In 12 months’ time, a CEO would be appointed and take over from the very successful and respected incumbent.
But rather than fixating on the current CEO until the inevitable transition, they already had a dedicated program to help not one, but SIX potential leaders develop the skills and capabilities they would need to connect with, communicate and influence key audiences online.
How clever.
A few weeks back I wrote a post about this idea of a ‘digital coalition’ – part one of this mini series – and the risks involved in putting all your reputation eggs in the one leader’s basket. The key premise being, if you spend all your time focusing on one leader and one voice – digitally or otherwise – you invite risk if (or when):
- That leader walks out the door, leaving a sizeable gap behind them;
- That leader tries to be everything to everyone, becoming either a bottleneck or inauthentic (or both); or
- That leader confronts issues or crises of any kind, standing and facing the many waves of media, shareholder and public scrutiny alone.
A ‘digital coalition’ is much safer, and much smarter.
Rather than going it alone, it involves a group of leaders working together as individuals online to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. In the case of the above global firm, that outcome could be equipping more than one voice to dilute risk, build trust and connection, and resonate with more audiences at the crucial time of leadership transition. A digital coalition is an insurance policy for corporate reputation in the digital age.
OK – but how do you build one?
This is the challenge facing every communications or reputation lead – even any digitally-savvy board – today. You might be able to get ONE executive over the line and willing to fly the digital flag themselves, but a leadership TEAM?
Tell ‘im he’s dreaming…
I know I’m an optimist, but I’d like to think I’m a realistic one. In this case, I’m an optimist backed by evidence.
For one of our clients, we have worked with a group of senior leaders for over a year now, right up to the CEO. They recognise the value of having multiple faces and voices active online. They understand having multiple industry touchpoints across diverse networks can only be positive for business, for recruitment and for performance. And, contrary to what you might be thinking, they aren’t all digital natives working in a digitally-savvy industry. They just get the commercial sense.
How did they get there? I wouldn’t normally share this detail, but I so firmly believe in the power of the digital coalition concept and the benefits at hand, I invite you to consider these steps:
Identify your coalition. This doesn’t need to be everyone – even starting with 3-5 people can quickly build awareness and interest across the organisation. But choose strategically. Those leaders in crucial, visible roles (engaging staff, attracting talent, growing partnerships, influencing policy makers) are the priority.
Align on purpose. What are your strategic priorities as an organisation? What are your ambitions? Defining these and having the group clear on what they, as individuals, are working towards collectively will help them adopt a ‘We vs Me’ mindset, which is incredibly important for alignment and performance.
Divide on stakeholders. Everyone has their own ‘patch’. As a group, discuss your key stakeholder groups and clarify who will focus on who, avoiding overlap and informing listening and intelligence efforts, so you all know what messages will resonate and via which channels for greatest impact.
Own your passions. We’re all human beings and we want to connect as human beings. Coming this far only to regurgitate corporate messages is THE fastest way to torpedo trust and credibility. Detail your personal journey, what makes you unique, and how your passions – those issues you care most about in this world – influence your perspective every day. Work out what you’re comfortable sharing and find a way to bring that colour into your content. It will resonate far more.
Build on best practice. Work out where you feel equipped and confident, and where you could use a hand. You might be a natural storyteller but lack the technical know-how. Or you might love networking but can’t find the right words for encouragement. Your digital coalition will attract attention, so continue investing in your own capability to ensure you set the best example and empower others to follow your lead.
There’s no question: if you want to go far, go together.
A digital coalition minimises key person risk, builds resilience in the face of adversity, and amplifies impact far beyond the reach of any individual. We’ve seen how this works, we know how to bring leaders together, and – if digital reputation matters to you – we’d love to help you start your own journey.
Build diversity and depth into your organisation’s digital presence and safeguard your precious digital reputation – start today.
