Focus on People -- Organizational Leadership in the Social Age, Part II

 Focus on people 

We’ve all heard that in highly effective organizations the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Everyone has good ideas, but real creativity often occurs when passionate minds collaborate around a concept or project.  Social networking tools offer the fantastic opportunity to connect people who share a common passion and vision.   Increased social networking activities accelerate the process required to create new concepts and wiliness to chare new ideas.  The more you share, the more you’ll receive in return, so be sure to be generous when you use these powerful communication tools!

As a business leader you face challenges that may seem impossible to solve. But with an active social network in which you’ve generously offered your own skills and experience, others will be more than willing to offer suggestions to help with your challenge. The more ideas and experience you share with other leaders, the more you will receive in return.

This renewed focus on people is a defensive skill as well. By that I mean that in a socially networked world, employees find new jobs much more easily than in years past. Use social networking tools to help find the best people with the best skills for your business and then treat them very well—if you don’t, your competitor may use those same tools to steal them away. Your people are one of your greatest competitive assets—be sure to treat them that way!

Likewise, connect with others via social networking tools to create a strong community of followers for your product and services.  Empower your community using a social networking tool that can collect input on new features and functions.  In the social age your social networking community should be viewed as an integral part of your business process. Pay attention to your community of customers and potential customers to create the product everyone will want.

In the my next post, I’ll explore the renewed importance of honesty and transparency for the business leader in the social age where instantaneous news and performance appraisals are available everywhere via blogs and social tools .