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  • Find the Quiet Leaders

    Posted on May 18th, 2009 by Spike and currently 5 commenting.

    What a whirlwind last week was. The first half was full of friends, kindred spirits and the 3rd annual FIRE Sessions. And the second half was an amazing Word of Mouth Marketing Association Conference in Miami (and the Ritz, no less!). So many great people, different perspectives and a lot of great conversation.

    And as this whole WOMM thing keeps growing and evolving - especially with the rise of social media - there’s still SO many conversations around “influencers.” (Remember where we stand? We are fans of the passion model, because influence can be made, but passion can’t.) But a recent conversation got me to thinking about a whole new type of “influencer” that we all have in our circles, companies and fan base: The Quiet Leader.

    The Quiet Leader isn’t the one that those WOM marketers necessarily think about going after these days. They want the Oprahs of the world. But the quiet leaders are sometimes a lot more influential…

    Quiet Leaders let their actions speak louder than anyone’s words every could. People watch them intently and they don’t really know why.There is a strength in their silence and they chose their actions deliberately.

    Quiet Leaders leave the ego by the wayside. Ego is powerful, ugly beast that can easily take over a typical “influencer’s” life and when it does, they’re no longer leaders. Just noise.

    Quiet Leaders elevate those around them instead of constantly trying to elevate themselves. And when you elevate others, they never forget it. They are loyal. They are always happy to return the gesture.

    So don’t forget the silent leaders. They just might be the ones you’ve been overlooking, and could be the ones that are the key to your success. Because in this case - even though it may be counter-intuitive - silence is indeed golden.

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5 Responses to “Find the Quiet Leaders”

  1. Maria Reyes-McDavis May 18th, 2009 at 7:52 am

    Great, insightful post! I completely agree with your comment about quiet leaders often being the most influential within a market/audience segment. This is one of the many reasons it’s so important to really know and understand each and every segment of your market — you’re then able to find those quiet leaders. Good stuff.

  2. AJ May 19th, 2009 at 6:59 am

    That’s an interesting idea. Can you give us a real life example of a quiet leader and the influence they had on others? I’m a little confused about the concept right now.

  3. atul chatterjee May 20th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    What about the loud person who affects others? He is also worthy of study. To ignore him/her may be a loss. Yes, you have a point about going after quiet leaders. No one is going after them so they are an underutilized resource.

  4. TGIF Social Internet Marketing Weekly Wrap Up : Social Marketing Impact May 22nd, 2009 at 8:03 am

    [...] Finding the Quiet Leaders from Brains on Fire: Â Great, insightful post on finding that segment of your market that can be the most influential. [...]

  5. Don Frederiksen May 23rd, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    Geno,

    Nicely stated.

    Your notion of Quiet Leaders seems to be getting some quiet attention. David Brooks “In Praise of Dullness” has similar insight.
    http://bit.ly/l4FdF

    Thanks for your insight.
    Don

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