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Leading Online and Socially

Technology and the explosion of communication it’s enabled has transformed nearly every industry, discipline, and field. Leadership is no exception. Today, leaders everywhere can engage in focused and effective development with a quick mouse click. Famous authors and less-known (but equally insightful and inspiring) online thought leaders offer wisdom that’s used by millions daily to enhance their effectivity, motivate their followers, and drive business results.

The breadth and variety of how this occurs speaks to the flexibility of the technology, the power of social media, and the creativity of those using both. Each week, I’m inspired and enriched by:

Blogs: The breadth of topics covered, depth of expertise, and quality of writing of today’s leadership blogs is awe-inspiring. No manager or supervisor is more than a few keystrokes away from the wisdom and information they need to become more effective. Leadership bloggers are ranked by various organizations… but a couple of my favorites are Jesse Lyn Stoner, Jennifer Miller, and Dan Rockwell.

Tweetchats: Who would think that leaders could develop through 140 character messages? But they can…and they do. Tweetchats are a fast-paced online ‘conversation’ during which participants answer questions and exchange perspectives via tweet messages. These sessions are typically intense and information-rich, and can be deeply moving. If you haven’t experienced a tweetchat, get started with the ‘gold standard’, Lolly Daskal any Tuesday evening.

Carnivals: Technology can facilitate collaboration; and this is vividly evident each month as countless carnivals go live.  A carnival aggregates posts from various bloggers, generally focused around a topic. The Carnival of HR, Leadership Development Carnival curated by Dan McCarthy, and Karin Hurt’s Frontline Festival are a few of my favorites. They concentrate a variety of takes on a given subject for easy scanning or a deeper reading.

Summaries: Wally Bock is a gifted author, writing coach, and blogger who takes the time each week to identify five excellent posts from independent business blogs. This sort of pre-digestion of the overwhelming volume of content that’s available is a valuable service for busy leaders everywhere.

These vehicles consistently offer the high-quality, easy-to-access content that busy leaders need. But they do something more. The bloggers, aggregators, and carnival organizers also model best-in-class leadership behaviors. They are respectful. They’re honest and candid, expressing the truth as they see it but also facilitating a constructive discussion of other points of view. They reach out constantly to others. They genuinely care about, collaborate with, and actively support others. In short, they embody the lessons they communicate, acting as powerful examples to aspiring leaders everywhere.

So if you’ve got a minute and a mouse, you have access to a virtually unlimited library of information and tools to become a better leader!

What about you? Which are your favorite online leadership resources?

Image: Liz Price


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