Leaders as Collaborators and Communicators in the 21 st Century

1. Leaders as Collaborators and Communicators in the 21st Century WDT Student LeadershipWednesday August 31, 2011 WDT Campus

2. Contact Information tim.mitchell@k12.sd.us www.rcas.org

3. The Three C’s of Community Building Confront the Brutal Facts Communication(Effective) Collaboration

4. Leaders as Communicators “The void created by the failure to communicate is soon filled with poison, drivel, and misinterpretation.” C. Northcote Parkinson

5. Leaders as Communicators “The ability to communicate clearly and persuasively about what issues are and how they must be handled is essential”

6. Tribes The School Teacher Experiment pg 67

7. Tribes Why should you lead? -For the first time ever, everyone in a organization—not just the boss—is expected to lead -The very structure today means that it is easier than ever to change things -Society is rewarding organizations and individuals who change things

8. Tribes Why should you lead? -Its engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun -there is a tribe just waiting for you to connect them and lead them The New Rule: If you want to grow, you need to find others who are willing to join you or believe in you or donate to you or support you

9. Tribes Tribe-any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea (shared interest and a way to communicate) Humans have always joined Tribes: religious ethnic political musical (Dead-heads)

10. Tribes People want connection and growth and something new-they want change We can’t help it We need to belong It is the most powerful survival mechanism To contribute To take from a group

11. Tribes So you want to lead and start a Tribe? -Develop a passionate goal and a desire to change -Provide the tools -Allow it to grow and get new members Most leaders focus on the 3rd tactic-It is actually the 1st two that lead to more impact

12. Tribes The 21st Century (Internet) has eliminated the barriers of: geography cost time This has helped existing tribes and enabled new tribes to be born

13. Tribes Keys to a Micro-movement: -A narrative that tells a story about who we are and the future we are building -A connection between and among the leader and a tribe -Something to do-the fewer, the better **People that often fail-they only do #3

14. Tribes Two things you need to know: -individuals have more power than ever before in history The only thing holding you baqck: lack of Faith

15. Tribes The Elements of Leadership pg 126

16. Leaders as Communicators Listen Up: Social Media Makes it Easy Conversations are being held on the web with or without leaders’ knowledge. In many communities, listening to our tribe has never been easier. Social Media channels provide a valuable assets to a leader trying to understand tribal values.

17. Leaders as Communicators Online Chatter can be: • Disheartening • Include second guessing • Lack Context

18. Leaders as Communicators But also can: • Give insight • Provide an early warning • Identify knowledge gaps • Identify pathways to stronger community connections

19. Leaders as Communicators The GOOD News: Many leaders who both listen and participate in social media say that online interactions are overwhelmingly positive. People exchange information and send thanks for getting news in a timely manner.

20. Leaders as Communicators 10 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Social Media It’s a new way to build relationships It’s no longer about you anyway. It’s about your tribe

21. Leaders as Communicators 10 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Social Media People are already talking about you Your reputation is at stake

22. Leaders as Communicators 10 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Social Media The response most likely will be positive You don’t have to do it all at once

23. Leaders as Communicators 10 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Social Media Social media gives you the chance to stay ahead of the curve It’s not going away

24. Leaders as Communicators 10 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Social Media Social media helps you build a tribe and a sense of ownership among your stakeholders It takes a whole tribe to create the desired change

25. Leaders as Communicators RSS Feed-Google Reader Have trouble keeping up with the sites you visit? Read them in one place--keeping up with your favorite websites is easy Stay up to date--check your favorite news sites and blogs Share with your colleagues--easily share interesting items Use it anywhere—it is totally free and works in most modern browsers, without any software to install. http://www.google.com

26. Leaders as Communicators “Blogging is just one more tool for communication-oriented leaders. The more avenues you can provide to educate and inform the tribe about the important issues the better chance we have of sustaining and improving our relationships.’

27. Leaders as Communicators Advantages to Blogging: • You control the message • You can respond to traditional media • The message is asynchronous • They increase coverage in traditional media • They build a sense of community www.rcas.org

28. Leaders as Communicators Ways to Use Blogs: • Spread the News • Communicate during an emergency • Monitor progress of ongoing events • Being an activist • Marketing & PR • Letting people know about you • Educating the community

29. Leaders as Communicators Linked In LinkedIn, like Facebook, is a networking site. However, unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is specifically a professional networking site that connects people from 170 industries in 200 countries, worldwide. Founded in May 2003, LinkedIn now has over 50 million members! Its mission, according to the LinkedIn website, is “to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful,” and to create fast and easy access to both insight and resources that professionals can trust.

30. Leaders as Communicators Twitter Twitter is part of the Internet’s many social networking outlets. In 2009, Nielsen Inc. ranked Twitter as the fastest growing site in the web’s member community category.Twitter differs from other Web-based communications in two ways. These’s a limit of 140 characters per message or “tweet.” Tweets may be accessed by visiting a Twitter page or by creating your own Twitter page and “following” others, getting notices of tweets by persons of your choice.

31. Leaders as Communicators Here are some tips on making your tweets something valuable to followers:•  Beat the 140 character limit by linking to a web page with more information.•  Add your Twitter address to your e-mail signature and school district letterhead.•  When you issue news releases or parent letters, tweet with a link to your website.•  When news media outlets print or air a positive story about your district, tweet it, with a link to the story.

32. Leaders as Communicators Here are some tips on making your tweets something valuable to followers: • Limit the personal stuff unless you know followers care where you go or who you meet. • Do it daily. People value online resources they care about and that are regularly updated. • Focus on what’s ahead with tweets about upcoming events. • Check your followers occasionally. Some Twitter users follow hoping you will follow back. Block them so you can focus on those followers who really matter.

33. Leaders as Communicators Podcasts-Multimedia Publishing for the masses!! One thing is certain-there is an explosion in the last few years of multimedia publishing on the web. www.rcas.org

34. Leaders as Communicators The most successful and dynamic leaders in any field have one major attribute in common: they effectively use ever platform available to communicate.

35. Tribes The Choice: -Choose to lead or not -Choose to have faith or not -Choose to contribute to a tribe or not