You’re a leader. And you’re standing warily in front of an amusement park entrance, your spouse and two children in tow. Or you could be at work, standing there with your direct reports, collaborative teams, departments, divisions or entire executive management team in tow. Or you could be standing there with your entire company in tow. What to do?  The park is deceiving because you think it’s something you know well, something that’s unchanging, stable.  You’ve been coming here since you were a child.  But the fact is, the park changes every year:  new rides are launched, old ones dismantled, shows

In all my previous jobs, including my current one running an HR marketing firm, I’ve hired dozens and dozens of employees – from higher education to high-tech to the HR marketplace, marketing and PR. I’ve played recruiter, hiring manager and human resources, although I’ve never officially held the title of any with the exception of sourcer. When I first entered the HR marketplace over a decade ago, I went to work as a sourcing account manager for a company called Tapestry.net prior to taking over the marketing communications function and internal sales team.

Not many would disagree with the fact that effective communication increases employee engagement and retention.  However, with social media, participation and business value are often at odds because of disparity between effective and ineffective communicators. Let’s face it:  the social in social media can make or break a firm’s brand and customer relationships.  Those who are ineffective communicators are most likely the first ones to say social media is a waste of time – and the first ones to damage your brand. According to a recent Towers Watson 2009/2010 Communication ROI Study Report: Capitalizing on Effective Communication: Despite the increased use