FACEBOOK has a fun feature. You can become a "fan" of someone or something. Become a fan of a person, a place, a thing, a cause, an event, an idea . . . you name it and you can become a fan of it.
Of course the best fans are RAVING FANS. Not Raven Fans, although this year Raven Fans are becoming Raving Fans. (Like the guy to the right who touches the toe of Johnny Unitas in Unitas Plaza, before every game.) Detroit Lions fans are becoming extinct. Raving Fans of the Yankees are just deluded Fanatics who should be penalized for spending obscene amounts of money to buy a world series championship. But I digress . . .
Raving Fans love whatever it is they are a fan of. Think very high levels of energy, enthusiasm, commitment, faith, perseverance and then spreading the good news about whatever it is you are a fan of.
Casual fans don't do this. Lukewarm fans don't do this. Fair-weather fans don't do this. Bi-polar fans don't do this. But Raving Fans . . .
The really good leaders are Raving Fans of certain core things and they relentlessly promote those things. The truly great leaders are those who are able to turn Lukewarm Fans into more Raving Fans.
Do this and you have a movement. Fail to do it and maybe you have a club.
And this point is tricky . . . you can only be a Raving Fan about a few things. It is not possible to be a Raving Fan Flavor of the Month kind of leader.
What are you a Raving Fan about? Why are you a Raving Fan? And the litmus test - how quickly do others identify you as a Raving Fan?
Take a minute and write down the TOP THREE THINGS of which you are a Raving Fan.
Let me go one step further and ask: Is anyone a Raving Fan about you and what you are doing?
Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
