Title of the Essay, Author, and Date

The Digital Competence of Leaders by Jan Shultis (March 8, 2013)

Title of the Reflection

Leaders in social media

First Impression

An essay about the Digital Competence level of the leaders

Reflection Paper

As Charles notes, there are benefits to social media engagement: social media offers real-time talk and authentic conversation, can enhance transparency and a perception of accessibility, and encourages between the consumer and supplier.  Social media can encourage the development of the company as an industry leader; with increased communication, it is easier for an organization to rise above competitors and be seen as an authority.  Social media also offers a chance to tap into a silent audience, those whose opinions are shaped by watching the online dialogue without actively participating.

Social media offers valuable insight into not only what an organization does, but also how they do it.  In the modern market, business ethics are of greater interest than ever before. 

For many CEOs in the private sector, however, the argument for becoming personally involved in social media endeavors remains unconvincing. “Some simply don’t see the cost-benefit of the personal commitment,” elaborated Chris Perry in a recent Forbes article.  “Others turn away due to the risk of well-documented personal attacks, disclosure issues or media scrutiny from off-the-cuff commentary.”

Social media engagement requires frequent, candid updates, ranging from at least once a week for an effective blog to several times each day for an engaging Twitter.   

“As with anything, I believe that to be a valuable participant in social media, you must really dedicate the time,” says OtterBox founder and CEO Curt Richardson. 

5 Things That I've learned from the article:

1. “The role of the CEO has evolved to become more visible, social, connected and accessible than ever before.”
2. CEOs are under ever-increasing pressure to be accessible, which can translate into offering a 24/7 view into the company’s business practices, corporate culture, operations and even the CEO themselves. 
3. “The bottom line is that a leader must ‘own the message’ and be able to articulate it.”  
4. “As with anything, I believe that to be a valuable participant in social media, you must really dedicate the time.”
5. Most CEOs, already laden with the operational and strategic demands of running a company, are best served by adhering to the Robles model; that is, empowering their communication experts to translate their vision through cutting-edge digital avenues, but staying out of it themselves.  Doing all that they can to enhance brand awareness and esteem, including acceptance of the importance of communication and the possible place of social media tools in their arsenal, is certainly part of a savvy CEO’s job. So too is hiring well-trained and knowledgeable people to spearhead such communication efforts.

5 Integrative Questions

1. Why social media is the new communication in leadership?
2. Why what reasons social media offers valuable insight into not only what an organization does, but also how they do it?
3.  What gets in the way of executives getting on board in using the social media?  
4. Why do CEOs have people who can help filter the tweets and Facebook messages just like they filter their email and voicemail messages?
5. Why hiring a well-trained and knowledgeable people to spearhead such communication efforts for the CEOs?