The Financial Times Guide to Social Media Strategy

CHAPTER 14

USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS A LEADERSHIP TOOL

Why this matters

A generation of leaders is harnessing the power of social media to showcase their open and collaborative leadership styles, share their opinions and reach out to employees and others. The organisations they work for are also recognising that a ‘social leader’ can be an important asset – promoting the organisation’s interests, building relationships with important stakeholders and, above all, helping to humanise the corporate reputation.

‘Social platforms and thinking have forced leaders to be more transparent and open. They are levelling businesses that, in the past, have been very hierarchical and forcing leaders to think differently about how they organise complex business ...