What Would a Leader Do?
A word related to your business is trending on Twitter. You have two choices: employ a tactic you’ve already developed for cases such as this, or insert your business, opportunistically, into the Trending Topic. What would a leader do?
Your capability as a leader is a measure of your clout, your ability to influence others. If (big if, I know) your Klout score is a measure of your social influence, then a high score should reflect your capability. You have two choices: opportunistically game the system to achieve a high score or allow it to accurately reflect your engagement and influence. What would a leader do?
You’re a generational expert; you’re in Human Resources; you’re trying to get a job. A Twitter chat exists that is perfectly suited for your business or personal goals. You have two choices: spam the chat with your pitch or thoughtfully invest time into the chat by building relationships and adding value to the conversation over time. What would a leader do?
An article is written suggesting only one generation is qualified for a specific job. You have two choices: be part of the problem or be part of the solution. What would a leader do?
What Do Leaders Do?
Saying things such as, “That’s the way it’s always been done. I hope it changes. I doubt it will” is the equivalent of saying someone else needs to take the responsibility for creating the change I’d like to see. Does that sound asinine to you? Now, don’t run to the comments or stop reading here because you think I’ve called you asinine. I haven’t. That statement is asinine; and, we all say foolish things every once in a while, including me. What do leaders do?
Be a Leader
The best thing about leaders is that they’re not always looking for ways to embed themselves into conversations that propel their business or personal goals in obvious ways. Leaders see the benefits of long-term engagement.
For more than two years #GenYChat has been leading the discussion that seeks to solve the problem of the generation gap every Wednesday at 9pm ET. Do you care enough to be part of the solution even if you aren’t the guest host leading the conversation? Would you rather write a one-off post in response to one person; or, would you rather be part of shaping and adding value to the weekly discussions with many people that seek to better generational ties? It’s true that Millennials can tell when we’re being used to propel business goals. Guess who gave us this insight.
Be a leader.
Do you have questions or comments on leadership versus opportunism? You can answer in the comments below or start a conversation with me @WriterChanelle on Twitter.
Chanelle Schneider is the Founder and Moderator of the Twitter chat: #GenYChat, an intergenerational chat designed to dispel myths and improve the generational discussion.
