Social Leadership (#SWChat)

Thanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Leadership

Lisa Petrilli and Steve Woodruff were today's Guest Hosts

Lisa Petrilli Bio: Lisa empowers C-suite executives and emerging leaders to create clear, compelling, inspiring visions for their companies and teams in order to transform them and grow them exponentially, and to then bring these visions to fruition with clear and aligned strategies. Check out www.lisapetrilli.com for more info on Lisa.

Steve Woodruff Bio: Steve is the Connection Agent helping to create Opportunity Networks, via a growing community of talented people worldwide. Check out www.stevewoodruff.com for more info on Steve.

As well as their day jobs, both Lisa and Steve host the #LeadershipChat Tweet Chat every Tuesday at 8pm ET which is a phenomenal event and one not to be missed.

The Social Workplace

A socially connected company where collaborative working across geographical locations, lines of business and management chains is second nature, enabling innovative solutions to every day business challenges

Social Leadership

Ambassadors of The Social Workplace. Leading by example the necesssry change in behaviours required to improve communications, learning, productivity, and all round engagement through the better use of social tools

Event Statistics

• No. of Tweets = 725
• No. of Contributors = 87
• Reach = 227,000
• No. of impressions = 2,500,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) How do you see Social Leadership differing from the more traditional styles of leadership ?
Q2) Some companies are reluctant to adopt a Social Leadership infrastructure. Why do you think that is ?
Q3) What type of people do you see embracing Social Leadership and what type do you see fearing it ? 
Q4) Are introverts more comfortable with the style of Social Leadership than the more traditional forms of Leadership ?

Shared Reference Material

• An offering for #SWChat participants via #LeadershipChat
• Social Business in Not Enough by Steve Woodruff
• Social Business Case Study: Enterasys Networks Use of Chatter by Krishnan Subramanian
• How to Sell Social Media to the CEO by Lisa Petrilli
• 101 Examples of Social Business ROI by Peter Kim
• Seeing Social Media More as Portal Than as Pitfall by Perri Klass
• The Introverts Guide to Success by Lisa Petrilli (30% discount if you use code "SWChat")
• Sutherland on Leadership by Ivan Sutherland

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

The Silent Voice of the Introvert Leader

I will never be promoted....

Maybe it's my lack of intelligence? - ok, I'm never going to find the solution to world hunger or discover a cure for the common cold but I consider myself of reasonable intelligence.

Maybe my visionary skills are ineffective or I'm incapable of developing flexible business strategies to meet ever changing marketing conditions? - actually this is what I do, I love it, and I'm pretty damn good at it (so I am told).

It must be my poor leadership skills then - well no. I manage to deliver on my vision with very limited resources through influencing virtual people who have the same passion as I do. And virtual leadership is considered one of the hardest qualities to master.

Then it has to be my lack of passion and unwillingness to take on additional responsibilities - actually it's neither of these either. I have three high profile roles, two of which I asked to take on and my Sponsor keeps highlighting my passion as an incredible trait and the ability I have to just make things happen regardless of any obstacles.

So if it's not lack of intelligence, ineffective visionary skills, incapability to develop business strategies, poor leadership skills, lack of passion or unwillingness to take on additional responsibilities then why after seven years of over achieving have I not been promoted?

It's because I'm an introvert.

Introversion

I like getting energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I'll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the ideas of something better than the real thing.

The following statements generally apply to me:

• I am seen as "reflective" or "reserved"
• I feel comfortable being alone and like things I can do on my own
• I prefer to know just a few people well
• I sometimes spend too much time reflecting and don't move into action quickly enough
• I sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if my ideas really fit the experience

(extract taken from Lisa Petrilli's eBook The Introvert's Guide To Success in Business and Leadership helping to identify if you are an introvert)

It's strange, I never realised until I read Lisa Petrilli's The Introvert's Guide to Success in Business and Leadership eBook yesterday that I was an introvert (I mean as a label). And the fact I organise social gatherings and speak at events would suggest that I am more of an extrovert than in introvert. But I do these things because I don't want introversion to hold me back, I won't let it.

Now, if you were expecting me to start slating my employer I am sorry to disappoint. I want to make it very clear this is not my employers problem, this is my problem. If I want to progress I need to first accept that I am an introvert and secondly learn how to work with it. After all I cannot join a rugby team and expect them to change to play football because it's what I prefer. The corporate playing field is set and I if I want to play then I need to adapt to their game not the other way round.

You might find it ironic that a Social Media Business Leader such as myself can hold such a position being an introvert. The very name suggests a contradiction to the fact, but I am starting to realise this is more common than you might think. See if any of the following relate to you:

• You are quieter than normal in large meetings
• You don't like being put on the spot to respond or provide input in a public forum without having time to digest and think of a suitable response
• Attending conferences scares the hell out of you
• After a conference, or all day meeting with a large group of people, you need to be by yourself and get some down time (sometimes days)
• You avoid networking opportunities of any kind, and prefer your own company to the company of others
• You find it hard to accept praise from others

So can an introvert be a leader?

Absolutely.

I consider myself a leader but understanding that I am an introvert and learning how to manage it with the help of people's views and insights like Lisa Petrilli can make me a better leader. And maybe one day I will finally get that promotion. But the important thing is I now realise I am not alone, that there are other introvert leaders out there and that it is possible for an introvert like myself to achieve. The important thing is to not let introversion hold you back.

Introverts have a voice. It may not be as loud as those other voices around you but even the silent voice of an introvert has something to say and we need to take the time to listen...

FOOTNOTE

Lisa Petrilli's The Introvert's Guide To Success in Business and Leadership eBook is a must if you consider yourself an introvert who wants to succeed in business or in life for that matter. But it is also essential reading for extroverts to understand how to better lead those introverts in your team. I found it an invaluable read and beautifully written.