It’s tempting for leaders to think: I don’t have time for social media, I have a staff for that.
Nonsense.
Social media allows you to pierce the cocoon that sometimes surrounds you, where nothing reaches your desk until it has been vetted and polished eight times, and nothing reaches the public until a similar process has happened.
In fact, social media leverages your time, making it possible for you to speak directly to many people who otherwise would never have direct contact with you. These encounters allow you to shed the trappings of your office and act like the human being you are. Say what’s on your mind. Be tactful but direct.
Most importantly, listen. Don’t skip the step of reading and responding to comments. By investing a few minutes in doing so, you can have genuine interactions with a cross-section of people: customers, employees, or voters within the communities that host your operations.
One word of caution that may sound odd coming from a ghostwriter: never allow someone else to comment for you.
The comments section of LinkedIn reveal whether or not a CEO was actually involved in the publishing of his or her story. Too often, it is painfully obvious that a 23-year-old kid is pretending to be the CEO.
When you’ve taken a few decades to work your way up the ladder, you develop wisdom and a manner of communicating that can’t be faked in a fifteen-word comment. Show this to be true.