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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Social media is not about social media. It's about leadership and connections. Billions of conversations are taking place in social networks every day. But for busy executives and business owners, time constraints make it hard to dedicate time to demystifying these communication opportunities. In The Social Executive, readers are given evidence-based, data-driven strategies for mastering social media, and using it to enable business success. This book's easy, straightforward, practical style ensures that you will gain a solid working platform in the shortest amount of time possible. The focus is on the reasons why social media is important for executives, and how it aligns perfectly with business strategies. The Social Executive is for analogue people who know they need to be digital but need a guiding hand - the book is a safety net - it's saying - we will guide you there - we will tell you why - we will tell you how - let us help you to remain relevant and become more influential - it's about human communication. It gives the tips and tools to adapt to new online environments, and the confidence to use them to build credibility, authority deeper and new business relationships. Written by Dionne Kasian-Lew, an expert who has advised many executives on the topic of corporate social media use, this resource also helps professionals pinpoint the most important social networks to invest time in, and explores which platforms are best suited for various communication goals. * Brings together strategy and concrete actions, so can learn not only the most rewarding approaches, but how best to carry them out * Delves into the benefits of a strong presence on the most popular social networks, including Twitter, LinkedIn, SlideShare, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube * Presents hard evidence that shows the positive results of investing time and energy in social networks * Focuses on the most important aspects of social networks that can be learned in a short period, and is designed for busy professionals Social networks represent a powerful way to make connections and draw attention and interest to your company. This resource can help you hit the ground running and become social media savvy efficiently and effectively.
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Seitenzahl: 308
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014
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the social
how to master social media and why it’s good for business
First published in 2014 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064
Office also in Melbourne
Typeset in 12/14.5 pt Bembo Std
© Dionne Kasian-Lew 2014
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Author:
Kasian-Lew, Dionne, author.
Title:
The Social Executive: How to Master Social Media and Why it's Good for Business / Dionne Kasian-Lew.
ISBN:
9780730312895 (pbk.) 9780730312901 (ebook)
Notes:
Includes index.
Subjects:
Communication in management. Businesspeople — social networks. Business enterprises — computer networks. Online social networks.
Dewey Number:
658.45
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.
Cover design and illustration: Wiley
Author photo: © Eric Algra
ManageFlitter screenshots © ManageFlitter Pty Ltd.
Scoop.it screenshots © Scoop.it - http://scoop.it
SlideShare, the SlideShare logo, LinkedIn, and the IN logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of LinkedIn and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and neither purports nor intends to be advice. Readers should not act on the basis of any matter in this publication without considering (and if appropriate, taking) professional advice with due regard to their own particular circumstances. The author and publisher expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person, whether a purchaser of this publication or not, in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance, whether whole or partial, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.
This book is dedicated to those I love most — Paul, Michael and James.
‘The best CEOs lead by example and this applies to social media as well. I've always found it ironic, if not hypocritical, for Leaders to talk about being human, transparent and engaged, but who have failed to embrace social media. CEOs who don't embrace social media as a leadership tool are failing themselves and those they lead.'
Mike Myatt, America's Top CEO Coach, leadership adviser to Fortune 500 CEOs, Forbes columnist and author Hacking Leadership (personal email)
‘first commitment as CEO … I won't wait 4 years between tweets!'
Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft (tweet)
‘CEOs who shun social media risk losing touch with some of their most lucrative customers, prospects and influencers.'
Josh James, founder and CEO, DOMO
‘The impact of the Internet on business will continue to increase massively. CEOs will need to understand their customers and the environment that their customers live and work in — which will be increasingly “social”. Your brand as a CEO and as a company through social media will be key to attracting the right talent. The principal lesson that I've learned is to always be learning and never believe that you know enough.'
Reid Hoffman, chairman, LinkedIn
‘IBM Study: If You Don't Have a Social CEO, You're Going to be Less Competitive.'
Mark Fidelman, Forbes columnist
‘C-level executives vary considerably in their perceptions about the value of social business. On average (across most industries), CEOs, presidents, managing directors, board members, and CMOs are most likely to perceive social business as important. Indeed, CEOs are nearly twice as likely as CIOs and CFOs to view social tools as important to their business today.'
Deloitte, Wall Street Journal
By the time you finish reading this book, the data will have changed …
Contents
About the author
Acknowledgements
Introduction
A note on terminology
Let’s fix this problem
Part I: Why is social media important?
1 Gargantuan and growing: the digital economy
How connected are we?
How do we connect?
So what is the digital economy?
And what’s it worth?
Future growth
Digital literacy is the new financial literacy
Chapter summary
2 Six damaging myths about social media
Myth #1: Social media is a fad
Myth #2: Social media is about posting photos of what you ate for lunch
Myth #3: Social media is for code monkeys
Myth #4: Social media is for people under 25
Myth #5: Social media is for marketing
Myth #6: There’s no ROI on social media
Chapter summary
3 Mindshift: from ‘so what’ to ‘social’
Traditional business practices
The unprecedented, accelerating speed of change
High uncertainty and ambiguity
Fear
Chapter summary
4 The high cost of social executive absenteeism
Chapter summary
5 Double jeopardy: why you can’t not be there
You can be drawn in
New media allows people to speak out
People in your organisation use it
The law says so
Chapter summary
6 Professional development at the digital frontier
Open learning
MOOCs
Code: a future language in the future of business?
Crowdsourcing: business opportunity or business threat?
Crowdfunding
Gaming
Customer service and care
Crisis management
Open government
Chapter summary
Part II: How do I use it?
7 Why you must own your digital and social media assets
Defensive: parody, spoofs, impersonation and digital hijacking
Online reputation management
Forward-looking: activate a social media presence when the time is right for you
Over-sharing and the future of reputation
Professional privacy
Chapter summary
8 Set the bar: social media benchmarks
Klout: the standard for influence
Kred: a transparent influence measure
Chapter summary
9 Twitter: the global brain index
The backstory
Remember the library
A Twitter case study: bringing ideas to life
Twitter for professional development
Social issues
Learning by doing: Twitter 101
The anatomy of Twitter
The anatomy of a tweet
Retweeting
Replying
Building your Twitter influence
Building lists
Weekly hygiene
Checklist
Twitter bootcamp
Chapter summary
10 Lock in LinkedIn: a new, global business lunch
Social HR
Case studies
Social issues
Me 3.0
Let’s go — LinkedIn
Build a profile
Use your LinkedIn URL to build influence
What are groups and should I join them?
Who is checking me out?
Create a Company Page
SlideShare
Can I outsource my LinkedIn engagement?
LinkedIn bootcamp
Chapter summary
11 SlideShare: it’s a pump class for PowerPoint
Socialised PowerPoint
Case studies
Social issues
Me 3.0
Let’s go — SlideShare
Getting started
Grow your network
SlideShare bootcamp
Chapter summary
12 Google Plus: your social rolodex
The backstory
Important issues
Case studies
Me 3.0
Let’s go — Google Plus
The Google Plus landscape
Creating a profile
People
Communities
Events
Hangouts
Pages
Google Local
Google Plus bootcamp
Chapter summary
13 Facebook: your new lounge
The backstory
The impacts on business
Me 3.0
Let’s go — Facebook
Facebook bootcamp
Chapter summary
14 Executive Ecosystem: curate, automate, bring it together
Scoop.it
Setting up Scoop.it
Chapter summary
Conclusion
The Social Executive promise fulfilled
Your social strategy
#SOMETHINGMORE
Social media etiquette
Checklists
Index
So, what's next?
Learn more with practical advice from our experts
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1
Twitter user alerts news outlet to fake account
Figure 7.2
fake @GovBevPerdue uses her account to reinforce the importance of source checking by journalists
Figure 7.3
the nicely managed fictional Queen account
Figure 7.4
tweets from the hijacked @hmv account
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1
McKinsey accounts highlighting different business areas
Figure 9.2
public list by McKinsey of its people on Twitter
Figure 9.3
consultancies that have created a broad social net
Figure 9.4
list of online research with high-quality links
Figure 9.5
personally curated, public Twitter list
Figure 9.6
feeds from Edge.org writers who tweet
Figure 9.7
random connections generating valuable links across geographies
Figure 9.8
the Boston Police’s first tweet after the bombing
Figure 9.9
the Boston Police’s community alert
Figure 9.10
further post-bombing tweets by the Boston Police
Figure 9.11
Twitter’s sign-up page
Figure 9.12
Twitter will offer prompts of people to follow
Figure 9.13
Twitter prompt screen
Figure 9.14
search results using #socialCEO hashtag
Figure 9.15
search results using #socialbiz hashtag
Figure 9.16
screen showing Twitter suggestions for who to follow
Figure 9.17
screen for photo upload
Figure 9.18
a Twitter ‘egghead’
Figure 9.19
Twitter Home page menu options
Figure 9.20
Twitter Home page
Figure 9.21
Twitter interactions
Figure 9.22
the two screen options
Figure 9.23
a retweet shows the profile picture of the person you are retweeting
Figure 9.24
menu options in the Discover section of Twitter
Figure 9.25
menu for the Me section of Twitter
Figure 9.26
Home page icons
Figure 9.27
how to search people
Figure 9.28
how to search topics
Figure 9.29
the settings icon
Figure 9.30
where to find account settings
Figure 9.31
where to find security and privacy settings
Figure 9.32
password and verification settings
Figure 9.33
adding a mobile phone
Figure 9.34
unticking email notification boxes
Figure 9.35
profile settings
Figure 9.36
design settings
Figure 9.37
the Quick Online Color Picker Tool
Figure 9.38
customising design settings
Figure 9.39
a branded Twitter account
Figure 9.40
building a following by following people whose content you value
Figure 9.41
authorisation screen
Figure 9.42
Buffer icon
Figure 9.43
Buffer Home page
Figure 9.44
account settings on Buffer
Figure 9.45
settings on Buffer
Figure 9.46
scheduling tweets on Buffer
Figure 9.47
adding team members on Buffer
Figure 9.48
composing a tweet
Figure 9.49
adding #topics and @people to tweets
Figure 9.50
Me screen showing public, published tweets
Figure 9.51
adding a photo to a tweet
Figure 9.52
deleting a tweet
Figure 9.53
Me screen shows tweet deleted
Figure 9.54
building a high-value tweet for engagement
Figure 9.55
published tweet in Me screen
Figure 9.56
checking interactions
Figure 9.57
opening up the account of a follower
Figure 9.58
a retweet
Figure 9.59
the different profile of a tweet vs retweet in Me
Figure 9.60
undoing a retweet from @Notifications
Figure 9.61
distinguishing a quoted and a retweeted tweet
Figure 9.62
replying to a tweet
Figure 9.63
only my reply shows in the Me screen
Figure 9.64
expanding a tweet to reveal the conversation
Figure 9.65
public lists of CEOS who tweet
Figure 9.66
member of a public list
Figure 9.67
list setting
Figure 9.68
creating a list
Figure 9.69
naming a list
Figure 9.70
saving lists
Figure 9.71
ManageFlitter screen
Figure 9.72
connecting using Twitter
Figure 9.73
Manage Flitter options
Figure 9.74
click the box to unfollow
Figure 9.75
processing unfollows
Figure 9.76
another option for managing unfollows
Chapter 10
Figure 10.1
signing up with LinkedIn
Figure 10.2
adding your email
Figure 10.3
build your profile by following the prompts
Figure 10.4
make sure you include a recent, professional photo
Figure 10.5
complex LinkedIn URL with numbers and letters after name
Figure 10.6
LinkedIn’s Edit Profile
Figure 10.7
customising your public URL
Figure 10.8
click the ‘Customize your public profile’ URL link
Figure 10.9
adding a LinkedIn button
Figure 10.10
switching off broadcast — under privacy settings
Figure 10.11
switching off broadcast — under privacy controls
Figure 10.12
untick box to switch off activity broadcast
Figure 10.13
authorising LinkedIn to display Twitter account
Figure 10.14
use your 120-character headline to differentiate yourself
Figure 10.15
LinkedIn makes endorsement suggestions
Figure 10.16
share publicly from the ‘Share an update’ space
Figure 10.17
joining LinkedIn groups is easy
Figure 10.18
manage what others see when you view their profile
Figure 10.19
an anonymous member views your profile
Figure 10.20
adding SlideShare links
Figure 10.21
adding a link
Figure 10.22
adding a link from SlideShare
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1
the SlideShare Home page
Figure 11.2
setting up SlideShare
Figure 11.3
set up your profile under General
Figure 11.4
upload buttons
Figure 11.5
saving PowerPoint as a PDF
Figure 11.6
share to LinkedIn account using button
Figure 11.7
viewing your presentation
Figure 11.8
Jeff Bullas’s SlideShare account
Chapter 12
Figure 12.1
Travel Republic Google Plus page
Figure 12.2
upgrade to Google Plus
Figure 12.3
moving from Gmail to Google Plus means moving from a private to a public world
Figure 12.4
the Google Plus environment
Figure 12.5
Google apps
Figure 12.6
more Google apps
Figure 12.7
more options open up as you click into the menu
Figure 12.8
setting up a Google alert
Figure 12.9
Home on Google Plus
Figure 12.10
upload a photo
Figure 12.11
fill out the About section
Figure 12.12
share what’s new
Figure 12.13
access YouTube through Google Plus
Figure 12.14
adding people to circles
Figure 12.15
Google+ Communities
Figure 12.16
the Lead With Giants leadership community
Figure 12.17
Google Events
Figure 12.18
Google+ Hangouts
Figure 12.19
Google+ Pages for companies
Figure 12.20
Google+ Local
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1
Facebook’s Home page
Figure 13.2
Facebook privacy settings
Figure 13.3
locking down privacy to Friends
Figure 13.4
security settings
Figure 13.5
adding levels of security
Figure 13.6
search function
Figure 13.7
search people criteria
Figure 13.8
your Home page
Chapter 14
Figure 14.1
setting up Scoop.it
Figure 14.2
creating a topic
Figure 14.3
installing the bookmarklet
Figure 14.4
set the parameters of your topic
Figure 14.5
branding Scoop.it
Figure 14.6
link with social share buttons
Figure 14.7
Scoop.it suggestions appear
Figure 14.8
adding a comment
Figure 14.9
offer for Scoop.it PRO
Figure 14.10
managing sources
Figure 14.11
filtering sources
Figure 14.12
scoop relevant content
Figure 14.13
curated content keeps accumulating
Figure 14.14
complete your settings
Figure 14.15
the help section
Guide
Cover
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About the author
Dionne Kasian-Lew is CEO of The Social Executive, a thought leader, author and professional speaker on connected leadership and communication.
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, she is an adviser and coach to board and C-suite executives on leadership and digital and social media strategy.
Dionne is a regular contributor to web publications Leading Company, Smart Company, Women’s Agenda and to Salesforce. She also writes for Company Director, Uncluttered White Spaces and Firebrand Talent, and on dionnekasianlew.com and beyourwholeself.com.
She is the author of A manifesto — why social media is vital for leaders and the ebook Relevance — how to thrive in the social era.
Follow Dionne on Twitter @dionnelew.
Acknowledgements
This is a chance to thank the people who have influenced my thinking and supported my online journey:
Dan Ilic — for pushing me over the cliff to begin with
Trevor Young — for unfailing support and brilliant coaching
Kare Anderson — for serendipitous and synergising connection.
I also want to thank those who have no idea of their influence on my thinking:
John Brockman (Edge)
Maria Popova (Brainpicker)
Chris Anderson (Ted)
… and the incredible, interconnected communities I engage with every day online.
My thanks to the true pioneers who pushed across this frontier without waiting to be legitimated — and so laid the foundations on which we have all been able to flourish.
On a more personal note, thanks to Katie Elliott, Wiley’s delightful publicist, a cool and connected communicator who first found me on Twitter and sparked this journey. Katie pretty much embodies the principles I talk about in this book — how social connections lead to meaningful and mutually beneficial business outcomes.
To Sarah Crisp, for listening to me and taking a chance on my work, and Lucy Raymond for stepping in where Sarah left off and supporting me throughout the process.
To the Wiley team — Dani Karvess, Fleur Hamilton, Pete Walmsley, Keira de Hoog and everyone who helped to bring this book to life — my gratitude.
Thank you, Jem Bates, for editing The Social Executive and guiding me through the publication process.
Walter Adamson, Ben Gilchriest and Trevor Young gave their precious time and attention to read, review and make suggestions on the manuscript. Your insights were invaluable and much appreciated.
And to all my clients — for leading from the edge and by example, and teaching me along the way.
Last, I want to thank my sisters Michelle and Kim, whose ongoing love and support throughout my life have helped me thrive. Alphonse, Mark, Lily, Cy, Xabi and Mum — thank you. You mean the world to me.
Introduction
Around the world, time and again research into social media and leadership reveals the same insights:
Executives know that social media is vital.
They know they need to do something about it.
They want to know why and how.
This book delivers on those needs. Starting with powerful evidence from the best global consultancies on the magnitude of the multi-trillion-dollar connected economy, it separates the myths from the facts and provides a practical guide for professionals to move forward and capitalise on its opportunities.
Reading The Social Executive will arm you for social engagement and the digital economy by showing you how to:
Bust the myths
. Separate the facts from the fiction. You will learn that social media is not a fad but is growing rapidly and becoming deeply entrenched in business. For example, the LinkedIn business network is 12 years old and used by 250 million professionals around the world.
Speak C-suite social.
Build evidence-driven arguments based on incisive analysis for socialising business. You will be able to articulate its value by referring to real case studies that show its impact in your industry.
Walk your social talk.
Understand the key social media platforms, what they are used for and why. You’ll be able to distinguish Twitter from Facebook and SlideShare from LinkedIn without resorting to jargon, and to speak sensibly about emerging issues like privacy and security and how they can be effectively managed through good governance.
Take a seat at the social table.
Launch a personal professional platform. Learn how to use the five networks that deliver tangible results for executives. Avoid pitfalls and use powerful tips from master practitioners to move you swiftly from newbie to proficiency.
While technology has in some ways turned business on its head, at heart it’s based on the age-old business principles of mutually beneficial relationships and great communication.
Time and again you’ll hear me preface a comment by saying ‘as in real life’ and showing you how these innovations compare to established professional practices. There’s no mystique to social media. But there is magic. As in real life, so too in the digital world.
This book directly addresses two core questions that professionals have about social media: Why is social media important, and how do I use it?
In Part I you’ll learn why, given the magnitude and growth of the digital economy, becoming a social executive is an essential professional investment. You’ll also learn how to remove blocks that may have stopped you from capitalising on this. Each chapter identifies a part of the puzzle and points readers towards particular solutions.
In Part II I’ll show you how to snap up valuable digital assets and grow online influence by creating a curated and automated professional platform.
The Social Executive is not:
a catalogue of social media networks
a technical operating manual.
If it’s here, then it’s information that helps professionals or raises questions that count.
I’ve selected proven tools for growing online influence that fit with a busy schedule. At the end of the practical how-to chapters (9–13) are Bootcamp tools to help take you to the next level, once your Professional Platform is established. Going through every setting and what lies behind it would be tedious, time-consuming and unnecessary. I show you how to get up and running.
By the end of the book you will have a Professional Platform and a replicable strategy that will guarantee you a constant global social media presence, increased online visibility and influence, and a range of valuable online colleagues with whom to share ideas and information.
A note on terminology
Stuffing sentences with caveats to try to cover every base causes lag. Here’s a (sadly not unusual) example:
Board directors, senior executives and professionals need to understand that social media networks and other social and digital technologies like apps are deeply impacting the way we do business and that, going forward, companies will need to socialise processes and systems in order to develop an integrated social business model.
Yawn! Who can bear it? In this book I have taken the liberty of using terms loosely and exchanging them freely. Here are some longwinded descriptions of what I mean when I use these key terms — you’ll have no problem with context:
Social media.
When using this term I am talking about social media networks like Twitter and LinkedIn, but more broadly about the connections that social technologies generate and that impact business, economies and societies. Social media is a tool
and
a mindset.
Going social
means sending a tweet but also becoming a social professional or business, end to end.
Digital.
This refers to that whole layer of stuff that’s not analogue, including online software, information, content, websites and apps, but also connected networks such as social media, forums and blogs. I am not talking about hardware or technology infrastructure, which is IT — critically important, but not for this book. Executives need to stop confusing IT with social media, though. Social media does not sit on your web, although it can be embedded in it. Platforms belong to third parties, and you can access them under their terms and conditions. Digital is not about IT, nor is it the realm of the traditional chief information officer (CIO), although there are lots of discussions about the changing nature of that role.
Technology.
Here I am talking about all of the above, including the internet and devices that we use to connect with it.
Business.
This relates to for-profit and not-for-profit, listed and unlisted companies, startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but also to organisations, associations, government departments, statutory authorities and charities. And I use them interchangeably. When I talk about the bottom line, simply substitute your organisation’s vision. The customer is the reason you exist, whether they buy your bread or read your report or need to engage with you to do their tax. You are a customer too.
Executive.
This may be anyone who makes or wants to make decisions at work. Leaders are included, although executives are not to be confused with leaders because leadership is not about position. Really I am talking about people who work, because here the personal and professional merge. A social executive is one who connects online, but executives are also social offline. As the world becomes increasingly connected the distinction will become less relevant. But that’s not quite yet.
C-suites.
These may include the chief executive officer (CEO), chief customer officer (CCO), chief marketing officer (CMO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), chief information officer (CIO) and chief legal officer (CLO).
Let’s fix this problem
Right now there’s a problem we can fix. More than two billion people use social media — but not the leaders who need to. They don’t have the right information or don’t understand that just because they’re doing well without it, that situation won’t last. That’s because the billions of new consumers coming onto the market will have never lived in a world without it.
Let’s look at this a bit more closely.
The number of people using social media increased by 18 per cent in 2013, with predictions it will soon reach 2.55 billion. While global social media platforms profoundly change the way we connect, communicate and do business, decision-makers aren’t there. They know they should be but they are not — yet.
In 2012 only 16 per cent of Fortune 500 CEOs used social media. Mostly they signed up but did not actively use it, which is like standing in the corner at a business lunch. The reluctance? Wild confusion around what social media is and does.
Who can blame them? There’s endless misinformation about social media: it’s a fad or only for kids, or there’s no way to measure return on investment. None of this is true. But there are barriers to getting the real story to the executive table.
Professionals hear about social media when something goes wrong and makes the traditional news channels. Perhaps there’s an online troll, which reinforces fear that going social is dangerous; or you hear about a cute cat video with a billion hits, entrenching the idea of its irrelevance to the bottom line.
It’s difficult to distinguish fact from fiction and genuine experts from interlopers moving in to capitalise on the chaos. Also, many leaders look around and think they and their peers are doing fine without using social media. But they’re not looking in the right direction — it’s about what is coming over the hill.
Millennials with votes to cast and money to spend have never lived in a world without social media. They expect you to be social not because you’re cutting edge or socially savvy but by default, much as shops once required inventory and a front door.
We talk about digital natives, those who have grown up with technology, as if they come from a different world. But this is nothing compared with the generations now coming online who will be symbiotic with it.
It’s urgent that executives see beyond the myths and capitalise on the personal and professional opportunities that connection provides. Social media is part of a bigger picture of socialising business, which in turn is a part of a much bigger picture of interconnectivity across economies, politics, business, knowledge, health … and pretty much every other aspect of life.
The impact of social media on political outcomes or sharemarkets is so dramatic that countries are legislating to make it a board and C-suite responsibility.
For example, in the US in 2012 billions of dollars changed hands after a hoax tweet about a bomb at the White House. A false accusation that a British politician was a pedophile spread far and fast, the head of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was forced to resign and tens of thousands of Twitter users were under threat of being sued. In Australia, AUS$350 million was wiped off the share price of Whitehaven Coal after an activist issued a hoax tweet.
Yet many directors and executives don’t understand that the ball for monitoring and managing these risks is in their court.
Managing risk is one half of the equation. There’s solid evidence that organisations that see digital as a way of being, rather than a handball-to-marketing, outperform their peers by 26 per cent in every industry. These firms are distinguished from competitors by their digitally driven board and executives prepared to propel change through every layer of the business.
In the past a succession plan would have identified the need for digital capability in emerging leaders. Today the accelerated speed of change and the rapid adoption of new technologies mean delay is dangerous. Many executives know something major is happening but have not yet translated this into action. The fear of technology is unwarranted. Professionals constantly adapt, and digital and social literacies are skills that can be learned.
Leaders must act to create business models with a competitive advantage by understanding that social media is not about a ‘like’ on Facebook or a 140-character ‘tweet’, but about the future of how we do business.
By engaging in social media you come to understand its power. It will change your mindset. But best of all, if you’re like many I know who’ve made a transition from reluctant observer to engaged participant, you’ll love it.
And one problem will be fixed.
