Does Your Executive Team Need To Tweet?

by Michael Brito on Apr 26, 2012

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Originally published at Social Business News

Do you think you need to be an expert at something to inspire others? The methods of motivation and leadership are many and varied, but undoubtedly leading by doing is one of the more successful.

This especially seems to be the case in the technical world where we require our leaders to appreciate what we do, to talk our language and champion our cause to their peers.

So new research by social software company Harmon.ie should be cause for concern for anyone with an interest in creating social businesses. The aim of the research was simple.

They wanted to find out how many Chief Information Officers (CIOs) were active on social media. Now of course you could argue that social business does not, and should not, sit within the IT department, but that discussion is for another blog.

What did they find?

So do CIOs of the biggest companies share their thoughts on Twitter or hang out with their peers on LinkedIn? The answer would appear to be a resounding no.

They scoured Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ et al for activity and found that just 10% of CIOs use social technologies. Now that’s not good.

It seems reasonable to believe that executives cannot be expected to be experts in every domain under their remit, of course not. Such a belief would run a major risk of not invented here syndrome where anything not coming from their mouth is deemed not a good idea.

Hubris is easily avoided if you hire people smarter than you. But there’s a big difference between not being an expert and not participating at all.

Why are they not participating?

Could it be that executives have privacy concerns and believe that the things they have to share with the world aren’t really the kind of things they should be sharing with the world.

Again, plausible, but it doesn’t really wash with me. There are many examples of senior managers using social media very well without causing their legal team palpitations with every tap of the keyboard.

Maybe it’s a time issue. Senior managers are busy people after all. This is probably the worst excuse of them all. No one ever spends every minute of every day productively.

We waste time and procrastinate in all manner of creative ways. No one is expecting them to devote the 10,000 hours that Malcolm Gladwell believes we have to spend to become experts. We can all find a few minutes in our day if we want to do something badly enough. Lack of time really translates to lack of importance, and that’s not good.

Does it matter?

For me, yes, I think it does matter. Successful social business implementation is, like many other change projects, essentially a human or cultural endeavor.

The project leaders need to understand how social business can change things for the better. They need to understand how using social tools can foster greater collaboration with colleagues and customers, or how the organization can recruit and retain talent better if they employ talent communities. The technology side of things is pretty easy, but the human side is far from it.

As humans we’re generally pretty good at sniffing out when someone is trying to BS us. You see it all the time from politicians and their integrity, or lack of, is a major reason why they have such little respect. If you’re asking people to change how they work, to change how they get information or how they interact with their peers then you better get that stuff yourself.

You can’t delegate this to people that do get it, because to achieve a truly social business you need the whole business getting involved. They’re going to need you to sell this into the executive team to give them the resources they need to make this work. Do you think you can sell something you don’t believe in yourself?

So for me, 10% is a pathetic figure and is severely undermining efforts by those of us here to make our organizations social.

What about you? Does your senior team use social tools? Do you think it matters if they do or not?

Post Author

Michael Brito

Michael Brito is the Vice President of Social Media for Edelman Digital. He is currently working on a social business book, "Smart Business, Social Business: A Playbook for Social Media in the Organization" set to be released in... View Full Profile →

Amandah

I know many small business owners who say “they don’t have time to use or learn social media because they’re running their businesses.” They have too much to do as it and social media isn’t a priority. I disagree. It’s the 21st century, and I would think that business owners (small, medium, or large) would have their finger on the pulse of the latest marketing tools.

Some employees don’t utilize social media because they believe it’s a time waster (can be if you allow it to be), and they don’t trust it. From an employee viewpoint, I think it’s matter if you know how to use social media. Companies want to know if potential employees are staying current with the latest technologies. Those who aren’t could be looked over and won’t get the opportunities they apply for.

I’ve spent most of my time educating my client’s clients and employees about social media, mostly Twitter and Facebook. Companies can always outsource social media, but I think it’s a good idea to know how to use it. This way you can see what the social media manager or freelancer is doing
http://twitter.com/rosiemedia Rosie Taylor

I agree that Executive Teams and Owners should spend some time engaging their customers on social media. Not just to be a leader in their own organizations but to actually keep an authentic touch with their customers. I think so many executives and business owners get further and further away from the people using their products and services losing touch with their needs. How can they help make decisions if they aren’t connecting on some level other than internal reports from the front lines. With the right strategy and tools, it doesn’t take much time and it can be easily managed.
http://twitter.com/boardmad Scott Brown

Heartily agree Michael! Your most telling phrase there “You can’t delegate this to people that do get it, because to achieve a truly social business you need the whole business getting involved.” That strikes to the heart of the matter…in fact that whole paragraph is the kernel of truth it feels to me you are most passionate about.
I’ve seen fascinating dialogues on this topic…’why would people be interested in what I think’, ‘what would I say’, ‘how do I know who’s listening’…it’s makes me cringe but then I remember in many many instances comms for these C-levels is baked in at a command & control level – a voice from the bridge if you will. They are simply un-equipped to engage in what we now recognise as ‘social media’. It’s a fascinating topic…thanks for posting. #follow +1
http://www.ribbun.com/ Vikas Singal

Michael, I think the top leaders cant make use of social media tool due to time constrained. I would say delegating their work make sense…from where I see ,it really does.
http://twitter.com/jwongjk Jan Wong

It definitely matters. And if managing businesses is a valid excuse, then it matters even more – simply because they have to be the thought leaders in the organization. Employees today no longer like to be led by policies, rules or fear, they are led because they value, respect and walk towards the vision of their leader and social tools are the simplest form in making that happen.
kathikruse

It totally matters, Michael. As you pointed out, to be a Social Business, interacting has to become the culture, top to bottom. I have a client who’s the owner of a car dealership. He tweets from the dealership account all the time. His likable, affable and hilarious personality comes through loud and clear. Who wouldn’t want to buy a car from this guy? Great post, as always!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Melissa-Summers/100002584138198 Melissa Summers

I’ve had resistance from most of the executive team and I think it’s a three-fold issue; They’re busy, they overestimate how much time getting involved will take and they are not quite convinced of the full value of the activity.

However, I absolutely agree that to be a Social Business and be a Thought Leader in the social media arena; our company needs to spread that culture from the top down.

One of the executive team members has been using Twitter and Linked in to expand his social footprint and fortunately is seeing some great quality lead generation and speaking engagements coming from those efforts.

I’m hopeful this will help to pave the way to get our CEO and other executive team members out there.
Paul Blanchard

I am the CIO for a small company, that being said though this type of position is unique in that the fewer direct employees translates into more of the work being done by me. I spend a great deal of my time singing the praises of social media. I also use it myself. Facebook, twitter, linked in, klout, and multiple blogs. The more I know about social media, the less of a time demand it requires, using tools like hoot suite or other similar. I am glad to be a part of the 10%
Paul Blanchard

If anyone at an executive level does not know how to conduct themselves with diplomacy and candor in a social media environment, I would question their ability to effectively lead.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

Great to hear your voice on the topic Paul. As @Nikisnotes:twitter said “You can’t be truly fluent in the platforms unless you’re using the platforms.”

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