

Click the image below to watch "Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song".

 

 

This Thanksgiving, cherish the time spent with your family as a reminder of why you moved very far away from your family.

My belt is already unbuckled.

Related articles

• Anecdotal Evidence: Shoppers Out in Full Force (ritholtz.com)
• What Are You Thankful For? (lifehack.org)

Laurel and Hardy Meet Santana

This video has virtually nothing to do with business or trading, other than being creative.

Still, smiling is good  ... and laughing is better.  Hopefully, you will enjoy this as much as I did. 

Watch Laurel and Hardy dance with Santana's "Oye Como Va" as the music track.  It fits surprisingly well.

 

 

The Internet Is Apparently for Porn

My Internet provider recently doubled the speed of service in our area.  Seemingly everyone I tell makes a joke about quicker access to porn.  In that spirit, here are two videos poking fun at that.

First, the Onion jokes that Congress passed the Pornographic Media Concealment Act, to hide this generation's porn habit from future generations. 

Congress Announces Plan To Hide Nation's Porn From Future Generations

And here is "The Internet Is For Porn", a number from Avenue Q. Here are the lyrics.

That was a funny show, and worth seeing if you get the chance.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How Big Is the SEC's Porn Problem? (abcnews.go.com)
• Library of Congress to store all tweets since 2006? (broadstuff.com)
• South Park creators to debut Broadway musical (cbc.ca)

Un-Plugged ... So You Can Hear the Talent.

Back to a Simpler Time ... and Sound.

I miss real music.  Recently, a lot of what's popular seems technologically-enhanced, over-produced, and auto-tuned.

That's why I like VH-1's Unplugged site.  It is showcases talent stripped of the pyrotechnics and glossy production. What's left are the artist and the art.

Here are a couple examples.

Daughtry.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Adam Lambert.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Sara Bareilles.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Helping Haiti Videos - Everybody Hurts and We Are the World 25

Here are two videos worth watching, in part for the music ... and in part for their larger purpose.  They were made to draw attention and raise funds to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

The first is a remake of the R.E.M. classic, “Everybody Hurts”.  Simon Cowell-produced it; and it is very well done.

Here is the link if you want to watch the Making of Helping Haiti - Everybody Hurts documentary.  And here is the link to read the story behind the video.  And, here is a longer version.

The second is a re-make of We Are the World.  Quincy Jones is at again, with a different list of stars and a different cause.  Here is the video.

And here are links to the We Are the World website. and the story behind the re-make.