What is a leader? I feel leaders are everywhere. Leaders are the people that realize that their everyday positive CHOICES can and will shape their future into an amazing best seller! Everyone of us has the ability within us to be a leader, whether that is leading from a supervisory role like a principal, being a team leader at school, a captain of a sports team, being a role model for our students, or even when we lead our families..when no one can make a decision on where to eat. (you know that happens in your family too..ha-ha) We all have to be a leader at one time or another...the key is to stay positive and be a bit of a risk taker! I found this great article on Twitter and since RMS is going to be a "leading" campus that embaces technology, that will also involve utilizing social media. I am a huge fan of Twitter...I have read some of the best articles and connected with some extremely helpful and smart people on there. Twitter at RMS will be used as a positive communication tool for us with parents and the community. If you never heard of Wiffiti, you will! ( http://wiffiti.locamoda.com/ ) As I walk though your classrooms this year I will be snapping pics and tweeting them out with the hashtag #RMSROCKS and they will be scrolling in the office and other areas in the school for everyone to see what cool things you have going on in your room! You can do the same! Parents expecially LOVE seeing this! I have it set up in the front office already, so when you come back anytime after the 22nd of July to work in your rooms...take a peek! Please take some time to read this blog entry and see how YOU are going to be a social media leader in your classroom this year. I would love to hear your plans as we begin chapter 1 in the bestselling RMShmmm did I ever leave? Actually I did take 4 days at Lake LBJ...amazingly relaxing...found my retirement spot for sure! Now I think I will have to start playing the lottery...since all the houses..make that mansions...I loved were on Horseshoe Bay and Applehead! Gorgeous! I have also included a picture of my "coffee spot" each morning...who wants to join me??? :) See ya soon!
Leadership lessons from the online world extend beyond the content. Learn as much from watching what bloggers do, as what they say.
1. Say what matters: In social media, people say what they mean. Be as brave in your leadership as you are in your tweeting. Show up a little messy. Real attracts more than conformance.Attract followers by showing up real.
2. Build your own tribe: Social media leaders know they don’t need a title to be a leader. Some don’t even use their real name. In your daily leadership, lead from your passion. Start something you care about and see who shows up. Lead from where you are.
3. Take risks. Try new styles, new ways of leading. Meet new people. Twitter users move from tweets to phone calls to
friendships.Try new ways of connecting in your leadership.
Try new approaches.
4. Rankings don’t define you or your work: In business we often get hung up in our place in the
organization structure or our position on the
performance potential grid. The blogging crowd knows that even the most reputable lists are often subjective, and based on a variety of factors. Care less about lists and more about influence.
Work toward influence not rankings.
5. Less is more: More words don’t mean better thinking. Streamline communication. Find the main idea. Take out extra words. Communicate in a way your followers can hear. Create“tweetable” leadership memories. Communicate to influence.
6. Engage conversation: Ask questions. Invite divergent views. Join conversations. Insert yourself into conversations that matter.
7. Attract creativity: Be interesting.
Be different. Don’t fit in. Don’t just do your leadership equivalent of a “retweet.”
Make a ruckus.
8. Share everything you know: Leadership is not a competition. It’s about influence, not credit. Share winning ideas. Spread the great ideas of others. Don’t hold back for the right time, or the right medium, or the right market. Put seedling ideas into the world so they can grow.
9. Seek out people to challenge you: Hang out with people who disagree. Find people who can make you better. Find out what you can do for them. Grow together. Look for mentors in unusual places.
10. Seek first to support: The social media crowd is based on giving. They tweet others as they would like to be tweeted. Bring more of that to your leadership. Offer guidance. Help others get established. Forget networking. Focus on collaboration. Give without expectation.
What have you learned about leadership through social media?
Karin Hurt is an experienced executive leading in a Fortune 15 company. Her blog, Let’s Grow Leaders, supports leaders at all levels experiencing important “in betweens” (new roles, organization layers, transformations, transitions, values clashes, and work & family). Connect with Karin at LetsGrowLeaders.com, on Twitter,LinkedIn, and Facebook.
