Do You Have What It Takes? Finding the Leader Within

As we started 2015, it seemed that everyone and anyone were hosting a vision board party. These vision board parties were to inspire individuals to creatively place their vision on paper or poster board, with the realization of making them come true. Steve Harvey, award-winning talk show host and author of Think Like a Success, Act Like A Success, featured the vision board topic on his December 23, 2014 show. In the Atlanta area, vision board parties were all the rage. People I’ve spoken with, all agree that having a visual image of one’s vision leads to continued motivation to attain that dream.

This week in my Leadership and Media Strategies graduate course at Troy University, we looked at the qualities needed to be a leader and how great leaders have a vision about where they want their company or organization to go.

One of my favorite leaders is Richard Branson founder of the Virgin Group. As John P. Kotter points out in his Harvard Business Review article, “leadership is not about attributes, it’s about behavior.” I admire Branson’s charisma; however, it’s his professional behavior that leaves an impression on me. Branson is not afraid to try new ideas, and learn from his potential failures.

According to Kotter, leadership “is associated with taking an organization into the future, finding opportunities that are coming at it faster and faster and successfully exploiting those opportunities. Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment and, most of all, about producing useful change. ” Branson has these types of quality, cited by Kotter.

For example, Branson, with no experience in the aviation industry, launched Virgin Airlines in 1984.While Virgin was successful, Branson’s Virgin Cola venture was a not as successful in 1997. Branson used the same business model as he did with Virgin Airline to develop Virgin Cola; however, the cola venture was a bust.

In John Ryan’s article, Leadership Success Always Starts With Vision, he notes that being a great and effective leader usually comes down to a few fundamentals. “Vision is always one of them. Great leaders give real thought to the values, ideas and activities they’re most passionate about–and those are the things they pursue, rather than money or prestige or options forced on them by someone else.” He continues “when it comes to living out a vision, persistence matters just as much as inspiration.”

Again, I note Branson’s determination and vision. In 1997, Branson, new to the rail service business launched a new passenger rail service. He states “we were new to an industry again, but we had a bold vision: Our high-speed tilting trains would be fitted with comfortable new airline-style seats and we would offer great services like good food and Wi-Fi.”

It took Branson years to build and bring in the new trains and prepare the rail system for the new technologies. His vision was realized the company saw a huge uptick in service going from carrying 14 million to 31 million passengers.

Branson’s vision and drive is reminiscent of Ryan’s comments as noted in his article: “visions these leaders have can be–and, in fact, should be–challenging to put into action. They realize them only by setting realistic, demanding goals and then going after them relentlessly, with the help of other talented men and women who are equally committed and engaged.”

As you strive for leadership excellence, Branson suggest a few questions to ask yourself:

• How are the people on your team, with their particular skills and talents, shaping your company and making it different from others?
• What’s special about your product or service?
• How is your company helping your community and environment?

He further recommends meeting with one’s team in an informal setting and just striking up a conversation and share ideas.

The same motto that holds true for leaders and their visions is true for strategic communication professionals and the vision they hold for succeeding in their careers. The communication landscape has change tremendously over the last 15 years and with dramatic changes in the last 5 years given emerging media as the driving force. Strategic communicators need to develop their vision with those changes in mind. No longer are TV stations the first on the scene with breaking news. Breaking news can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Citizen journalism is all around. One of the most recently highly publicized citizen journalism stories was that of Walter Scott, whose shooting by a police officer was captured by a citizen using a smartphone. If your vision is to become the 6 p.m. anchor in a top market, and a leader in communication, it would be wise to consider adding emerging media to your portfolio. Digital communication is a driving force in the way consumers receive and send news. Mobile communication, with the exponential growth of smartphone use continues to rise. As an established communicator, it would be beneficial to tweak your professional vision statement to include emerging media; staying ahead of the curve and having the competitive edge in today’s market.

Five years ago program such as Troy University’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication Master of Science in Strategic Communication was mostly unheard of. Dr. Steve Padgett, then dean of the school, had a vision to bring the school’s offerings into the 21^st century with its multimedia journalism program. Visionary leaders similar to Dr. Padgett are those who can see beyond the present. They engage in research and make the call, often challenging, that others are hesitant to make. Thanks to Dr. Padgett, I am able to write this blog—as part of the requirement for this class— in the comfort of my home, or from anywhere in the world, where internet access is available, further embracing emerging technology.

Do you have a professional vision? Perhaps you are a student looking to begin your career in strategic communication after graduation in May. Are you looking to tap the leader within? Developing a strategic plan along with your vision will surely help in making strategic decisions that can impact your entire career. Be fearless in making decisions, we can only learn from our mistakes.

Until next week, I urge you to discover the leader within!

Reference

Branson, Richard (2013). Richard Branson on Self-Awareness for Leadership Growth. Entrepreur.com. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241800.

Communication: The Lifeline for All Organizations

Communication is the cornerstone of everything we do. If we misunderstand, talking, writing, listening, we, as individuals may not have an opportunity to make it right. This week in Troy’s Leadership and Media Strategies class, we delve into internal and external communication.

In my earlier career I honed my communications skills for a nonprofit organization where leadership’s way of doing things was akin to a bottleneck, which Dr. A. Kline reference in an article on communication and leadership. Leadership’s management style was their way, well really, her way or the freeway, and I mean that in a very realistic sense. If an employee went against the grain of the CEO, there was some type of retaliation taken, either by the CEO or via their henchman, well, that is, their professional henchman.

This type of dysfunctional leadership style often caused disarray in the office and a lack of trust among the employees.  The leader was viewed significantly better by those who were the favorites, or those who did things for the leader or those who part of the cronyism group.

This style made it difficult to perform as strategic communications professional, where proactive internal communications was viewed as a creating newsletter or releasing a press release.

Internal communication as defined in the book Becoming an Effective Manager, is defined as “communication within an organization. It encompasses both “official” communication — memos, guidelines, policies and procedures, etc. — and the unofficial communication that goes on among and between the staff members of all organizations — the exchange of ideas and opinions, the development of personal relationships, and the proverbial conversation around the water cooler…in many ways, internal communication is the glue that holds an organization together. Without it, you’re just a collection of disconnected individuals each working individually at her own job. With it, you’re a unit with power far beyond the sum of your parts.”

In an article by Molly Parsons and Steve Urbanski, the authors posit that communication within an organization becomes dysfunctional when the organization limits or restricts information to its people.

At my former organization, as noted before, many of the employees felt their ideas and suggestions fell on deaf ear. Although the CEO stated that employees could participate in surveys, meetings, and staff retreats, and be completely transparent, some saw how similar situations were handled and stayed quiet. This happened for a few reasons. First, I believe the CEO was not genuine in asking for feedback. It was as they say, just for show.

For leadership to be effective, they must use the full arsenal of effective communication; one which includes listening, asking for feedback and reducing miscommunication in the organizational climate. In my example, the CEO was the main instigator of conflict. Leadership cannot have different rules for employees. Policies and procedures on internal communication must be followed to have a functional and productive work culture. Employees within an organization need to feel inclusive and part of the organizational culture and climate. By sharing information with only a select few, leadership can contribute to making a hostile work environment.

One of the most underrated forms of communication within an organization is the skill of listening. This occurs because employees are more concerned with the security of their own jobs, instead of promoting positive, valuable relationships with team managers and leaders within the organization. When leadership listen to the needs of the organization and to the employees, both parties benefit. By engaging effective listening skills, these leaders will be able to foresee the needs their employees and their organization and prevent different messaging between the two entities.

Just as internal communications plays a vital role in an organization, so does external communication. When these two are aligned, the image of the company can be viewed as cohesive. When there’s strife internally it is sure to be exhibited externally.

The old saying that charity begins at home is true. If an organization cannot make employees happy, first and foremost, the attitude and culture of the employees can spill out externally. This is most notable during a crisis situation. If employees feel appreciated and that their voice is being heard by leadership — in other words–leadership is listening, when a crisis arises, the employees can be the organization’s biggest ally or opinion leader (given the organization’s policy).

For example during the recent Ebola crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came under scrutiny for their handling of their part in the Ebola response. As the crisis unfolded, internal communication unfolded as employees, especially those volunteered to go into West Africa, were able to share their story first-hand of how the CDC’s presence was helping those in West Africa.

Leadership in all organizations would fair well by listening to their employees. Employees are on the front lines and hear many positives as well as negative aspects of the organization. These same employees can be positive soldiers for the organization, carrying the organization’s message to in a positive light to various audiences. I often wonder why some organizations land on the top list of employers for the year; what does the leadership of those companies do differently from the those companies who are struggling to even be recommended. I believe the leadership of those companies who are willing to effectively listen to their employees and see a value in strategic communication are the ones who are doing well in these “best places” to work list.By employing strategic communicators and allowing them to craft a strategic communications plan, leadership can begin to see a return on investment. I believe the companies in the top categories value their employees views. They listen to the feedback and implement some of the ideas that the employees suggest. I believe that any problems that arise between leadership and staff, and across staff must be addressed immediately to eliminate a hostile work environment, leading to a culture where strife can live. Effective internal communication is achievable, just check out some of the agencies who do it best in government.

Until next week, be well!

Social Media and Opinion Leadership

This week in my Leadership and Media Strategies graduate class at Troy University, we delved into the topic of opinion leadership and social media. Oh, what a combination. Dr. Padgett, our professor for this course, has combined two topics that can be crafted in so many different forms. I’ve really never thought of myself of as influencer and was rather surprise when a younger cousin shared with me that the highlights of her summer was coming to visit. She said she was always intrigued by my various views on life and how I became an influencer in her life, helping to mold her opinion on college life, relationships, and her professional endeavors. My opinions, sometimes, unsolicited were intended to guide. I did most of my guiding via the phone or as I said, on visits. I evolved as an opinion leader to this young lady.  Our opinions matter and we are never too sure how deeply, negatively or positively we can lead people.

Today with the onset of social media, an opinion leader comes alive with the click of the mouse. Opinion leaders can be found in many sectors including government, religious, schools, entertainment, and sports. As social media becomes more and more accepted as a form of communication, opinion leaders would be wise to be strategic with their social networks. Proactive and reactive communication in the form of Facebook posts, Tweets, shares, and blogs can play a pivotal role in how opinion leaders can be swept away in the digital wave.

With the rise of social media, we’ve seen an overabundance of opinions leaders. Perhaps these individuals were already opinionated; however, the various social media platforms have given them a soap box to reach millions who are like-minded. Social networks give a voice to those individuals who see themselves as experts in their area, in some cases, some do not the credibility and experience that is associated with being an expert. Every social media post on— Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, even an opinionated blog—individuals increase their reach of influencing someone out there in the social media sphere about their cause. Readers must be able to differentiate between someone who is just spouting off an opinion and those who are reliable, resourceful, and credible.

According to a 2014 study conducted by Simply Measured blog, 83 percent of fortunate 500 companies have a professional Twitter account and 80 percent have a Facebook page. This is tremendous reach for opinion leaders to increase their visibility on a specific subject or cause with a click of the mouse.

In last week’s post I mentioned Starbuck’s rejuvenation by employing social media to reclaim their stake in the coffee business in 2008.   An article in Forbes cites other companies similar to Starbucks, who are among the best companies in using social media. Some of these companies include JetBlue, Nike, and Pizza Hut. These companies seemed to have mastered the art of listening, engaging, and using customer feedback to strike a good balance with their fan base.

In a reading from this week’s selections, John A. Kline’s book, Listening Effectively, discussed the art of listening in which he described the different types of listening, the process of listening, the fallacies of listening, and how to be an effective listener.  I believe that companies such as Nike and Starbucks are using some of these guiding principles in their social media strategies.

It can be very easy to view social media as a casual form of communication. After all, YouTube recently turned 10 years; Twitter was birthed in 2007, Facebook in 2004, and the professional’s go-to site, LinkedIn, in 2003.

Opinion leaders must stay vigilant and on message when it comes to using social media. In his TED Talk, Kevin Allocca, trends manager at YouTube, cited three ingredients that can make a video go viral. These include: tastemakers (e.g., having a night host like Jimmy Kimmel tweet or talk about the video), creative participating communities, and complete unexpectedness. While Allocca highlighted positivity and success in his examples, these same principles can be applied when a video goes viral, but in the opposite direction—negatively.

When I hear of stories on the news broadcast, yes, traditional media, that involves social media, it usually has a negative overtone. Sometimes it’s about a fight that began on a social network site, at times social media was the form of communication used to lure an unsuspecting buyer to a location for a purchase (resulting at times in a robbery), or lately as may young Westerners are being influenced and recruited to fight the war in Syria.

Strategic communication strategists are on the heels of some very exciting and challenging, yet with promise, times. Opinion leaders need to heed the professional advice of communicators who are on the cutting-edge of this new technology and who have the tools and the background to deal with various challenges that arise as we navigate social networks and the thousands of opinions that can be generated from a single post.

As I was wrapping up my research for this blog; yes, research as a requirement for this class, and to bring credibility to this and any blog that is written…credibility is key. Back to my research, I came across an article on why most CEOs don’t use social media, making my case for strategic communicators to be involved at every stage in the process.  One of the reasons referred to was the time element involved that social media can place on a CEO on top of an already hectic and long work week. Well crafted, strategically positioned tweets, posts, blogs, and videos can enhance that CEO’s work life. Strategic social media can give the CEO more positive visibility than trying to pitch a story to a reporter, at times. That same blog post can work as a catalyst to gain that ever elusive interview. By having that strategic communicator on board, the CEO can be part of the social media mix and still have quality time with the family—-even during a hectic week!

Until next week, stay well.