In a social business world, embracing collaborative leadership skills and competencies can make a big difference in how organizations stay fleet of foot and ahead of the competition. Now, more than ever, effective communication—both online and offline—can make or break a company. Leaders are expected to turn their businesses into social organizations, which requires shifts in culture, mindset, and leadership models in order to be successful. This is no easy task, says Barry Libert; it can't be accomplished without a little prior introspection.
"Knowing what social skills you have is vital to understanding your own particular brand of leadership and can improve your ability to make friends, fans, and followers in business," says Libert, author of "Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees and Grow Your Business."
Libert knows what he's talking about. After all, he's the chairman and CEO of Mzinga, a company that provides social software to businesses. Quite literally, it's his job to be social media savvy.
To help the social leaders of the future, Libert provides an online skills assessment at www.socialnationbook.com The Social Quotient (SQ) Test helps identify how leaders can most efficiently and effectively grow social talents. The assessment will confirm skills you already have and clarify which ones you can use to guide you as you learn, adapt, adopt, and develop new social competencies and further grow relationships within your own Social Nation.
Upon completion of the SQ Test, results will determine which three of the eight most common social characteristics are your greatest strengths. And, while you may excel at several of these, Libert says it's important to incorporate them all into your team's leadership style.
Libert lays out eight social competencies that can help you to be more effective in driving business results:
Be flexible.
The ability to adjust expectations and behavior on the fly to fit any type of situation is crucial in the fast-paced world of business. ADAPTORS are comfortable with dealing with shifted plans and the unpredictable world of social networks and online communities. Likewise, they can help to implement a change in strategy wherever it might be needed.
"Leaders of any kind always need to be prepared for 'the unexpected' to happen, as it usually does," Libert points out. "Not only do you have to be comfortable going with the flow—you have to be able to handle these changes adeptly by constantly adjusting your approach. With social media, things are moving at such an extreme pace that this skill is vital, and adaptors can help identify problem areas fast."
See the big picture.
Having a clearly defined mission for how to get to where you're going is a skill that is often overlooked. However, ARCHITECTS are capable of understanding how an organization's strategic path will help them reach their goals. They also have a knack for visualizing the overall direction in which their organization needs to be heading. In sustaining a social presence, architects keep conversations going by infusing them with this vision.
"Too often, organizations get bogged down in the details that consume their time, and they lose sight of their overall goals," Libert stresses. "While the little things certainly matter and help to keep a business running, the big picture should be the ultimate focus. Architects remind you of what defines your purpose, especially when planning your social strategy."
Work together.
Being a team player is absolutely necessary in any business. COLLABORATORS prefer to be a part of a support system and promote a common purpose. Furthermore, they often measure their own success as a function of the team's success, and they help an organization act as one in a social community.
Collaborators are also great at revving up team participation. And as they are typically more socially inclined, they aren't afraid to approach people and build relationships outside an organization's normal sphere of communication.
Control the chaos.
Knowing how to organize the various aspects of day-to-day business and how to configure complex pieces to get better results is key within a company. CONNECTORS integrate a variety of viewpoints and perspectives into a complete composition and enable social interactions and conversations to run smoothly.
"Connectors thrive off devising new configurations and assisting in linking discussions through diverse mediums to harmonize an organization's social media strategy with its overall business goals," Libert explains.
Think innovatively.
It's easy to get stuck in a rut, but proposing new ideas can rejuvenate a team. CREATIVE THINKERS come up with inventive ways to tackle familiar challenges and enjoy being enlightened while collecting new information. Additionally, they are skilled at finding unusual connections among people and content within a Social Nation.
Break down the façade.
Wearing few social masks and being an open book can gain both trust and respect from others. With TRANSPARENT INDIVIDUALS, open, authentic communication is the name of their game—and they encourage their organization to increase its level of transparency by sharing through social media.
"Social media, by its very nature, is built upon the assumption that online communities will provide a venue for unhindered communication," says Libert. "In fact, it's often scarier for companies to hide information than it is for them to share it. Transparent individuals infuse their organizations with this."
Don't be afraid of taking risks.
Venturing into unknown territory may be scary, but it can also be very rewarding. RISK TAKERS know that there is much to be gained through trial-and-error learning and are motivated by progress. Unlike risk-averse naysayers, they'll gladly take on the social movement challenge.
Imagine the possibilities.
Instead of focusing on obstacles, thinking about alternative outcomes and solutions can help energize and inspire others. VISIONARIES tend to have intuitive foresight, and they challenge the status quo to reach for a better future.
They also can help to identify the next big trends—which is exceptionally vital to building a social strategy. And their ability to determine long-term, best-case scenarios for an organization's strategy is extremely valuable.
"Remember that the key is to try to achieve a balance between all eight traits," concludes Libert. "You're probably not going to master all of them on your own. Tackle them as a team, and your organization can make progress in building a successful social strategy and, ultimately, a true Social Nation."
