Leadership: Who, What, Why, How

 

Good morning readers, and welcome back to week four of my blog.  This week we are going to be discussing leadership.  Who are leaders in the world today?  What are some emerging challenges for leaders?  Why social media is becoming a very useful tool to communicate?  Finally, how do leaders communicate to their subordinates and how to use different mediums to do so? These are just a few questions that are going to be answered this week. 

When someone is asked to name a leader what do we usually hear in response?  They will often give names like, the President, the CEO, or other historical figures.  In Drew Dudley’s Ted Talk here he says, “I've come to realize that we have made leadership into something bigger than us; something beyond us. We've made it about changing the world.”  Leadership is something every single person is capable of and without knowing it practices on a daily basis.  Drew Dudley's goal with his Ted Talk was to redefine leadership so that anyone who listens to his short speech realizes that they have the power to change lives and to be a leader.  I think the world would change for the better if everyone tried to lead from the position that they are currently in.  As he was closing Drew stated, “My call to action today is that we need to get over our fear of how extraordinarily powerful we can be in each other's lives. We need to get over it so we can move beyond it, and our little brothers and sisters and one day our kids -- or our kids right now -- can watch and start to value the impact we can have on each other's lives, more than money and power and titles and influence. We need to redefine leadership as being about lollipop moments.”  Lollipop moments he defined as small moments that we did not even realize changed a person or their outlook.  We need to stop thinking that leaders are only people that have authority or status, but rather everyone leads in some way every day.

With leadership comes challenges to think through.  One challenge that leaders today are focusing on is how to use different mediums to communicate interpersonally with those they are leading.  This is shown in General Stanley McCrystal’s Ted Talk here about fighting post 9/11, “More importantly, the force that I led was spread over more than 20 countries. And instead of being able to get all the key leaders for a decision together in a single room and look them in the eye and build their confidence and get trust from them, I'm now leading a force that's dispersed, and I've got to use other techniques. I've got to use video teleconferences, I've got to use chat, I've got to use email, I've got to use phone calls -- I've got to use everything I can, not just for communication, but for leadership.”  As one can see communication is essential for leaders and they must understand the mediums that are available.  In some instances, such as this social media may not be available due to the sensitive nature of military operations.  However, for the general population social media can be an extremely useful tool for leaders to communicate through.

In the past blogs we have looked at why social media is a fantastic tool for organizations, this is also true for leaders.  In Céline Schillinger’s Forbes article here , she lists three ways social media can make you a better leader, “Better decisions through easier access to unfiltered information, Better business performance through relational engagement, and Better odds to succeed with transformation through mindset change.”  If we think about how individuals get their information these days, most likely it is not from a traditional news source such as the news or newspaper but rather from a quick internet search.  We have unlimited access to information through social media and the internet.  Social media also boosts relationships by allowing both the leader and the subordinate to communicate freely.  Leaders who are able to get feedback and implement that into their organization stand out from those who do not.  In Medium’s article here they gave this great piece of advice, “The explosion of social media platforms requires nimble thinking about ways cities should engage on each. For example, he said, Twitter is good for news. Facebook is more a place to speak about community values. And Instagram and Snapchat are venues where young users generally are not expecting to engage in politics.”  This applies for leaders as well.  If you want to spread your beliefs maybe Facebook is the platform to consider.  If you want to talk about news within your company, perhaps think of Twitter as the appropriate medium.  It is up to each individual leader to decide which information ends up on what platforms.

Social media and other platforms did not only change how we disseminate information but also how we say what we say.  In Stephen Denny’s article here he argues, “prioritizing off-the-cuff communication is a key way to reach people and develop credibility.”  Consumers no longer want to hear written speeches, rather they would like to hear a speech that comes with little to no notes.  This allows the speaker to be authentic and vulnerable with the audience.   Carmine Gallo goes further and details in his article here , “four communication strategies to help motivate and inspire your team: 1) Use short words to talk about hard things. 2) Choose sticky metaphors to reinforce key concepts. 3) Humanize data to create value. 4). Make mission your mantra to align teams.”  As one can see the third step aligns to the theme of authenticity.   Humanizing your data can be very effective because most people do not want to stare at numbers that make them think.  We want the leader or speaker to tell us why the data is relevant to us as the listener. 

In conclusion, in one way or another every single person can be and should be a leader.  This may not be as glorious as being a CEO but you still can be a leader in your family, friend groups, or in the office.  I would argue that if even just one person looks up to you that makes you a leader.  Being a leader in today’s ever changing world comes with its own challenges.  One challenge for leaders right now is how to use different mediums to communicate.  Social media can be useful for leaders, but they must understand what information goes on which platform.  Finally, leaders need to be authentic with their listeners.  One way they can accomplish this is by using more of an off-the-cuff approach rather than writing and presenting a fully detailed speech. 

What do you think? Do you feel like you are a leader?  Do you agree that anyone can be a leader?  Please let me know your thoughts below.