My most recent guest was David Maywald – full-time board member and father of two. David was previously an Investment Manager for two decades, before transitioning to board roles almost five years ago. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of seven organisations across Australia, including the likes of SolarShare Community Energy Ltd and St John ACT. It’s episode number 31 in the YDR catalogue, so please go back and have a listen to David’s comments before you dive into this short practical reflection.
The question we covered? How can board members and their organisations benefit from social media?
While David provides some valuable insights into the minds of board members and company directors as they consider the risk and rewards of social media, one thing we both came away thinking from our chat was: ‘How can we help board directors feel more comfortable online?’
After all, when the most senior and – arguably – most influential layer of business and governance in this country is silent on the very channel where the greatest number of Australians are active – social media – that can only lead to problems. Ivory towers, misunderstandings, disconnect, and distrust. Things no board director wants. So, in this episode, I want to share some very practical advice to help those leaders remove the mystique from social media, and see how it could play a valuable role for them – personally – and their organisations as well.
Propel’s Digital Reputation Report looking at LinkedIn use among ASX200 CEOs found around 85% of CEOs were invisible, inactive or ineffective on the platform. David’s own anecdotal experience with fellow board directors (and what I’ve certainly heard from other board directors myself) is that this number may well be even higher for that director cohort.
But as my conversation with David shows, there are just so many benefits for directors when they use social media properly, particularly LinkedIn. Below I’ve included THREE practical things board directors can do to access those benefits, and avoid missing out on the opportunities LinkedIn provides.
BE CLEAR ON YOUR PURPOSE.
Leaders – you MUST be clear on your purpose for LinkedIn. When I hear board directors talk about risk on social media, or see stories in the media, 99 times out of 100 it points to a lack of purpose. Leaders either jump on LinkedIn because someone told them to, because a campaign required them to have a profile, or because they were curious but never really stopped to define its role and function for them.
So, Leaders – what is YOUR purpose for using LinkedIn? Are you trying to grow opportunities for your organisation or yourself? Are you trying to protect your hard-earned reputation? Are you trying to leave a legacy, and scale your impact beyond boundaries? What’s your purpose?
I use a simple but incredibly effective framework with my clients as part of Propel’s Your Digital Reputation Program for leaders. It’s called the Purpose Pyramid, and it’s the single best thing you can do to increase performance and reduce risk on LinkedIn. What does it involve?
Below you’ll find a link to Propel’s Purpose Pyramid overview which I’d encourage you to download and use as a thought starter. I guarantee it – if you spend even 15-20 minutes on this framework, you’ll be much clearer on what you’re trying to achieve on LinkedIn, who matters most to you in that pursuit, and how you can bring an authentic voice to those discussions that relate to you and your leadership style.
REVIEW YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE AGAINST YOUR PURPOSE.
Now that you’ve done your Purpose Pyramid, I want you to do a short exercise for me.
Go to your LinkedIn profile – the one asset that you 100% control on the internet. The thing that is essentially your shop front to the whole world. Go to that profile now and open it up. What do you see? Do you see a blank profile picture? Do you see a blank banner image? Do you see the absolute bare minimum details on your profile? Or – worse – the wrong or outdated details? Do you see a blank About section? And, is the only activity you see on your profile a string of cheerleader-style ‘Congratulations!’ messages that you’ve commented on others’ posts, without any real insight into who you are and what you care about?
Now, take another look at your Purpose Pyramid. Is what you saw on your LinkedIn profile a fair reflection of the person you are, what you stand for and what matters to you in this world? If not, my second tip is simply to work through your profile and make sure it does that. Make sure it’s something you’re proud of. Not because of ego, but because others are looking at your profile to make decisions about who you are, what you stand for, your credibility, and whether they can trust you. If they see a blank profile, they get none of these things.
ASK FIVE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF YOUR ORGANISATION.
The first two tips are all about you and your own efforts, but this third tip focuses on those organisations you’re responsible for. How are they using LinkedIn or social media more broadly at the moment?
I heard an AICD leader once say: ‘Questioning is undoubtedly a directors best weapon. Not questioning to be heard, but to be constructive and seek to improve the conversation.’
I couldn’t agree more. And yet I feel when it comes to social media that many directors feel intimidated or unprepared to ask these important questions that improve the conversation and reduce risk.
So, here are five questions you can ask in your next board meeting to help reduce risk and drive performance among the leadership team:
1. What are the main reasons our exec – and staff – use social media?
2. Who are we actually talking to on social media today?
3. What do our key audiences think about our executive team + brand on social media?
4. Who can speak within our organisation? How are we helping them?
5. Is our current strategy maximising performance + minimising risk? How?
Remember, it’s important for you to feel confident and clear on social media so you can ask the right questions and keep your organisation on the right side of the risk and reward divide for social media. Take purposeful steps today to avoid risk tomorrow.
I hope you find these practical tips helpful and I’d love you to reach out to me with your own reflections if you give them a go. Drop me an email or find me on LinkedIn.
And remember, if you’re looking for a ‘LinkedIn for Leaders’ program and want to take more control of your digital reputation, our Your Digital Reputation program has been designed exactly for leaders like you. It’s everything you need to get up and running on LinkedIn in a safe, sustainable and effective way. AND – it’s all done within one month, for those leaders who want to get real results fast. Click below for details, or drop me a note for more information.
Feel free to drop Roger Christie a note with any thoughts from this conversation. If you want more on all things digital reputation, be sure to subscribe below to the Your Digital Reputation newsletter packed full of advice, trends and the best leadership examples just for you.
