In my book Paradigm Flip, I explain that “Leadership has never been easy, but the technology available today can help.” Simply put, digital social media is the single greatest tool available to leaders, for maximizing influence.
Twenty-five years ago, if someone offered you a tool to effectively reach thousands of people, instantly, with text, audio and video, where recipients could provide you instant feedback, you’d be amazed. Yet this tool is available to you, for free, today. Common to most leaders are 4 timeless challenges that social media helps solve:
1. Trust
Leaders today face an inherited tax of lacking trust. In an online leadership Q&A session, several thought leaders identified trust as a challenge for leaders. Leaders must prove their trustworthiness.
How Social Media Supports Trust
The leader with integrity speaks a commitment and follows through. Any debates over commitment may be cleared up immediately, directly with stakeholders. Leaders can immediately explain their actions and receive feedback from the community. If the leader does not have sound reasoning for divergence from a plan, they have an integrity problem – not a communication problem.
2. Accountability
Effective leaders must also drive accountability throughout the organization. Prior to digital social media, it was easy for team leads to say one thing and do another. Promises could be lost in translation. There was plenty of opportunity to manipulate or reverse commitments.
How Social Media Supports Accountability
Now, the digitally printed word follows seconds behind the spoken. Furthermore, collaboration tools, with embedded social media capabilities, enable contributors to connect, share, commit and execute quicker than ever before.
3. Prioritization
Most leaders do not lack for ideas. Instead, the problem most leaders face is prioritizing which opportunity to commit limited resources to, first. Unfortunately, the squeaky wheel often gets the oil.
How Social Media Supports Prioritization
In public platforms, like Twitter and LinkedIn, leaders clearly see the top priority of constituents. Whether it’s ratings, +1s or likes on a complaint, demand for action is more easily quantified than ever before.
4. Alignment
Often, in a meeting, a leader receives nodding heads of agreement. Then, post-meeting discussion may divert, with comments like, “they didn’t really mean that…” or “that’s just the issue of the week…”. As a result, alignment can be quickly lost.
How Social Media Supports Alignment
Leave the meeting and send a post about how excited you are, to start. Then, the next day, do the same. Consistently provide updates over social channels and your community will quickly understand this is not just the issue of the week and you did really mean what you said.
Social media offers leaders the opportunity to join the communities of their stakeholders, share more easily, more frequently and receive more direct feedback than ever before. It baffles me that more people don’t recognize this incredible power and potential social media holds for leadership influence. If you want to serve your stakeholders to the best of your ability, open up your social media toolbox and start building solutions to these common leadership challenges.
Are there other leadership challenges that social media can help solve? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
About Ben Lichtenwalner
Very pertinent issues you raise here Ben. Indeed leaders have an immense opportunity in social media and our impact. I would also add a ‘sub-plot’ under accountability. This is validation. Social media not only helps leaders to remain accountable, it assists to validate what the leader has committed to do. The results/outcomes of their action helps a great deal not only to keep them relevant, but to have more influence on those they lead.
Wow! Very timely and on point. Social media is a great platform that helps solve mentorship problem. In time past, as a young man looking for mentors, I had to travel far to other cities to meet them or listen to them teach but today via social media, I have been able to connect with great thought leaders and am learning great things from them. An example is this blogathon and learning from from the sagacities of all great souls sharing their ageless wisdom.
Thank you Sir Ben Lichtenwalner for blessing us with this post. God bless you richly!
Thank you for the very kind words, Ifeanyi! It has been my honor and pleasure to work with you and the other great thought leaders in this Leadership Blogathon. Keep serving.
Ben, what a timely article on social media’s impact on organizations and leadership. I work with speakers and authors and we utilize social media to test topics, develop connection and forge relationships all over the world! Thanks for these wise insights.
Thanks, Lisa. I think you hit on another great benefit: testing ideas, or at least the receptivity to the idea. Thanks for sharing. Keep serving.
How interesting ! I never thought of it from that perspective 🙂 Great blog. Social media is a skill leaders will do well to master.
Thanks Tanvi! Yes, it’s all about influence: Both Leadership & Social Media. Thanks for for sharing. Keep serving.
I’m kind of puzzled if social media is relay such a driver for leadership as you describe?
I might be “old fashion” but human interaction (no technology between) and personality (of a leader that shine) for me are much more valuable …
cheers jaro.
To be certain, the timeless principles of leadership still matter most. Social media is not leadership – it is a great tool to help leaders be more effective. Compare this to communication tools throughout history: the printing press, telephone, email and so on. Each evolution in communication technology has huge implications for leaders. The problem is, nobody today, yet, is speaking about social media as an influence tool for LEADERS (most focus on marketing). Does that help clarify what I’m getting at?
Great feedback, Jaro. Thanks for sharing! Keep serving.
Sure Ben, looks that both have the same idea behind and I on purpose provoke you to give us the answer that I was kind of missing in your text.
Thank you for this
jaro.
Ben, some great points on the value of Social Media to leaders. I really like your point about being able to tap into the peoples priority based on how they are polling on social media. And for leaders to be able to demonstrate their ongoing commitment through a relatively simple and very quick/frequent update to their stakeholders. I agree, this power is generally not exploited by leaders. Peter
A popular trend started about 5 years ago: crowd sourcing ideas. Dell was huge in this in the early days, as well as some others I can’t think of at the moment. Of course, crowd funding sites, like kickstarter.com, allow people to prioritize leader projects with their wallets. I think this is a trend that will continue to grow. Leaders just need to capture the right solutions to make it easiest for their stakeholders to weigh in.
Thanks for sharing, Pete. Keep serving.
Good list of timeless leadership challenges, Ben. I’d add communicating as another challenge for which social media can be a helpful tool.
Of course! Great point, Jane. Thanks for sharing and keep serving.
Ben, the trust factor is huge. Social encourages full transparency. Thanks!
Agreed, Ryan! I actually think the digital media generation drives a greater deal of transparency everywhere – not just online.
@AmyJoMartin used the term, “Veneers” to describe people with false fronts and how social media was breaking through these veneers. I expanded on that to specifically address “Leadership Veneers” and how, finally, we have a solution to “kill” these veneers.
Great point, Ryan! As you see, I wholeheartedly agree. Keep serving.