“A tribe is a symbiotic relationship between the leader and the tribe. Like a brain, the leader accepts and responds to feedback from its nervous system”.
– J –
Since Seth Godin (A modern day Hero) redefined the relationships of large clicks and social communities as tribes, the virtual landscape has taken a turn into an entirely new world. Leadership has been redefined from a relationship where one person controls the group to a relationship where one person highly influences the group. There is less of a mind over body paradigm and now focuses on more of an integrated system of giving, and taking.
Leaders are elected not born:
In the past, people were influenced to believe that the alpha or the head of any organization could simply say they were the head of the organization and as long as they were in the organization argued they were in charge. It’s kind of like the “it’s happening to me,” and it’s not worth my effort to fight it attitude. This carried us for hundreds of years; usually the more affluent or intelligent would assume the responsibility of managing.
Now when someone wishes to be a leader, it’s much more dynamic. In fact, the elected leader does not wish to be a leader. They would reject the request of their tribe to lead if given their own choice. In some cases, someone has a vision that must be completed. They are simply on a purpose that must be completed and they attract people who have the same belief as they do. However, they still generally ask many polls and focus groups or masterminds to make sure the tribe is headed in the correct direction.
Social Tribes:
Because we spend more time with the people we work with then our family, it can sometimes be very lonely at the top. Therefore, social sites such as Face-Book, Google + and Linked In, we can connect with groups that share our like mind. For live and in person I like the website meet-up. It’s a great way to meet locals of the same mind and journey. Sometimes a live person can meet your emotional requirements better than a virtual person. Even using video chatting systems still lack the kinesthetic contact that live events offer. Interestingly enough many Social Groups or Social Tribes have a leader who acts more as a curator or moderator more than a leader. Each person in this model will take turns directing or leading the tribe.
So who’s in charge here?
Social Networking and the internet as a whole has truly allowed a new kind of leader to develop. Not one based on a totalitarian dictatorship, but instead a curator or moderator position who simply redirects conversations back to the focus topic. The new paradigm affords much more flexibility and a faster more efficient dynamic output. New ideas and concepts are answered as a result of the new way of handling the leadership. By not putting all of the responsibility on one person, the group can achieve its desired outcomes much more quickly and have opportunities to seek goals It may not have chased in the past. This also allows organizations to be much more flexible and to have access to resources it may not have been afforded in the past.
– J –