The word guru originally comes from Sanskrit and means “great spiritual master or teacher.” Today the term is used to describe everyone from Deepak Chopra to Suze Orman. While being a guru may no longer have a spiritual connotation, attaining this status still comes with big benefits—among which is the ability to charge top dollar for your expertise. Consultants, coaches, and service providers of every stripe know this, and as such regularly enroll in courses, hire experts, and read business books to try to figure out how to get there.
Real gurus, however, know that taking a rational approach to guru-hood is useless. They realize that it is only by tapping into the most primal, emotional, and irrational parts of human nature that they can get hordes of followers to become addicted to them.
Fortunately, you too can achieve guru-hood by modeling those who have already gotten there.
Below are four steps the most successful gurus have all taken to master the attention-getting game.
Step 1: Become a Magus
Throughout history certain people have always presented themselves as having an exclusive and intimate understanding of how the universe really works. To demonstrate this quality, they have gone to great lengths to set themselves apart by wearing unique articles of clothing, making bold pronouncements of truth, and regularly performing great feats (or at least appearing to). Depending on the era, these powerful characters have gone by many different names—sorcerers…wizards…magi.
To become a guru, you must adopt the strategies that magi in every era have used to mark themselves as exceptional beings. Adopt an identifiable style of clothing (see: Steve Jobs’ signature turtlenecks). Speak with a distinctive tone of voice without ever showing a hint of doubt (see: Gary Vaynerchuk’s uber-confident rasp). Get caught accomplishing amazing feats (see: Richard Branson’s Transatlantic hot air balloon rides).
Step 2: Write a Bible
Ryan Holiday, the legendary promoter of notorious gurus like Arianna Huffington (Thrive), Vani Hari (The Food Babe Way), and Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Body), has a deep belief in ink and paper as a guru-building tool. “We place an inordinate amount of trust in things that have been written down,” Holiday says in his book Trust Me, I'm Lying, “This comes from centuries of knowing that writing was expensive—that it was safe to assume that someone would rarely waste resources to commit to paper something untrue.”
That said, with thousands of business coaches and consultants pumping out self-published books every month, it is no longer sufficient to simply write a book. These days you need a Bible.
Think of all the books that define the best-known (and richest) gurus. There’s Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. There’s How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. There’s The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Each one presents itself as the one and only description of how the world works.
Develop your own secret of the universe. Then get it into print.
Step 3: Start a Church
Starting a church is the best growth hacking method ever invented. A 2005 Economist article on the megachurch phenomenon states: “The best churches (like some of the most notorious cults) have discovered the secret of low-cost and self-sustaining growth; transforming seekers into evangelicals who will then go out and recruit more seekers.” This strategy doesn’t only work for religious institutions—mega or otherwise. If you give people any kind of readymade label and set of beliefs, they will go to great lengths to get others to join the tribe. And since every tribe has a chief, this puts you as church founder in an enviable position.
Fortunately, in this digital age, starting a church doesn’t mean you need a tall building or a pipe organ. Think of your church as an organized grouping whose members share a common identification. If you can get people to identify themselves by a shared designation that you came up with your path to guru-hood will be practically assured.
Step 4: Start a War
Finally, there is nothing that makes people rally around a leader more effectively than a common enemy. Of course, this doesn't mean you should go around calling on people to commit acts of violence or cruelty. But human beings are by nature looking to rally around someone who will take a stand. As such, don’t just define yourself about what ideas you’re for but by what ideas you’re against. And make sure you relentlessly let your followers know about it. If you do that, your path to guru-hood will be practically assured.
If you'd like a list of books about history's most notorious (and effective) gurus, promoters, propagandists, cult leaders, and unconventional marketers, go here.
