"As a leader, you have to give people something to follow." Whether you're leading a business or an army, setting fashion trends or creating music. If you want to LEAD, then you need people to FOLLOW you. Think about it literally... As a leader you're not just setting an example, you're actually giving people something (an idea, a belief, a mission, a project) to follow. A good leader can get lots of people to follow along because whatever they're 'selling' is enticing enough to follow along to. People sign up and follow along voluntarily. This is how we all function....
A person wakes up in the morning. / They roll over and grab their phone. / They read their favorite blog and check up on their favorite Instagram account. / They'll be even more eager to check-in if they know there's something new and exciting waiting for them...a development they've been anticipating.
We LOVE checkin' in on people. We love watching our friend's baby bellies grow larger. We love watching that chubby girl from high school post her 'getting in shape' pictures on Facebook. We love watching a mural painting on a building come to life day by day. We LOVE watching progress.
As a musician, wouldn't it be more fun if your "followers" actually become FOLLOWERS. They don't just 'follow' you on Facebook, they literally wake up and FOLLOW you along the way every day; as you write a new song, as you compile your album, as you go on tour, as you go from someone who is unknown to someone who is crazy famous etc...
The key here is that as the artists WE have to create something worth following. Don't just expect people to love you because you think you're good at playing an instrument. You actually have to provide them with an outline of WHAT they are following. Tell them about this project that you're working on; label all of your social media posts and give updates constantly referring to this project. This way they aren't just bombarded with random photos and soundbites - they'll understand how it all fits together and they'll see the work coming together and they'll get interested and emotionally invested and following YOUR project will become a part of THEIR life...a daily ritual of checkin-in and FOLLOWING along as you LEAD them somewhere super cool.
The idea is that your followers are excited about your project more than they are excited about you (unless YOU are the project or something lol). They don't just listen to your music because they like you. They listen because they actually care about the music itself. Create something that people are hungry to follow. That's how I want to lead....by creating something fascinating and fantastic. This requires going off the beaten track. ;) Still searching for my take off point. hehe
Be a Leader and Create Something Worth Following
-Cha