Peter Dutton stopped me in my tracks this week when he said: “business leaders need to stop craving popularity on social media by signing up to every social cause.”
Fair point, Peter.
Choosing likes or popularity over purpose online is one of the more dangerous – and often hidden – reputational risks facing boards and executives today.
But where I (and at least 80% of the population, according to Edelman and others…) disagree with Mr Dutton, is that leaders are expected to speak up online today.
To be blunt, staying quiet isn’t an option, and pandering to others online is also risky business. So, what should leaders do?
Leaders who share their purpose clearly and authentically online are magnets for talent, customer, partner and investor attraction.
I’ve had two recent podcast conversations with senior executives who nail their purpose and are already reaping the benefits – one private and one public sector. I’ll share their stories over the next two newsletters.
Here’s the first – meet Kim.
Kim Krogh Andersen is Danish.
He’s a father of three.
He’s a former farmer and soldier.
He’s Telstra’s Group Executive for Product & Technology.
And he’s enormously passionate about social media.
In fact, it’s a prerequisite for all Kim’s direct reports to be active online. Why?
For Kim, it’s critical to Telstra’s success. Here is a snapshot of what he shared with me on the Your Digital Reputation podcast:
“….technology is such an important part of the future and also in changing some of the things that are not good enough today, like the climate.
“I need to be a part of that – to help bring that message and the best technology to Australia and to our customers. I see that as a deep part of my accountability.
“So when we talk about [Telstra’s] partnerships with Microsoft, AWS, Google and all the big technology companies in the world, I see it as my role to always ensure that here in Australia we have access to the best possible technology.
“LinkedIn is a good platform to ensure some of these relationships are stimulated.”
“…If you look at my own team, I have 10 plus direct reports. For me, it’s a prerequisite for them to be on social media. I don’t accept they’re not there.
“I need them to create their profile so they can attract talent to their team. They cannot rely on me. They need to create, they need to be the executives that people they want to work for.
“It’s not okay as an executive to not be on social. I don’t think it is.”
Kim’s words and actions show the power of purpose in action. Not for popularity’s sake, but because this is his own authentic story.
His posts have “hardcore business impacts” around talent attraction and innovation. If you haven’t listened to the conversation, click here to tune in. I guarantee it will get you thinking about purpose.
I was recently invited to speak with a group of executives as part of the fantastic Leadership Think Tank program (thank you Jason, Shirley and the wider group for including me).
Our discussion was so rich and revealed how, even in just that cohort, our world is full of purpose-fuelled leaders.
So I asked them – and I ask you – what do you stand for?
And, as importantly, is this reflected online?
When someone ‘googles’ your name, do they see a reflection of your leadership values, experience and behaviours online?
If they see nothing, you’re missing a valuable driver of influence. If they see others’ stories, you’re not in control.
I’m going to share Propel’s Purpose Pyramid in our next newsletter. For our clients, it’s their ‘North Star’ for everything they do on social media, and for the Leadership Think Tank group it was ‘homework’ to stress test their online presence.
In your case, if you want to avoid risk, improve performance, and set your own anchor point for social media effort, make time this week to assess whether what you stand for is clear online or not. I’d love to hear your reflections – please drop me a note.
Because, as Kim said, if we want to change “the things that are not good enough today, like the climate,” we need to urgently see more Australian leaders making an impact online.
I want to leave the final word today to Kim, too, revisiting a quote I shared earlier. Simply because I couldn’t say it better.
I look forward to hearing your ‘purpose’ reflections, and can’t wait to get into our Purpose Pyramid and another leader case study in our next newsletter.
Until then, take care.
Roge
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