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In a sec I’m going to tell you about Jim, my first follower, but first I have to tell you about this 3-min video.

It starts with a lone nut dancing at an outdoor concert. Then he’s joined by another nut: the first follower. To be a leader you need followers. Someone, at least one person, needs to say “that person is onto something.”

The video has 8m views and it gets me every time I watch it.

Check it out here.

Here are some quotes from the video:

• Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership
• The first follower has a crucial role: publicly showing everyone else how to follow
• New followers emulate followers, not the leader
• The leader may get the credit, but it’s the first follower that turns the lone nut into a leader
• The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow

One thing about this video, it’s so great how the leader treats the first follower as an equal. There’s no elitism here. The leader does not say “Hey, you, get off a my cloud.” Instead the leader says, “So great that you’re here! Isn’t this fun?”

Now about Jim, my first follower, when I was a lone nut. Jim and I were in high school together; a boarding school in Indiana with mandatory chapel every Sunday morning. With much teenage bravado I asked the school Chaplain if I could give the sermon one Sunday. He let me. Jim was in the audience and apparently loved it. He thought, “that person is onto something.” In a place where I felt out of place, at a time of much self-doubt, Jim believed in me. He showed interest in whatever I did.

Since high school, with every big thing in my life, Jim has been cheering me on. He has told me and showed me in so many ways: I believe in you. He was especially enthusiastic about the Make Shift Coffee Houses that I ran and he rallied nominations and endorsements for that award I got. He was a big fan of my one-page tips and often publicly commented on them, and shared them as they were published. He edited an early edition of Together We Decide and gave me much support and advice about the writing and publishing.

When I posted on the internet that I was looking for a Taylor Swift ticket, Jim found one for me. Yes. Ask me about the show. Munich. July 28. It was aMAZing. Here’s a photo from before the show started.

When just ONE person believes in you, it can change your whole outlook on life. This is why every child needs at least one adult who they KNOW, believes in them. And as adults we partner-up with people who believe in us. When multiple people believe in you, you gain influence as a leader. People want to know what you think and where you’re headed. Jim always asks me, “What’s next Craig?”

I will be forever grateful to Jim for getting me that ticket. The show was the time of a life.

Thank you, Jim.

I’m a leader because I have a follower.