I was talking to a good friend the other day about Twitter. He knows that I believe it is important. Really important. Some of his clients are also beginning to ask questions about it. But he just didn’t get it.
He finally blurted out, “It just seems like a huge waste of time. I don’t need one more inbox to check. I can barely keep up with what I have now.”
I said, “Buddy, you’re completely missing it.”
“Missing what?” he said, defensively.
“The potential.”
“What potential?” he asked emphatically.
“It’s not about what you get out of it,” I said. “It’s about the opportunity it affords you to give to others and make an impact.”
“Excuse me,” he muttered.
“Twitter is an opportunity for you to lead in a way that was not possible until now.” I explained.
“As you and I both teach, when you boil it down, leadership is influence. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” he acknowledged.
“Leadership is not about position, a title, or status. It is about influence. Plain and simple. I know you believe that, too, right?”
“Right.”
I continued, “If that’s true, then Twitter provides an unprecedented opportunity for people like us to extend and amplify our influence. You don’t have to buy time on television or radio. You don’t have to write a book or magazine column. You don’t even have to blog,” I went on.
“All you have to do is write short 140 character micro-posts about what you are doing or—more importantly—what has your attention right now.”
I could almost hear his brain shift into a different gear. “You and I both know that people today crave leadership. They are dying for role models. They want to see what good leadership looks like—as it is lived out in the challenges of everyday life.”
I continued, “If you are living your life on-purpose, like I know you are, then by Twittering, you are modeling something worth emulating. This is unquestionably the most powerful way to lead.”
“Hmm.” I could hear the flicker of possibility in his voice. I knew this was resonating with him. But then he countered, “But you just can’t lead by Twittering.”
“I agree. I am not suggesting that you can. It is simply one tool in your leadership toolbox—but a very powerful one. Twitter is like an influence amplifier. It enables you to extend your influence in ways never before possible.”
We continued to chat about this for several more minutes. He finally said, “Wow! Maybe there’s more to Twitter than I thought. How do I get started.”
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Yes
Absolutely!
One of the things I love about twitter is that it levels the playing field. If you want to know someone's "position" or "status" you have to look for it – it is not right in front of you like the name plate on a big office door. Everyone's tweet has equal space on the page. Your influence grows based on the quality of what you have to say and the way in which you interact with people.
I think of people in leadership positions could learn a lot about themselves and their leadership by using twitter. It can be both humbling and very enlightening to build your identity from scratch when you have spent your career building your identity within organizations. Interacting with people who don't know who you are or who don't ascribe importance based on your level is a unique opportunity to look into a mirror of sorts and see who you have actually become.
Yes – it is a leadership tool AND that’s why it’s so important to be intentional about what you say and make sure it aligns with who you are. When I see people retweeting information that clearly doesn’t fit with how I see them as a leader, it disappoints me. Twitter is one more communication tool. We need to remember to be authentic as leaders wherever we are.
Great article!
As John Maxwell says, "Leadership is influence. Nothing more… nothing less."
Utilizing twitter to share nuggets of leadership gold is a great idea.
Would it be all right to add this blog post to http://www.eauk.org/slipstream and link back to your blog? Please email me at slipstream@eauk.org to let me know. Thanks!
I have emailed you separately. However, my policy is detailed here. Thanks for your interest.
I have emailed you separately. However, my policy is detailed here. Thanks for your interest.
This is great! Will forward it to the pops.
I think twitter is an educational tool. I am using it to post my blog in my field. I will have to think of how to use more leadership opportunities on twitter.
If used wisely – absolutely – and you are an excellent example and role model, Michael. The truth is that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" or the "fingers tweet."
Thanks for another great blog post. I was wondering if Jesus would use Twitter today. He is the greatest leader of all time and if Twitter is still around when He comes back, for real, I wonder if He will send out a Tweet and what the Tweet will be. Just imagine!
Great insight. Never thought about it in those terms.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Michael. I agree. It is easy to misunderstand Twitter at first glance/use, but it really is a wonderful tool for leadership…and for promoting good people + good causes worldwide.