I dedicated the last quarter of 2014 to experimenting with social media. Many of us “over 40s” (let alone over 60s) don’t quite get this new platform, especially in the professional arena. Isn’t it just another thing to DO and MORE things to read? But, of course, it’s a rapidly growing trend. So, just as I suggest to those with whom I coach, I decided to experiment to see if I could discover MY way of engaging the various formats. I increased my connections on LinkedIn; I shared and commented; I joined Linked-In groups and, of course, I Tweeted. (I know these modalities are not the only social media outlets, but I decided to start with them.)
What did I discover? First, participation wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be—I allocated 15-30 minutes a day to social media. Sometimes I had to slice up the time I had into 5-minute segments; that worked out fine. I actually started to enjoy the process. Second, I learned that there is a strategy to using social media in a smart way. I have only scratched the surface on this but, thanks to master social media strategist and my social media coach, Guy Alvarez, I am moving ahead (have yet to rewrite my Linked-In bio, but I will) and am confident that my actions, in the time that I have allocated, are yielding the highest value possible. Third, more people have reached out to me through e-mail and phone than before the experiment. We have discussed business and collaborative possibilities and deepened our relationships. And fourth, not last by any means, I quickly grew to appreciate and admire the enormous amount of information and connection that participation in social media brought to my desk.
Yet, as I reflected on my experiences and models presented by others through their participation, I didn’t see a place for me to add truly significant value. I enjoy Thought Leadership and am happy to and will continue to forward ideas that come to me. Many of you do that magnificently! Would my contributions add or be redundant? So, I have decided to embark on a new experiment via social media: communicating as a Thought Teacher, someone who shares ideas about specific actions aimed to inspire and instruct others about ways to move forward. I want my postings to instigate action and feel as if my voice, not just words, is coming to your desk. Some of my postings will emanate from coaching sessions, others from ideas I have from my own “to do” list, and of course I will share lessons learned from collaborating with and listening to my fabulous colleagues.
To underscore the nature of this posting as content to do I will preface it with the words COACHING NOTES.
As we all grapple with this “new” medium it is essential to figure out our personal way of engaging it. Clearly, many of you are already posting tips, suggestions, and best practices. You may experience my Coaching Notes as similar, which they well may be. My intention in this experiment is to place myself into this social space as personally as I can. The preamble COACHING NOTES will help, I think. Perhaps the reality of the experiment will teach me otherwise. We’ll see.
In the spirit of experimentation, your input, comments, like/dislike, etc. are essential. Also, please join me: if you are doing something that is moving you toward any of your goals, please share it. Thinking plus doing equals success, even when there are missteps along the way. Let’s see where this trial takes us. What do you think?