GenXmanager: Leadership for the Generation X Manager

I was recently interviewed by Andy Rosen of the Daily Record for his article ‘Lockheed Martin is getting social – with a private network’. According to the article, Lockheed has created its own, internal social network and just recently re-opened access to Facebook. I wanted to delve a bit deeper into this topic and give my thoughts regarding social media usage within organizations.

Companies need to embrace social media…not fight it.

Some companies might feel the need to ban social media entirely. Watching YouTube, checking a friend’s status update on Facebook, or tweeting about a trending topic is a waste of valuable work time, right? Perhaps, but managers need to look beyond the “loafing” aspect of social media and begin to embrace its business potential.

Organizations need to be smart and view social media as a tool to gain a competitive advantage. Social media can provide a wealth of knowledge to employees tapped into the correct networks. Employers benefit from employees who read blogs or are on Twitter reading tweets relevant to their job. It helps them enhance their knowledge base. For example, a software developer might need to troubleshoot a problem. He or she can tweet the issue to his or her followers and obtain technical assistance. This saves time and money. A sales rep can read blogs from a sales guru like Jeffrey Gitomer and gain really great insight (try www.salescaffeine.com/)

Teach employees how to harness its power

If used correctly, social media can be a great tool for employee productivity. The question is, how can companies focus employee’s efforts to use social media tools for business effectiveness? Teach them! For example, an organization should hold seminars on how to leverage social media. Customize the training for various departments. Here are a few ideas:

• Teach the sales department how to tap into sales networks to increase sales (LinkedIn and Spoke come to mind). 
• Teach accountants how to leverage social media to help them become better accountants. The Maryland Association of CPAs is on twitter (@macpa). In my opinion, every accountant in Maryland should be following them on Twitter.
• Teach HR professionals how to leverage Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Show IT development staff which social media can help them resolve technical issues faster than random troubleshooting or calling the tech support line (which can be pricey these days).
• Post training videos on YouTube.
• Have the CEO (or boss) blog like Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers and CEO social media  ”rock star”

In his article, Social media gets the job done at work, Devin Dwyer interviews a few IBM managers. IBM is embracing social media. According to the article, half of U.S. companies ban “blogs and online communities”. In my opinion, this is incredibly short cited. One of the IBM managers states,

“Do companies ban people from going to the water cooler to talk? Of course they don’t. But they choose to ban tools of social media, because they’re scared of them or because they don’t understand them.”

Sure, there will be employees who goof off and spend two hours looking at photos on Flickr or playing Mafia Wars on Facebook. However, these same employees would likely be wasting time doing something else if they did not have access to Flickr or Facebook. Most employees want to do a good job and will use social media in productive ways if expectations are set and they are taught how to use them. If a sales person can gain five additional sales a quarter using a social network, that’s worth the time he or she might spend watching the latest viral YouTube video.

Should companies build their own internal social networks?

I think it is great that organizations are implementing internal social networks. I think they can help build community, leverage knowledge across the organization, and employees might be able to collaborate more effectively using internal social media tools. However, internal knowledge can only go so far and I think employers should use an internal / external strategy. Train employees how best to use the internal social network and how to best leverage the external social networks as well.

Let me ask you a basic question. Are you valuable to your employer? I’m not talking about “doing your job” or filling a space at your desk. I’m talking about going above and beyond. Do you ask questions no one else asks? Do you do more than is expected? Are you engaged in your work? Are you an inspiration to your co-workers? Are you creative and implement creative, cost saving solutions? You should always be valuable but it likely more important in today’s down economy than ever before. 

To succeed, you need to do what others won’t. Success is not accidental. Think about any successful person you admire. I bet that person added value in all they did. Sure, they made mistakes, but overall, they added value to their employer, their bosses, and their customers.

Here are few easy steps to add value each day. However, before you go “above and beyond”, you need to make certain you are doing what you are supposed to be doing incredibly well.

1. Download The Add Value Worksheet
2. Dig out your job description. Sure, you haven’t looked at it since you were hired, but get it out and note all of your responsibilities. Write them in the Add Value Worksheet.
3. Next, take some time to think of everything else you are expected to do but is not defined in your job description. Add those to the list.
4. Give yourself a Value Score (see worksheet). Be honest.
5. For those items where you rated yourself as a 1 or a 2, create an action plan to add value. Think of concrete ways you can add value to your expected responsibility. What can you do each day that will “WOW” your boss, co-workers, subordinates, or customers.

After you complete the worksheet it is time to act! Post the list in your cube or office. Each day make sure you are following your action plan. It will not be easy, but remember, success doesn’t come easy.

After you are certain that you are adding value in what you are supposed to do, ask yourself if there is anything else you can do to become even more valuable. Here are some suggestions:

1. Question convention. Are their new ways of doing something that will provide better customer service, lower costs, increase efficiency, or enhance employee satsifaction?
2. When you are asked to provide a report, information, or give a presentation, ask yourself, “Can I provide more than what is asked of me?” For example, if you are responsible for providing sales numbers, can you add more data, slice the data in a new way, or provide insight into the data that no one else has considered?
3. Reduce the stress load of your boss. Is there something you can do to reduce the stress or worry of your immediate supervisor? Think about what keeps your boss up at night. Can you do something to reduce that stress level?
4. Volunteer to take on new projects, sit on committees, or assist co-workers.
5. Speak at a conference to raise the visability of your organization (and yourself).

These are five options but there are undoubtedly many, many more ways you can “go above and beyond”. Think of your boss and your co-workers as customers and try to provide top-notch, above expectation service on a daily basis.