I’m lucky to live in the best state in Australia. Yep – New South Wales.
(Hold your rotting fruit, please…)
The beaches, the bushland, the perennially underperforming sports teams – we have it all.
And, as a ‘Welshie, we also had a state election over the weekend. It got me thinking.
Politics aside, and regardless of what you think about government, there are plenty of digital reputation lessons for EVERY leader across EVERY sector from what’s playing out right now.
We now have a new Labor government here, and a new leader: Chris Minns. Who – in his own words during his victory speech on Saturday – noted: “The people of NSW have voted for a fresh start.”
Yes they have. And will they see a ‘fresher’, more connected, collaborative and accessible public sector as a result?
I’m a believer in the sector, as I am a believer in positive leadership.
Having worked with hundreds of public servants over the years, I see the purpose and hope for a better future that drives much of the work we’ve done together. I see the willingness to collaborate to design better solutions.
And, yes – I’ve also seen the unnecessary red tape that sometimes holds progress back. Red tape that individual leaders are starting to break down – funnily enough – through their use of social media.
Whether you’re in the public sector, an elected official, non-executive director or executive leader – every single one of us has the opportunity today to be more accessible, more collaborative, more attentive and more impactful.
I want to share some superb advice from Mike Kaiser – Director General at a Queensland Government department. A leader I believe does exactly these things.
Mike Kaiser and I spoke on the Your Digital Reputation podcast last week, about how he – as one of Queensland’s most senior bureaucrats in the risk-averse world of government – uses social media to break down hierarchies, celebrate his people, restore pride in the sector, and fend off the naysayers.
Here are my key takeaways, relevant for every leader today:
Your best strategy is to ‘be yourself’. This was Mike’s key message. Even more powerful given he had help with his social in the past. Be yourself, write yourself, comment yourself, connect yourself. Of course get help to make these steps faster – there are ways to do that. But never outsource your voice. Your reputation is too precious.
Don’t opt out – “have a crack”. Yes – you need to feel comfortable and confident online. But that confidence is built by getting into the game, not watching from the sidelines. Opting out only exposes you to greater risk as others control your narrative online. Ask questions, learn the system, have a crack.
Be wise. Mike talked to me about the one time he crossed the line. He apologised and learned from the experience. Good leaders do that. Take the time to work out where your ‘line’ is, based on your values and your organisation’s context. Use good judgement, online or offline.
Be consistent. This ties in with being yourself. I find people get into trouble when they share things online that aren’t consistent with who they are offline. These worlds are now connected, whether we like it or not. Use social media to reinforce and amplify whatever you would say offline. Trying to curate a different ‘digital you’ will only create problems.
I encourage you to quickly re-read these four principles.
Honestly – wouldn’t your social media efforts be so much simpler, more rewarding and more powerful if they guided everything you did online?
Every leader has the choice and the chance to use social media to have a more positive impact on the world around them.
Take Mike’s advice. Have a crack.
Until next time – take care,
Roge
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