Presenter: Lee Bryant, Headshift
Social media is a new world, especially for corporate executives. Bryant started by dispelling a few myths about leadership as it applies to social media within the business world.
Myth 1. Flat structures don’t need leaders
In fact, social business opens up new opportunities for traditional leadership strengths. Those who have strengths in communication, strategy, planning, engaging people will naturally rise to the top.
Myth 2. Distributed leadership is based on distributing process, not passion
Passion works better than process control, such as Zappos – if they don’t see a connected purpose, they’re not going to do well. Common purpose is more important than strategic planning. He used an example of a military exercise in which the defense had no plan, but was able to pull off a victory repeatedly. A famous quote – “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders… instead teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
The question is how can we actually do this and make it repeatable. And what to do if you don’t have exceptional leaders? What does social business have to offer?
Connected systems and social networks allow for intimacy & presence at scale. In the past, good leaders “walked the floor” and had a physical presence with their employees. Social networks now allow you to virtually walk the floor as a leader. Social media also encourages personal quests and re-invention on the edges of the organization. Essentially it helps like-minded folks organize, encourage each other, and share information. Leaders should open the taps on internal social media to create feeds and flows of data. Sharing of information internally improves performance and reduces friction.
Smart leaders don’t limit employees access to, or ability to hold conversations. Real leaders thrive in open culture with feedback. Typically they thrive on being challenged to solve problems and improve situations. It takes moving beyond carrot and stick thinking to connect with peoples’ intrinsic motivation and sense of purpose – and then enabling them network. You must provide them with the tools to do so.
Harness the power of open data to evolve. Data gives you feedback, and you can use to adjust what you’re doing based on the needs of the customer (or employees). A social business strategy and infrastructure create the conditions for buisnesses to evolve and succeed.
Ecosystems + passion + active listening = transformation
