Digital First Leadership:

Master Social Media, Build Online Presence, Lead Your Tribe

Highlights from my latest book

* As Recently Published in my LinkedIn newsletter

You are a great boss. You’re charming, charismatic, and lead your team with confidence. But when it comes to social media, you’re a ghost.

Your visibility no longer comes from your physical presence in the cafeteria, boardroom, team meetings, and hallways. Covid accelerated your migration into the digital world, as at least 42 percent of U.S. white-collar workers now work remotely.

Your digital presence has replaced your physical presence; your in-person dialogues are now online.

In my experience working with thousands of leaders in the tech industry, most of them hold back from participating on social media platforms because of these three common myths:

MYTH #1 — “I don’t have the time.”

Executives share one common challenge: their schedules and time are seldom their own. For many executives, their closest experience with social media is through their children, who they see glued to mobile devices consuming hours of texts, videos, TikTok, and Instagram. They simply shake their heads and think, “who has time for that?”

This myth persists because executives don’t see the value of spending time online: an executive’s purpose on social media isn’t to be entertained but to lead. It creates opportunities to engage with their team, their partners, their customers, and the market they serve.

With only a few minutes a week, any executive can begin participating in the online conversation. A carefully placed tweet, thoughtful comment, or interesting insight on LinkedIn is the critical first step.

Eventually, your online presence will begin to match your real-life persona, and your influence as a leader will expand far beyond the limits of your network.

To become a digital leader, you must reframe your understanding of social media and the power it has to amplify your image, your career, and your organization.

Throw out a small nugget of wisdom, a snippet of your day, or an anecdote of significance. These small engagements establish the foundation of your online presence and give you a voice.

Your content and advice don’t have to be perfect, just good enough, especially in the early stages. You don’t have to be edgy or controversial — simply be yourself, give your honest opinion, make short posts, and comment on others’ content.

By participating in a few conversations ricocheting across the online atmosphere, you take the first step in making a lasting impact on how you communicate and lead — and it won’t take up much of your time.

MYTH #2 — “All social media is frivolous.”

The perception of social media as frivolous is likely because of the “Instafamous,” TikTokers, and Kardashians of the world, all trying to capture the perfect selfie. They’ve given it a bad rep.

What’s more, in sales and marketing, you’ve been taught the company’s brand comes first, and the executive personal brand is subordinate.

As a CEO, the corporate world teaches you to censor yourself. This notion has been reinforced by years of controlled messaging captured in press release statements and carefully crafted talking points you share on stage or in interviews.

PR and one-way marketing used to act as a gatekeeper between leaders and their followers. But in this hyper-connected, online environment, those gates are wide open. That means now you can directly bring value to your audience.

Your followers want to hear from you. You have the opportunity to teach, influence, and lead your tribe more effectively than ever before.

Think of your social media platform as a stage; your audience is a limitless number of social media users, and you can reach them all at once with the click of a button.

You captivate an audience by showing them your personality and the leadership qualities that helped you get to the executive level. You can be personal or professional, but you must be authentic.

Opening yourself up and being vulnerable to your audience helps you build trust with them as a leader.

MYTH #3 — “I have nothing to say.”

When I began working with leaders several years ago, this belief that they had nothing worthy of sharing surprised me. I was working with men and women who have accomplished amazing things in their personal and professional lives, yet they truly believed that no one would be interested in what they had to share.

They saw themselves as ordinary people doing everyday things and were perplexed that anyone would care or be interested in their thoughts and opinions.

But social media thrives on these types of conversations. Your audience wants to hear the trappings of your life and career.

Cultivating a social media presence takes time. It takes time to build an audience, find your voice, and find the right rhythm for content and engagement. Don’t stress out if your audience isn’t rallying overnight.

When you understand and experience the act of engaging online, you begin to build up a sense of narrative. Like a habit of exercise, you have to continue working on it, thinking about it, and then actually doing it before you start to get the feel.

It can be challenging to find a balance between what you want to say as an individual and what you want to say as a leader representing your organization. You will make mistakes.

Getting Started

While these social media myths may have previously deterred you, you can overcome them. With a fresh perspective, new habits, and support, you will be ready to amplify your voice and lead in this digital age.

Click the link to sign up for the book launch announcement and pre-order availability. You can also download the sneak peek of my book, “Digital-First Leadership: Master Social Media, Build Online Presence, Lead Your Tribe.” Coming soon in April 2021: http://bit.ly/digitalfirstleadership