How to Be a Leader in a Crowd, Not a Follower

During the McCarthy era, government spies infiltrated underground political rallies to determine who was "dangerous to

national security." The agents were trained applause watchers.

They photographed and investigated men who clapped first,

shouted "Bravo" the loudest, and smiled the longest at the end of

politically inflammatory speeches. The spies dubbed those the

"dangerous ones." The infiltrators felt first responders were confident cats who had the power to persuade followers and the

charisma to lead crowds.

In less politically sensitive gatherings, the same principle

applies. People who respond first to a presentation or happening,

without looking around to see how everyone else is reacting, are

men and women of leadership caliber.

Cool Cats Clap First

You are sitting in an auditorium with hundreds of fellow employees listening to the president of your firm introduce a new concept. As you're slouching anonymously in the audience, you think

your expression is invisible to the man or woman at the podium.

Not so! As a speaker, I guarantee you every one of my colleagues

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How to Be a Leader

in a Crowd, Not a

Follower

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sees every smile, every frown, every light in every eye, and every

emblem of extraordinary human intelligence flashing back at him

or her.

Likewise, the company president making a presentation anxiously surveys his corporate jungle and, from the pusses peering

back at him, senses which employees are sympathetic and which

are not. He also knows which in the sea of faces floating in front

of him has the potential to be a heavy hitter like himself. How?

Because heavy hitters, even when they do not agree with the

speaker, support the podium pontificator. Why? Because they

know what it's like to be on. They know, no matter how big or little the cat at the front of the room is, when giving a speech he's

concerned about the crowd's acceptance.

When the company big shot delivers his last line, carefully

contrived to bring the crowd to its feet or employees to acquiescence, do you think he's unaware of who starts the trickle, or the

riptide, of acceptance? No way! Though his head is down while

taking a bow, with the insight of a McCarthy-era spy, he perceives

334 How to Talk to Anyone

Technique #91

Lead the Listeners

No matter how prominent the big cat behind the

podium is, crouched inside is a little scaredy-cat who is

anxious about the crowd's acceptance.

Big winners recognize you're a fellow big winner

when they see you leading their listeners in a positive

reaction. Be the first to applaud or publicly commend

the man or woman you agree with (or want favors

from).

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precisely who inaugurated the applause, precisely how long after

the last words were uttered, and precisely how enthusiastically!

Being the first to put your hands together, being the first to jump

to your feet, and, if appropriate, being the first to shout "Bravo,"

gets you big cat status with the tiger who was talking.

Be the first clapper no matter how small the crowd, no matter how informal the talk. Don't wait to see how everyone else is

going to respond. Even if it's a small group of three or four people standing around, be the first to empathize with the speaker's

ideas, the first to mutter "good idea." It's proof positive you're a

person who trusts his or her own instincts.