great leaders will cast light

“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.”

– John Buchan

 

I’ve had the privilege to be in the presence of some exceptional leaders. Although the leaders I’ve had exposure to range from a CEO of a Fortune 500 company to a softball coach; they all display similar qualities.

I think one of the most admirable traits of a leader is his or her ability to inspire. Finding a way to inspire someone to do something or not to do something is not an easy task. A great leader inspires people effortlessly.

For example, I heard this quote from a very successful businessman: “They say leaders should cast a shadow, I think they should cast light.”

That quote moved me. It inspires me to cast light on everything I touch because that is what will ultimately motivate the people I lead to do something, or not to do something.

Who is a leader that you look up to? Do they inspire you?

Check out this video. It definitely inspires me!

If you want to read more about leadership, take a look at this blog!

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crisis communication in web 2.0

In April 2009, two Domino’s employees recorded a video of themselves performing absurd and disgusting things while at work. The video of the two employees blowing snot on a pizza and sticking cheese up their nose went viral, being viewed by millions of people.

Domino’s was faced with a daunting task. How was the company going to respond to this repulsive video?

Domino’s will forever be critizied for its next move. The company waited 48 hours before posting a video on Youtube of it’s president explaining Domino’s next steps. Social media is an on-demand, fast paced environment. Waiting 48 hours to post a response was like waiting two months (in Web 2.0).

When thinking about crisis preparedness it is important for companies to consider social media elements. Billions of online conversations happen everyday on blogs, twitter, facebook and forums. If Domino’s had been more  proactive in its social media initiatives– they may be getting praise instead of criticism.

 See the response video below:

To listen in on the conversations Domino’s has today, follow them on twitter!

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hot topic: social media and why it makes sense in business

Think about the last great restaurant you tried. Who told you about it? Was it an advertisement on TV? Did you read about it in the newspaper? My guess is that you heard about it from a friend. After you talked to your friend about the best new restaurant, I bet you googled it. When you found it on google, I bet you looked at the online reviews. This is what web 2.0 is all about.

There are some nay-sayers of social media because it’s “new,” and what has been working in the past is still working. But, think about it this way. If you are a business, where do your customers spend most of their time? You guessed it– they spend it online. 

For businesses social media is just another vehicle to communicate the same messages they have already been displaying. Not all forms of social media are right for every business, you need to find where your customers spend their time. If your customers spend their time on twitter and you have enough interesting information to share in 140 characters or less– come up with a strategy to implement this new way of reaching your customer base.

Check out the video below: Is Social Media a Fad?

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