The office is packed out with millennials, whilst many more work remotely from home; constantly connected and supremely social-savvy this generation is full of thoughts and ideas for the brand they work for, and they expect a leader who is not only receptive to this but encouraging. From Paul Russell, director, Luxury Academy London.
Meanwhile customers, similarly au fait with any social platform you can throw at them also place high regard on their input to brands and will judge leaders on what they say, when and definitely why. The old top-down style of leadership with days spent carefully crafting responses just doesn’t wash anymore. And so leaders are having to adapt. The opaque windows that once formed a barrier between them and their stakeholders have become (for some) worryingly clear. Yet others are embracing this new level of connection and the business benefits it can bring, honing their skills to the changing environment.
Step forward social leadership
Energetic, empathetic and engaged, the social leader isn’t afraid of the altering landscape, they are natural communicators who are happy to chat through concerns or explore ideas, inviting contributions from all. But as well as the socio aspects, social leaders are motivated by their followers’ psychological needs, actively seeking to promote a positive, fun working environment by increasing the energy level and engendering a strong team spirit. Social leaders favour recognition, praise and reward, they are great at conflict management and they tend to be pretty popular with their teams.
It works with other leadership styles too
Social leadership blends well with other leadership styles currently in favour such as authentic leadership which is defined as the type of leader who has a strong moral compass and sense of self, and is guided by their instincts. They are skilled at encouraging trust and engagement with their followers, will actively solicit views, but won’t act simply to please others when this goes against that they truly believe. More and more, stakeholders want transparency from their leaders but they also want authentic interactions, to feel that they are being treated justly and that those in charge are governed by an innate sense of what is fair.
Engaging as an individual
Modern day leadership is intrinsically weaved into social media on a number of levels. In times of crises, authenticity is said to be a key attribute of leadership and stakeholders want to see that their leaders are communicating clearly and honestly, responding to concerns quickly. In times of calm, social leaders will be managing their brand’s reputation, building bridges not just externally but internally too. Of course, social leadership isn’t about hiding behind a brand, millennial customers, media, suppliers, partners and employees seek flattened hierarchies, unhindered access to those that lead them and this means engaging as an individual.
A behaviour that you can learn
Social leaders will be thought leaders, and social media is just one of the tools that they utilise to fulfil their goals. They will use social media to develop their position, build strong impressions, create excitement around a project or idea and build those all-important human to human interactions. Social leadership and social media are not one and the same, but they are extremely happy bedfellows and to lead an increasingly millennial workforce, this is a pairing that most leaders will have to consider. If it’s not your natural position (and you actually used to like those opaque windows), don’t despair, like authentic leadership, social leadership is a behaviour rather than a trait- in other words it’s perfectly possible for you to learn how to do it. Time to work on those social profiles perhaps?
