LEADERSHIP is about “leading people” because they choose to follow you…emotionally. You are the one they believe has the vision they want to see happen. Leaders don’t demand anything…people follow because of the leaders’ passion, commitment to their cause/focus, and their authenticity.
MANAGEMENT is about getting things done. These are people who can organize the teams, give guidance/orders, create the project plan for how things will get executed, and deliver results. People don’t follow managers…they work for the managers to help make things happen.
Social Media has both…Leaders and Managers. And as consumers of social media, we look to both…but for different reasons. If you are looking for thought leadership, blue ocean thinking, new ways of thinking about something, innovation, and other possibilities, you generally follow “Leaders” on social media. But if you want “how to’s”, ways to use the social media tools better, more analytics, how to get your tweets read, how to put a social media execution plan together, you are generally more focused on people who “manage” social media.
Who are YOU on the social channels? What do your audiences think of what YOU do to help them in the areas of content and execution? Do people follow and connect with YOU because they are getting thought leadership or ways to execute more effectively? These are great questions to help you (and you company) determine what kind of social media strategy you have in place.
A company without one or more “Social Media Leaders” is one that will struggle in building meaningful relationships with their audience. A company made of up of “Social Media Managers” is generally without a strategy that is tied into the vision of the company, but they can generate lots of activity and show great numbers for their activities.
“Social Media Leaders” will drive the need for “Social Media Managers” in an organization. After all, if you have people that others want to learn from and seek out for their insightful and thought leading content, someone has to manage the activity of those followers. But it doesn’t work the other way around, unfortunately. The Managers don’t create a need for Leaders.
Who are the people involved in Social Media in your organization? Are they “Leaders” who generate original thought leadership content where your audience constantly says, “I didn’t think about it that way but that is a very interesting perspective.” If you don’t, then the Managers are shuffling the chairs on the Titanic because there is not valid reason why the audience needs your content…unless you are self-promoting, offering deals, pushing products/services, and simply blasting the airwaves with what you have to offer. The audience tells us they are getting tired of this approach…customers need (deserve) more than this today. The tools are easy…management is a requirement…but LEADERSHIP is the critical life blood for success in using social media effectively. What does your Social Media Strategy look like and is it built on “Leadership” or “Management?” Would love to get your feedback and thoughts…
