CEOs as Social Media

Social media is the answer. What was the question? It doesn’t seem to matter.

The ubiquitous nature of social media has left corporate staffs scrambling. As they work to create a distinctive social strategy, they can find it’s like lacing up sneakers while running.  

Too often, they latch onto the idea of making the CEO the company’s chief social sage. While that may work in some industries, few CEOs will ever become top influencers on LinkedIn, trend on Twitter, or go viral on YouTube.

But every CEO makes an impact in person. From plant tours to Rotary Club speeches, employee meetings to business dinners, every face-to-face meeting presents an opportunity to engage and persuade. It is here, in front of stakeholders of all kinds, where CEOs can be their most social – and effective.

People want to see, hear, and talk with the chief executive. They want to be in the presence of the leader to get a sense of who this person really is. The company’s business may be conducted in the cloud, but its CEO needs to keep feet on the street.

It’s not a hard thing to do, considering all the opportunities to meet with different groups. Speeches can easily become the vehicle for CEOs to amplify their social impact. In minutes, they can influence a roomful of people using just words. This in-person, socially delivered communication can then become the springboard for engaging broader social media channels, as staff leverages the effort by linking, tweeting, posting, and blogging clips or transcripts to gain a broader reach.

For some CEOs, especially those in technology industries, it makes sense to have a higher profile in online social media. And marketing agencies often advocate for CEO involvement to establish thought leadership, strengthen brand credibility, and shape their company’s reputation, no matter what business they’re in.

While CEOs may feel pressured to jump into tweeting or blogging, it’s worth remembering social media is just one arrow in the communications quiver. Companies might well need to beef up their presence in online forums, but that doesn’t mean the CEO always has to be front and center.

The key for CEOs is to focus first on being social in the true sense of the word. In person. One on one, or one to many. Speaking from the heart. Sharing insights and intentions. Shaking hands. Creating community. The “media” part of being social can always follow. 

Dispensing wisdom

Josh Binder, Rutgers 2014

Tis the season of commencement speeches.

I certainly don’t remember who spoke at my graduation ceremony, much less what was said. But I might have been more attentive if one of the following 2014 graduation speakers were at the microphone.

Charlie Day, “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
Merrimack College
 
“Everything I'm truly proud of in this life has been a terrifying prospect to me. From my first play, to hosting "Saturday Night Live," getting married, being a father, speaking to you today. None of it comes easy. People will tell you to do what makes you happy, but all this has been hard work. And I'm not always happy. I don't think you should just do what makes you happy. Do what makes you great. Do what's uncomfortable and scary and hard but pays off in the long run. Be willing to fail. Let yourself fail. Fail in the way and place where you would be proud to fail. Fail and pick yourself up and fail again. Without that struggle, what is your success anyway?”
--
Ed Helms, “The Office”
Cornell University

“Only a fool would deliberately scare himself. Be that fool. Here’s the thing: scaring ourselves is, well, it’s scary and that’s not necessarily fun for anybody, but you have to do it because it’s the most potent catalyst for growth.”
--
John Legend, musician
University of Pennsylvania

“I know what it means to be all about the rat race and winning. But years from now, when you look back on your time here on earth, your life and your happiness will be way more defined by the quality of your relationships, not the quantity. You'll get much more joy out of depth, not breadth. It's about finding and keeping the best relationships possible with the people around you. It's about immersing yourself in your friendships and your family. It's about being there for the people you care about, and knowing that they'll be there for you.”
--
Atul Gawande, surgeon, writer, public-health researcher
UNC-Chapel Hill

“The aim of college is not complicated. It is to learn and try stuff so you can expand as a human being. Find what you care about. Maybe even figure out who you are and what you are here on this rock for… One thing I came to realize after college was that the search for purpose is really a search for a place, not an idea. It is a search for a location in the world where you want to be part of making things better for others in your own small way. It could be a classroom where you teach, a business where you work, a neighborhood where you live. The key is, if you find yourself in a place where you stop caring—where your greatest concern becomes only you—get out of there. You want to put yourself in a place that suits who you are, links you to others, and gives you a purpose larger than yourself worth making sacrifices for.”
--
These few excerpts barely scratch the surface of engaging, funny, and insightful commencement speeches, but they’re enough to tell me I should have listened more closely when I was in cap and gown, all those years ago. Because whoever gives the speech at graduation, there is valuable advice and experience to be shared.

For “The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever” visit the NPR website for a searchable list of 300 addresses going back to 1774.