SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL EVER INVENTED. IT GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE, EXTEND YOUR INFLUENCE AND CREATE A TRIBE OF PASSIONATE FOLLOWERS WHO WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!

Michael Hyatt, President & C.E.O. of Thomas Nelson Publishing

Social Media is for Leaders

So I'm at this Building Champion's seminar all last week in Bend, Oregon.  It's a stellar event helping me with a mix of Life Planning and Business Vision Planning and Business Planning.  They also have some awesome speakers who happen to be great leaders.  Besides the usual great speakers of Steve Scanlon, Bill Hart and Dan Harkavy, they invite Michael Hyatt the C.E.O. of Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Mike and I are friends (which I'm lying about as we're really more just acquaintances).  I'm a "friend of his on facebook and we follow each other on Twitter (er....I follow him as I really don't have anything of value to say on Twitter) and we correspond in a very superficial level at least 2 to 3 times a year.   Yeah....he's my "friend."

What Mike is though, is a leader.  While I consider myself a leader, I know that he leads a bigger "tribe" than I do.  He gets paid a few million dollars more than me annually as well.  On Thursday afternoon I was able to listen to Mike basically argue the point that Social Media is for Leaders.

He makes four important points.  Every leader has:

Insight -  The real gig here is that the leader is able to share his or her insights or vantage point for the benefit of the people following.  Social Media allows a select group to follow the advice and leadership and obtain the insights of leaders involved with social networking.  Let's be honest here.  Leaders in real estate, lending, or wherever find that social media is a phenomenal forum to share their insights with others.

Initiative - Leaders will take the initiative here.  It takes a leader to blaze the trail in social marketing.  Shouldn't the company leaders be the ones to make the foray into social networking?  Most of your company is involved in social networking anyway.  Why don't the leaders show what's appropriate by leading in this manner?

Influence - Edward Lorenz was ridiculed when he came up with the theory of "The Butterfly Effect."    Long story short is his theory is that a flap of a butterfly's wings on one side of the world can result in tidal wave on the other side of the world.  As molecules push other molecules and other molecules push others, a wave is created in which every force has a ripple effect that can have massive results half way across the world.  His theory was later proven by scientist to be correct.  I love this.  Social Networking creates the Butterfly Effect. 

What you say and how you say what you say, can make a positive influence that can be heard in the form of a tidal wave response somewhere else.  Your Words MATTER!

Impact - What you say can have a positive or negative financial impact on others.  Or inversely, what people are saying in Social Media can have a positive or negative impact on you and your company and on your finances.  If you have a great customer experience, then you will influence others.  Conversely, if what you do is negative, Social Medial is a great forum for others to tell the world how bad you are.  The impact can be great, or it can be devastating.

Last week, I had my 77th and 78th referral from Active Rain.  I also recieved my 4th and 5th referrals off of Facebook (this year).  The impact can be huge!!!!!!!

Even if you have all of the 4 I's, it's meaningless without a fifth I.  That I is integrity.  Hitler had the first 4, but lacked integrity.  He's the extreme, but there are others.  The bottom line is that if you don't have integrity as a leader, then when you're creating a following through Social Media, then you really shouldn't be in it in the first place.  If you have the 4 I's but do have Integrity......there's a whole bunch of folks who need to hear from you.

Check out Michael's blog at www.michaelhyatt.com.  More importantly, check out his most recent post on the Building Champion's Experience at http://michaelhyatt.com/what-will-they-say-when-you-are-dead.html. 

 I may not be influencing the world, but I can influence those who are interested, and I can do it in a positive manner.  I'm all in when it comes to the power of social networking.