We have a tendency to romanticize the person who brings us innovative, new, or breakthrough solutions to sticky problems. The lightbulb (Edison), the automobile (Ford), X-rays (Curie), and more, we put the person who brought it to the masses on a pedestal, look to them as someone to emulate, someone we can learn from, who can teach us, too, to break boundaries and otherwise go down in history as the people who move our society forward.
In actuality, though, there are typically a whole host of people in the background who, if it weren’t for their brave acts and dogged determination, these innovations would have never seen the light of day. These people play any number of roles, from the spouse or partner who kept the home running smoothly so that the inventor could be freed up to do their ground breaking work, to the assistant who asked just the right probing questions at just the right time, to the researchers who crunched the numbers, to the competitor who drove the inventor to continue their pursuit, to the early adopters who provided feedback and guidance, innovation rarely comes from a single mind working in a vacuum, isolated and alone. Nevertheless, as a society, we tend to ignore these people, the ones who added their effort to the cause and put their reputation on the line for the figurehead.
One such role that is almost always overlooked is the “first follower”. This is the very first person to adopt the innovation. Almost always overlooked, this is the person who had the courage to join the “lone nut”, to stand up and stand out, to announce to the world that they believe in and support the radical new concept.
This role is even more risky than that of the inventor because this person is putting their reputation on the line. They are the first outward manifestation of support for the new idea. Because humans are wired for connection and belonging, it is risky to be the lone supporter of something new and different. You need courage, determination, and gumption to step into this role. And not every cause you decide to champion will succeed, which will leave you feeling dejected, like you wasted your time and clout, questioning your morals and belief system.
But this role is so vital to the success of a new concept, that without it, the idea will almost certainly die on the vine. So why is it, then, that we spend so much money and effort on developing “leaders” who we encourage to be the inventor, rather than the first follower? Our spending on the leadership training industry has increased year over year for literally decades. Meanwhile, the majority of people in leadership positions continue to act in their own best interest, attempting to be recognized as the inventor and helping themselves and those above them extract value up and out of the organization.
Maybe we need to rethink our leadership development models. Maybe they should be based less on being first, on leading the way, on forging a new path, and instead on being the first follower, the one who supports the new idea, who removes obstacles, and who puts their name and reputation on the line to stand up for what’s right for their employees, their organization, their community and society as a whole.
As we turn the page on 2025 and step into a new business year, let’s do out best to champion the first follower. To recognize their courage and hard work on behalf of difficult but morally just actions the world over. And let’s strive to be first followers ourselves. Because we’ll never achieve the thriving and vibrant workplaces and communities we strive for if we don’t stick our necks out there for the good ideas that will get us there.
Watch Derek Sivers’ First Follower video, complete with his commentary, on you tube here: https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ?si=BqwyIhC0gQYcu1Wa
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