The Industrial Age is dead.
Social media has arrived.
Everything has changed.
And I had no idea what I was doing.
In early 2014, I was a social media neophyte peering down over the edge into the vast social sea. If I wanted to succeed and survive the social leap, I needed knowledge, a digital identity, and a solid online network.
Social media was a serendipitous treasure chest of valuable content and helpful people. Each day I dedicated time to research, reading, learning, and engaging. High-quality resources and a growing network accelerated my status from social newbie to social saveur in less than a year.
But saveur status doesn’t last long in the world of social. Disruption rules in 2015. Social is constantly morphing and evolving, creating “new normals” we must learn and integrate to stay ahead.
You must always be on the line of learning in the Social Age.
My learning led me to Ted Coiné and Mark S. Babbitt’s book A World Gone Social. Spot-on insights, provocative questions, and revealing stories inspired new ways to think about social.
Here are my top 3 takeaways from the social survival guide:
1. “More Social, Less Media”
This is your new daily mantra.
Social is hard work: there are no shortcuts to social success. The days of broadcasting are over. People don’t connect to brands, they connect to other people.
Success will come to those who embrace and integrate these four simple words into their business. Organizations must cultivate a culture of engagement, innovation, and collaboration. Creating and nurturing relationships with employees and customers are top priorities for social success.
2. “Go Nano, Or Go Home”
Larger organizations have two things smaller businesses typically don’t: deep pockets and serious status. But social media is the arrow aimed straight to the heart of these large enterprises. “The Death Of Large” is knocking on the doors of legacy enterprises that don’t embrace social.
The once prevalent megacorporation is being replaced by a smaller, more social and collaborative model. The agile “nano-corp” can move from one organization to another, getting more done in less time.
Agility is key to surviving the disruptive forces of social.
3. “Flat Is The New Black”
How about this for disruption:
- What if every employee made big decisions?
- What if you refuse to be treated as “the boss?”
- What if there we no more office meetings?
- What if the best parking spaces go to the earliest risers?
Social is changing the world of work. Leadership is based on serving the team. Employees are active, engaged, self-managing contributors to the organization. Excess layers of management are stripped away. It’s a world gone social and a world gone flat.
- Will large enterprises let their hierarchies fall flat?
- Will flat management be the new black socially forward businesses try on in 2015?
- Will flat organizations be the only ones to survive in the Social Age?
Social is here to stay. We must be anticipatory, agile, and armed with the right tools and mindset to survive and thrive in the Social Age.
Ted Coiné and Mark S. Babbitt will be kicking off the New Year with the first #TChat of 2015 on January 7 from 7-8 p.m. ET. Come join the chat to explore the possibilities and challenge your perceptions about on how to adapt and survive in A World Gone Social.
About the Author: Jessica E. Roberts is the Community Manager for TalentCulture and The World of Work Community.
photo credit: W Mustafeez via photopin cc
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