The Ice Bucket Challenge, also known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, involved people dumping ice water over their heads to raise awareness (and money) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
This challenge went viral during the summer of 2014, raising more than $41.8 million. Everyone was participating- the list of videos on YouTube is extensive, with celebrity compilations.
So what? Well, this movement is an example of invisible leadership.
This is Nancy Frates. You might not know her by name, but she's the one who started the Ice Bucket Challenge Movement for ALS. Her TED Talk below explains how this movement came about after her son was diagnosed with ALS.
How is this invisible leadership? This wasn't about Nancy, it was about the movement. Invisible leadership is people coming together for a common purpose that inspires and motivates people to take action, just like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge did.
It wasn't about a charismatic person. Or some great inspirational leader. Or someone with all the right traits or skills. It was about an idea, about a mission, a goal. It was invisible leadership.
Invisible leadership isn't new, this phenomenon was first identified back in 1928.
We can see this happening throughout history... people are inspired by an idea that is bigger than the individuals within it.
The "leaders" are less important that the spirit behind the movement.
That's not to say there aren't leaders in the more traditional sense. The Civil Rights Movement could be characterized as a leaderless movement, but that doesn't mean that Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't an inspirational leader... but the Civil Rights Movement was bigger than one man.
Gill Robinson Hickman and Georgia J. Sorenson have written about this in their book, The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership.
They outline what they consider the "Essence of Invisible Leadership"...
-A compelling and deeply held common purpose
-A readiness to use individual strengths in a leadership or follower position without visible recognition or personal ego
-A strong shared bond among participants pursuing the common purpose
-A compelling and deeply held common purpose
-A readiness to use individual strengths in a leadership or follower position without visible recognition or personal ego
-A strong shared bond among participants pursuing the common purpose
You can read the entire first chapter online.
The point is, sometimes, we place too much emphasis on who is the leader... Or what skills or traits we need to be a good leader.
Sometimes, the best leader is the invisible, intangible leader... a common purpose, a common cause. It isn't about who's in charge- its about inspiring others, passing on the fire that motivates you.
So, if there's something you're passionate about, a movement or a change you want to start, let the purpose be the leader. Do what you can to pass along the passion, let the movement be the leader- it can spread and be bigger than one person.
I think the case study my group is working on is another good example. One student had an idea of how she could help fight food insecurity. The food pantry she created, 209 Manna Ministries, has grown. It now serves more than 100 students each month. It started off as one person's idea, but it's grown bigger beyond one person... and now that the founder is graduating, it will continue to grow, because of invisible leadership.
209 Manna Ministries has the essence of invisible leadership: Strong purpose, and individual who leaders without ego or a need for recognition, and a shared bond among the participants to work toward their shared goal.
