The progressive humanization of companies in the 21st century is resulting in an increasingly precise management of their leaders’ communication on social media networks.
Invisible leadership does not exist
There are multiple forms of leadership. In fact, we could say that each leader has his or her own way of influencing a group. Of course, there are certain patterns of behavior that we find repeated in different individuals, but enormous amounts of data about this have already been made available online. What I would like to talk about in this article is a particular concept that all leaders, almost by definition, have in common: notoriety.
And what is notoriety? Among other things, it is an act of communication. In other words, in order to exercise any form of leadership, it is essential to COMMUNICATE.
A leader can be charismatic, autocratic, democratic, transformational or a host of other things. However, in order to exercise any type of leadership, it is essential that the members of the group understand the leader, so the leader, using one strategy or another, must make his or her presence felt. Invisible leadership does not exist.
In the human species, if you will allow me to make a generalization, leadership is nothing more than a process of social coordination in which one individual or individuals exert influence over another or others in pursuit of common objectives.
Leadership in companies
In the business world there are countless professionals who, due to their position, must lead a group of people: middle managers, directors, supervisors, managers, team leaders… all of them must, using their notoriety and their communication skills, influence others in order to achieve their objectives. And, in a separate sphere, there is one figure who stands out above all others: the CEO or business leader.
Within a modern organization, the CEO is the ultimate expression of leadership; he or she is the spearhead, the example to follow and the person with the maximum authority. Their actions are evaluated by the employees, and their conduct will depend, in part, on whether or not the company works well or not.
There are many and varied examples of senior business leaders whose leadership has been instrumental in helping their company achieve its business objectives and even expand its business.
I would like to propose a short exercise. Think, for a moment, of a leader, with a first and last name, who has been fundamental to the development and growth of your company. Take your time. Ready?
It is likely that your mind has led you to think of the CEO of one of the companies you worked for or where you currently work; although it is no less likely that you have remembered names such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Ana Botín, Elon Musk or José María Álvarez Pallete. But what do these leaders have in common? Exactly. Their notoriety.
Companies must take advantage of all their communication assets, and the role of their leaders is one of them
The influence of business leaders over the employees of their companies must be solidly supported by a communication strategy. No organization that wishes to project a strong and coherent image among its employees can risk showing cracks or inconsistencies in its leader’s communication, and, even more importantly, cannot afford the luxury of not giving him or her visibility.
CEOs are valuable assets for companies, and they would be making a huge mistake if they did not take advantage of their full potential in terms of communication. Beyond their ability to make decisions in favor of business development, leaders represent the human side of a company and a window for reaching both internal and external audiences.
A company that wants to project a close, human, and trustworthy image to its employees and customers needs to establish a communication plan for its leader and, in the 21st century, this cannot exist without a strategic presence on digital platforms.
Developing a digital strategy for business leaders and being in control of their communication in a hyper-connected world is never a bad decision. To do otherwise is to leave an important part of the company’s communication to chance.
