ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Derek Sivers - Entrepreneur
Through his new project, MuckWork, Derek Sivers wants to lessen the burdens (and boredom) of creative people.

Why you should listen

Derek Sivers is best known as the founder of CD Baby. A professional musician since 1987, he started CD Baby by accident in 1998 when he was selling his own CD on his website, and friends asked if he could sell theirs, too. CD Baby was the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients.

In 2008, Sivers sold CD Baby to focus on his new ventures to benefit musicians, including his new company, MuckWork, where teams of efficient assistants help musicians do their "uncreative dirty work."

More profile about the speaker
Derek Sivers | Speaker | TED.com
TED2010

Derek Sivers: How to start a movement

Filmed:
8,596,071 views

With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)
- Entrepreneur
Through his new project, MuckWork, Derek Sivers wants to lessen the burdens (and boredom) of creative people. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
So, ladies and gentlemen, at TED
0
0
2000
Ndi ohaneze, na TED
00:17
we talk a lot about leadership and how to make a movement.
1
2000
3000
anyi na ekwu maka ichi na otu ibido ihe
00:20
So let's watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under three minutes
2
5000
3000
Ka anyi lee anya otu ihe na aga, site na mbido ruo na ngwucha, na ikeji ato
00:23
and dissect some lessons from it.
3
8000
3000
ma mutakwa ihe ona akuzi
00:26
First, of course you know, a leader needs the guts
4
11000
2000
Nke mbu, okwa unu ma na onye na edu kwesiri igbasike
00:28
to stand out and be ridiculed.
5
13000
3000
ime ihe ndi ozo ga eji chia ya ochi.
00:32
But what he's doing is so easy to follow.
6
17000
2000
mana ihe o na eme di mfe iso
00:34
So here's his first follower with a crucial role;
7
19000
3000
Ebe a onye mbu na eso ya nwere oru di ezigbo mkpa
00:37
he's going to show everyone else how to follow.
8
22000
2000
oga egosi nmadu nile otu ha ga esi eso
00:39
Now, notice that the leader embraces him as an equal.
9
24000
2000
Ugbu a, lee ka onye na edu ga esi gbako ya ka ha bu nwanna
00:41
So, now it's not about the leader anymore;
10
26000
2000
Ugbu a, obughikwa maka onye na edu
00:43
it's about them, plural.
11
28000
2000
obu maka ha abuo,
00:45
Now, there he is calling to his friends.
12
30000
2000
Ugbu a, o na akpo ndi enyi ya.
00:47
Now, if you notice that the first follower
13
32000
2000
Ugbu a, unu ga ahu na onye na eso na mbu
00:49
is actually an underestimated form of leadership in itself.
14
34000
4000
buzi ezigbo onye isi na onwe ya
00:53
It takes guts to stand out like that.
15
38000
2000
ona bu inwe obi ikwu cha puta otu anwu
00:55
The first follower is what transforms
16
40000
3000
onye izizi na eso bu onye gbanwe
00:58
a lone nut into a leader.
17
43000
2000
onye noru onwe ya to onye ndu
01:00
(Laughter)
18
45000
2000
(imu amu)
01:02
(Applause)
19
47000
3000
(iku aka)
01:05
And here comes a second follower.
20
50000
2000
onye nke ibou na eso abia
01:07
Now it's not a lone nut, it's not two nuts --
21
52000
2000
kita oburuzi ofu onye or nmadu abou,
01:09
three is a crowd, and a crowd is news.
22
54000
3000
nmadu ato bu igwe, igwe bu news
01:12
So a movement must be public.
23
57000
2000
so iga na iru ga bu na iro
01:14
It's important to show not just to show the leader, but the followers,
24
59000
3000
odi nkpa, not just igosi onye na edu, mana igosi ndi na eso
01:17
because you find that new followers
25
62000
2000
maka na ndi ofu na eso
01:19
emulate the followers, not the leader.
26
64000
3000
na eso ndi na eso, not onye na edu
01:22
Now, here come two more people, and immediately after,
27
67000
2000
kita, odi nmadu nabu na abia and ozugbo
01:24
three more people.
28
69000
2000
nmadu ito more
01:26
Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point.
29
71000
2000
kita anyi weh momentum. Oge anu wa ka anyi akwuru
01:28
Now we've got a movement.
30
73000
3000
kita ka anyi ga agawu ibido
01:32
So, notice that, as more people join in,
31
77000
2000
so, nee ka ndi nmadu na join
01:34
it's less risky.
32
79000
2000
odi less risky
01:36
So those that were sitting on the fence before, now have no reason not to.
33
81000
3000
ndi kno ani na fence, kita nwe reason not to
01:39
They won't stand out,
34
84000
2000
ha ama kwuchapu
01:41
they won't be ridiculed,
35
86000
2000
ha ama di ridiculed
01:43
but they will be part of the in-crowd if they hurry.
36
88000
2000
mana ha ga abu ofu na ime igwe ma ha gasia ike
01:45
(Laughter)
37
90000
3000
(imu amu)
01:48
So, over the next minute,
38
93000
2000
So, over the next minute
01:50
you'll see all of those that prefer to stick with the crowd
39
95000
2000
Iga afu ndi ga a prefer ikwu with igwe
01:52
because eventually they would be ridiculed
40
97000
2000
maka eventually ha ga adi ridiculed
01:54
for not joining in.
41
99000
2000
maka na ha a joinuro
01:56
And that's how you make a movement.
42
101000
2000
and otu anwo ka ige esi abido ihe
01:58
But let's recap some lessons from this.
43
103000
2000
mana kanyi che maka ihe anyi mu ta
02:00
So first, if you are the type,
44
105000
3000
ife izizi, obu na gi di ka
02:03
like the shirtless dancing guy that is standing alone,
45
108000
3000
onye anwu na ehiro efe na agba eqwu na onwe ya
02:06
remember the importance of nurturing
46
111000
2000
rota na odi nmkpa nurturing
02:08
your first few followers as equals
47
113000
2000
ndi izizi na eso gi ka unu abu ogbo
02:10
so it's clearly about the movement, not you.
48
115000
3000
so, obu maka ibodo ihe and not gi
02:13
Okay, but we might have missed the real lesson here.
49
118000
3000
Okay, mana anyi we ike ilofu ihe anyi na amu eba
02:16
The biggest lesson, if you noticed --
50
121000
2000
nukwu te ihe akuzi, if you noticed
02:18
did you catch it? -- is that leadership
51
123000
2000
obu na ige nti -- bu na idu
02:20
is over-glorified.
52
125000
2000
di over-glorified
02:22
That, yes, it was the shirtless guy who was first,
53
127000
2000
na, yes, obu onye na ehiro efe bu uzo
02:24
and he'll get all the credit,
54
129000
2000
nya na ewuru afa nine
02:26
but it was really the first follower
55
131000
2000
mana obu onye izizi na iso uzo
02:28
that transformed the lone nut into a leader.
56
133000
3000
ga atuhari ofu onye ka oburu onye ndu
02:31
So, as we're told that we should all be leaders,
57
136000
2000
so, ka ha gwaru anyi na anyi nine ga abu ndi ndu
02:33
that would be really ineffective.
58
138000
2000
ihe anwu enwero isi
02:35
If you really care about starting a movement,
59
140000
2000
obu na odi gi ka ifu ibido ihe
02:37
have the courage to follow
60
142000
2000
inwe ume weh soru
02:39
and show others how to follow.
61
144000
2000
yana igosi ndi nmadu uzo
02:41
And when you find a lone nut doing something great,
62
146000
2000
and oge ifu onye noru onwe ya na eme ihe di egwu
02:43
have the guts to be the first one
63
148000
2000
nweru obi ibu onye izizi
02:45
to stand up and join in.
64
150000
2000
ikwuru oto na ibanye
02:47
And what a perfect place to do that, at TED.
65
152000
2000
owero ebe ka nma ime ya na aburo, TED.
02:49
Thanks.
66
154000
2000
daru
02:51
(Applause)
67
156000
11000
(iku aka)
Translated by Chichi Etteh
Reviewed by TED Open Translation

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Derek Sivers - Entrepreneur
Through his new project, MuckWork, Derek Sivers wants to lessen the burdens (and boredom) of creative people.

Why you should listen

Derek Sivers is best known as the founder of CD Baby. A professional musician since 1987, he started CD Baby by accident in 1998 when he was selling his own CD on his website, and friends asked if he could sell theirs, too. CD Baby was the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients.

In 2008, Sivers sold CD Baby to focus on his new ventures to benefit musicians, including his new company, MuckWork, where teams of efficient assistants help musicians do their "uncreative dirty work."

More profile about the speaker
Derek Sivers | Speaker | TED.com