Jul 20, 2010 | blog
Sometimes you have to write, even if it’s wrong. I’m not sure if this is right or wrong, but not sharing ideas, thoughts, mistakes, and successes with you surely is wrong. That’s what I’m hoping to change.
I’ve kept from posting for who knows what reasons. I know I can’t explain it well. So I’m not making promises about regular posting and I’m not suggesting any new directions with my blog here. I do know that I’ve been holding back and that’s the one thing I am going to change.
Will I still blog about corporate social media, or challenges therein? Sure, but I think, no I know, there are a number of topics that I want to chime in on, but haven’t felt like I should. I don’t know where or when any of those will pop up, but I do know that it begins now.
Apr 21, 2010 | blog
Lately I’ve been thinking about being comfortable, and how it leads one into complacency, into believing that everything is fine. That the world is fine, it’s understandable and that we know our place within it. I’ve been thinking this for a number of reasons and one of them is leading me to realize how hard it is for organizations to change.
As individuals, we know change is hard – we struggle every year to improve ourselves. We go so far as to ask peers to give critical feedback in the desire to find something to improve on. Something to make us better than we are. Seldom do we seek another path.
Often, another path is the dangerous choice, at least that’s how it appears. Its something we’re not comfortable with. It’s filled with challenges that we believe we’re not equipped to deal with. The chance for failure is higher. Perceptions can change without realizing it’s happening – brand authenticity is challenged with little warning.
What does an organization do when they feel like they’ve lost control of the message? What if they don’t understand that control is an illusion? Can change occur without destroying some portion of the organization, the control structure, or at the very least perceptions of such things?
Of course these are simply questions of those in denial.
The reality is change. Knowing what to look for, and recognizing it’s occurring is the opportunity. Finding the courage to take the step forward and question if the message is still valid is not common in many organizations. Taking action on such a realization is even harder.
It’s easier for an outsider to critique. The ability to accept outside recommendations on direction accomplishes multiple things without everyone realizing what’s happening…at least not right away. The organization gets a small glimpse of what it needs to do. It feels better about change. Leadership doesn’t have to take a leadership role, and doesn’t have to discipline anyone for challenging or stepping outside the control structure.
The point in all of this is that it’s easy to see how we get caught up in how change can be bad, that it’s far easier to stay the course we think is right rather than taking a step away and looking at our goals from a fresh perspective. To stop, listen, learn something we didn’t know (maybe many somethings), and then try something new. Its not hard to try – and an entire organization doesn’t need to be involved at the start, but someone does need to take the initiative.
Will it be you? I hope so.
Photo courtesy of Dru!
Apr 1, 2010 | blog
It’s been a long time coming, but there are significant changes taking place here this week. The first change being a new look
* and updated layout here on the site. The current design was done almost two years ago by
Mykl Roventine, a great designer & creator of things ;-), and has served this blog well during that time.
The next evolution of this site, needs to support the evolving needs I have online and in working with clients and organizations. More information on resources, ideas, offerings, services, and such are part of that plan, and I think the new design is going to fit those needs nicely. In addition to that, it’s just time to freshen things up a bit to go along with that new direction.
The other portion of the refresh is around opportunities. The growing
Social Media Breakfast community here in Minneapolis & St. Paul is one part, but also the national organization is working together as it grows. The education needs of our communities are growing, the number of businesses both large and small in need of advice & direction is expanding along with the opportunities to mentor folks who need it. All these things are part of my thinking in this redesign and direction for the future.
So when you ask? This week I say! Much of the new design is ready to go and I’ll be working into the wee hours here & there to bring it live, but it will be done by the end of the week. Gotta go now though, still much to do, and still more to share later.
🙂
Feb 19, 2010 | blog
I’d like to take a minute and tell you a bit about the concept of Behind The Firewall and what this project is about.
Behind The Firewall is an ongoing project of Arik Hanson and myself to explore the uses of social media inside companies. Our goal is to uncover the ideas, recommendations, solutions, and experiences of internal communicators, marketers, collaboration experts, team & project leads, and really anyone who is working to empower their organization through the use of social media.
There are always challenges in doing something new. Inside a large corporation, we run across a number of things that can keep innovation from occurring, or at least, minimizes the change brought about by innovation.
Social media is one of those combination’s of skills, tool-sets, and creativity. It challenges the accepted practices of the old guard and makes companies (i.e. groups of people working together) uncomfortable.
Perceptions
Of course, a discussion of the challenges of social media within an organization has to start somewhere, and one of the most critical things folks will run across is it’s perception. Many people already have an idea of what social media is, what it’s used for, and who uses it.
Of course, the problem with perceptions is that they’re often wrong. It’s your first job to start either changing the perception, or more importantly, setting them. People usually will give you a chance to explain something new before really making a judgment call on it. Give them the wrong impression, and you’ve then set a perception about what you’re doing that you’ll have to work hard to overcome. Take the time to really understand who you’re talking to before trying to tell people about what social media can do.
Culture
Another challenge to exploring corporate social media use is the culture in that company. Many conservative organizations have very rigid structures, several management levels, and an entrenched bureaucracy to deal with. Overcoming this impediment takes time, once again to learn the culture and how it works.
The opportunity in this should be to make connections to the influencers in the company. These folks are usually more open to new ideas, and can often be approachable, even if some of their team says otherwise. Most people that gain attention inside any organization have good ideas and management pays attention to folks with good ideas. Work on developing a relationship with these folks because they have the potential to become your most powerful advocates for change.
Education
This is key and one of the more important things to focus on. When given the chance, always try to educate rather than preach – we all hear enough hype and buzz already. Education on the value of social media is crucial to gaining trust on the topic with middle management. Keep the explanations simple, to the point, and most importantly, relevant to either the business or the manager’s scope of responsibility. Anything more than that can sometimes confuse the point you’re trying to share.
Secondly on the point of education, make sure to keep it short. Don’t expect managers to appreciate a two hour or longer training session. If you can’t communicate that in an hour, you’re being too verbose. Actually, figure only 30 minutes for a 1 hour session because of the overhead of training managers.
More to Come
Of course, there’s much more to it all and even the points talked about here offer themselves to additional detail and discussion. I look to continue delving into the challenges & opportunities of bringing social media inside companies, behind the firewall.
Behind The Firewall is an ongoing series of blog posts, Twitter chats and more. Created and lead by Arik Hanson and Rick Mahn, these discussions explore the world of the social web inside companies & organizations, “Behind The Firewall” if you will.
Jan 18, 2010 | blog
Changes & Challenges
Challenges – the unique opportunity to see if we’re good enough. It lives within us all, and the organizations we work with as well. Do we really have what it takes? Can we really meet the expectations that are set without our control? Can we let go of control and still be able to survive?
So it is with social media in business. Taking the concepts of transparency and community behind the firewall brings numerous challenges and requires many changes in a company’s culture. If that culture is too ridgid, the change is met with skepticism and sometimes fear. The fear comes from losing control, or from having to learn yet another set of skills that leave you further behind that your contemporaries.
Whatever the case, the challenges of organizations taking up social media can easily derail many attempts that were designed to enhance the company’s ability to move forward. Its the opportunity for individuals within the organization to help lead, help educate, and help demonstrate how things can be done. The question becomes how to educate and train people on these new methods, along with selecting the proper solution for the business need at hand.
Oftentimes, the social media “expert” you hire has a direct impact on the success – many times because of the focus on the tool rather than solving the need. You see, social media is no different than anything else. It’s a set of ideas or concepts. It consists of a number of possible technologies. To be successful, you need to understand the requirements (needs) of the business before selecting the right tool.
You wouldn’t use a Standard blade screwdriver to tighten a Phillips screw, so why would you select the wrong tool in social media?
I think the confusion come from the number of tools, and the fact that nearly all of them overlap in one or more area. This is where the knowledge of the social media professional needs to be leveraged. The person who helps coach you through the identification of needs and selection of tools will need to have worked with them in multiple ways so they understand what would work best in your application.
Identify the challenges of your company and the changes needed to move forward and you’re on your way to providing what your company needs to remain competitive as the world changes around us.
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