Hidden Benefits of Being a Follower

This blog is about how to make your thought leadership more visible, to do good in the world.  But sometimes, it pays to be a follower, not a leader.  Let me explain. 

Last year, I looked for affordable technology that would support a dream--to have an Internet version of a talk show. Two webcams, broadcast via the Internet to others who could see and hear a conversation with myself and a guest, talking about an interesting topic.  Add in the ability for the audience to ask questions live, and you get an Internet talk show.

The problem was that I couldn't find a service that was both affordable and reliable. I asked smart people in related industries and still, no one knew of anything that fit what I needed.

While I was frustrated, I knew it was a just matter of time before the service I needed would be available, from a startup, as a beta.  It's what I've seen repeatedly happen in the last few years with technology.  This includes the webinar platform space, which seems to be ultra-competitive these days. (Established vendors, like Webex and Gotomeeting, should be worried at this point.)

I found my answer on a private Facebook group, for participants of Pamela Slim's Power Teaching course.  A woman who had taken the course last year posted remarks about BigMarker.com, describing her experience with the service, as well as the features that it provided over and above the competition, for *free*.  Yes, it's in beta. Yes, there are glitches.  Yes, their site could be better organized. But what they offer is exactly what I've been looking for. 

Here's the important part. I found what I needed by being a follower--by being part of Pamela Slim's tribe, and then going deeper into the experience by buying a course on what she knows from her decades of teaching, first as an instructional designer for corporate training and now as an entrepreneur. 

Being part of the eco-system of a thought leader is not just learning from the thought leader. It's learning from others who are following that thought leader. It's what comes from joining a vibrant community, that's started by a wisdom entrepreneur.