When you first set up a LinkedIn profile you get a default address (also called an URL) that looks something like this linkedin.com/in/janesmith-l76kk587. To create a clean look you can get rid of the random string of letters and numbers and create an address that is as close as possible to your real name. On[…]
If you think LinkedIn is just a good ‘place to put your CV’ than you are missing out on the platform’s huge business benefits and potential. LinkedIn is a powerhouse of economic data that can predict and fill skills gaps, uncover rare, high-demand talent and is now one biggest publishing houses in the world. With[…]
A leader who actively engages on social media platforms is good for business and with 7 million Australian and 380 million global users LinkedIn is a strategic fit those seeking to tap into global professional networks. One such CEO is Craig McDonald, head of software security company MailGuard, who was recently announced as one of Australia’s[…]
If you know that social media is mission critical yet are still having trouble convincing the executive, take some cues from how business journalist Alan Kohler thinks. With his finger on the pulse of business, his questions mirror those you can expect so use them to pre-empt concerns and provide answers about enterprise and personal use. Talking to[…]
What makes a great leader? Different times demand different skills and styles. So what does leadership look like in a world in which 3 billion people are online and where mass adoption could add 6.7 trillion to the global economy? It’s a different mindset. Social leaders ‘get’ how deeply interconnectivity impacts relationships and are hungry to leverage it.[…]
Chief executives may not want to be on social media but their people, customers and shareholders sure wish they were there. Numerous reports confirm that a social CEO positively impacts perceptions of trust, reputation and engagement. According to surveys: Weber Shandwick – in 2013 found 76% of executives want the CEO to be social, up to 81%[…]
It’s odd that some professionals wear a disinterest in social media as a badge of honour; given its ubiquity, understanding the business, governance and legal impacts should be a requirement. Social media impacts the employment life cycle from pre-employment to recruitment, training and dismissal and every tier of business strategy from product development, marketing, sales[…]
Can you bequeath your iTunes collection in your will? Does anyone know you have Bitcoins or money in a PayPal account? If you’ve accumulated virtual wealth in a massive multiplayer online game is that part of your estate and can you be cashed out? Can loved ones get copies of your Facebook photos and videos? What happens to your wedding[…]
Are executives who don’t invest in digital and social media negligent (I don’t mean this in the strictly legal sense)? This provocative question is directed at the governance obligations some executives may have around social media but also their duty to know what is coming over the hill and be ready to deal with it.[…]
It’s hard to rearrange life from a hospital bed but that is what I had to do when I was admitted without warning for an appendectomy. As well as handling the practicalities of suddenly becoming an ‘offline’ online company, being in hospital reminded me of the human face of business and the importance of ensuring[…]
When ‘leadership’ is confused with ‘the need to know everything’ it can lead to cultures of bluff where people feel it’s more important to give a response (including a wrong one) than acknowledge doubt. Instead, these three simple words from a leader can establish a very different context: I don’t know. “I don’t know” puts the[…]
I was recently at a workshop where a participant introduced himself by listing his Ivy League credentials; while impressive, his doctorate was in a discipline unrelated to the discussion and the act was out of context. Notwithstanding this, many people subsequently looked to him to lead or tacitly sought his approval when speaking. What he[…]
Legal decisions in the wake of corporate failures like Enron, WorldCom and, in Australia, Centro continue to reinforce financial literacy as imperative for business leaders. But we are yet to demand the same of arguably the biggest game changer of all, technology. The impact of emerging technologies, including social media platforms that allow instant global[…]
It might seem counterintuitive, but formal processes are not a panacea for good governance. Post-mortems of Enron and WorldCom, or closer to home Centro, reinforce that these companies failed despite entrenched controls. What leaders can learn from these high-profile failures it that risk-taking is a cultural issue and that, with respect to decision-making, a culture[…]
I have written a lot about senior executives being slow to adopt social technologies but what surprises me more is a lack of know-how across many heads of function who should be positioning it within the organisation. Many senior managers are not up to date with game-changing developments that could derail their companies or bringing[…]