6 reasons why you need to be a connected leader. Here's how
In a world where 88% people get their news and views from social media, it is time to invest in building communication skills of your employees.
73% of employees want business leaders to use social media to communicate about their companies. Employees would rather work for a CEO who uses social media to communicate than one who does not. I am using the term Social Media to view social channels like Yammer or Slack that are internal to the firm as well as those like LinkedIn, Twitter etc which are external facing platforms.
Here are six reasons why social media builds the communication skills leaders need in a hybrid world:
Social media can be a powerful listening tool: Getting unfiltered views and feedback is hard. The more senior you are, the more distanced from reality you are. Your direct reports hate to give you bad news. Connecting directly with employees and customers is a powerful source to stay grounded.
Social media can be a powerful talent branding tool: 80% of potential employees visit the company's website and look up the LinkedIn profiles of the hiring team etc. Think of it as a perception building up over time about the brand eg consistently writing about innovation or accountability shows the potential candidate what is celebrated in the culture. Misinformation about a company can be corrected most effectively online.
Building trust on social media is a powerful asset: It is hard to trust someone you do not know. When you build a direct channel of communication with your audience, trust forms over time. During a crisis employees expect the leaders to put their CEO to communicate on social media. The trusted relationship built over time during a crisis can be priceless.
Social media helps a distributed team to stay connected: The hybrid workplace is here to stay for a while. The employees experience the company culture through the teams that they work in. In a geographically distributed team that is working on multiple schedules, social media is a powerful way to forge an emotional connection.
Social media is a powerful ally during times of change: During times of change, communicating the strategy on social media can help build a 1:1 communication channel between various employees. It is a great way to change and shape opinions.
Use social media to reflect the DNA of the organisation: Using social platforms to talk about messaging beyond the business helps build a human connection. Most leaders travel for work. It is a great opportunity to create content that connects with people. It is also a great way to showcase the culture of the organisation. It is important that the messaging reflects the reality on the ground. Else this can backfire and erode trust equally fast.
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