Q: How can/do you inspire action and loyalty with your
audiences by knowing and engaging them in your journey?
Wavy Gravy (aka Hugh Romney) is the peace-loving hippie
commune leader brought in to provide security for Woodstock in 1969. His
approach in leading his followers and his “Please Force” at Woodstock
illustrate two lessons we might all benefit from considering.
Lesson #1: Inspire action and loyalty by sharing a
life-changing vision. The Hog Farm, the commune founded by Hugh in the ‘60s,
has morphed over the decades, but is the longest-running commune in the U.S.
This kind of sustainability only happens when we share a vision others can buy
into, then see results from.
Lesson #2: Know and engage your audience. Wavy Gravy
knew the attendees at Woodstock were there to escape reality and have a good
time. They didn’t need police. They needed someone to say “please” in
soliciting everyone’s assistance in maintaining order.
I can only imagine the clash that may have erupted between
iron-fisted law enforcement officers and this anti-establishment group if
traditional policing had spearheaded security at the festival. It could have
been monumentally historic—and not in a good way.
So…how can/do you inspire action and loyalty with your audiences by knowing and engaging them in your journey? Discover how at bwpope.com/secretdoor