New Beginnings

In January 2010, I joined a great team at DeVry University to help lead their social strategy. I’ve made amazing friends throughout these two years and planted a stake here in Chicago personally and professionally. And in June of this year, I married the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with and started that life with her.

Suffice it to say, there hasn’t been a dull moment since my move and it continues with my announcement that I’ll be joining U.S. Cellular, as Social Media Manager, and their team headquartered here in Chicago!

Thank You

First off, to my DeVry team, thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the experiences and the roads we helped pave in social and the business as a whole. From social business strategies to empowering our employees through our training/certification programs, I’ve learned and grown a lot and am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of something that I can be proud of.

The Future

To the future with U.S. Cellular – I’m super excited to be joining (on Nov 7th) a company and team of amazingly smart, dedicated and focused people. It was a decision that lined up with me personally and professionally but at the end of the day, it was a great opportunity that puts me within an organization with an amazing leadership, a culture that’s spread company-wide and a solid focus on social business.

Clean Slate

With any change, comes an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, empty drawers and delete files. It feels good to have that fresh start. With that is also an opportunity for me to refocus on my dusty, cobweb filled blog (yes, self-deprecation helps ease my neglect). As I get things started in my new role in a few weeks, I plan to get back into a normal writing flow and focusing on my learnings and growth at U.S. Cellular and how social is continuing to evolve within organizations.

To everyone who has and continue to have my back in my career and life, thank you. There are too many names to mention (and for the sake of accidentally excluding anyone) but I truly appreciate the guidance, support and friendship along the way and look forward to what our futures hold.

I’ve x’d out numerous of these posts that have targeted many of my friends within the social space. The more I closed out these posts, the more I began to realize that perhaps we’re the ones at fault for adding these folks. Hear me out though before you think I’m telling you how to maintain your profile.

Quantity

We’ve always preached openness and to build our communities of like-minded individuals, our blog readers, those who admire the work that we do. It became second nature, even for me, to add anyone and everyone so long that we knew they were involved in the social space. We’ve matured over the years, as have our relationships within these communities.  With that maturation we’ve also seen several ways to manage our Facebook communities, which fits several different types of users. But when does adding everyone become disadvantageous for us?

Quality

Back to the issue at hand, I’ve seen my fair share of spam from my friends within the social space (them being tagged, not so much them spreading it). Where I haven’t seen one bit has been from my friends and family outside of my social media world – those people who, for the most part, have more strict filters in who they accept or ignore. Now I understand this is just one sample and definitely not trying to generalize here, but this observation is fairly telling to me.

It’s not just about Facebook – but the relationships within our online communities have certainly evolved. So I ask you this – have we reached a point where we need to become more cognizant of who we actually invite into our networks? Do we focus on the quality of those connections that we can actually vouch for or do we continue to increase the quantity in these communities because that’s what we feel ‘social’ should be?

I understand there will be folks who wish to add the masses; because you never know who you may come across, meet, do business or connect with – but where do we draw the line for sake of bastardizing these communities?

Is engagement in social media a prerequisite to writing a book on social media that’s to be taken seriously?

That had me thinking and led me to the observation that the social web makes the answer largely based on our online writing (blog), all-around connectivity within the social community and for good or bad, popularity (call it influence, if you’d like).

There are a lot of factors that play into Marc’s question, one of which he asked – is success based on social observation or social experience? I started chewing on that on a broader basis, as I feel there’s a misconception with those who have visible experience and activity online vs. those who may not have as large a footprint but work more so behind the scenes.

The Unsung Heroes

I get it. The relationships we build and content we produce online provides us with unique experiences and an immense amount of opportunity in this space. Trust me, I know firsthand. But there are individuals who may not have strong influence/visibility in the public social eye because they don’t tweet or blog as often, or attend many of the conferences that we all go to on the regular.

But these folks are in the background – busting away at their craft, understanding the ins and outs of the business, and putting to action their knowledge of social & the former and doing great things for their company or client. Are they deemed as ‘prolific’ in the social space? Maybe not. But I’ve worked with numerous leaders and peers who fit this mold and have my respect and sign-off on what they would bring to social, a business, a book deal, etc.

Is That Enough?

On the flip side, I understand the nature of the space and what/how people get recognized for their work – but I also feel that there needs to be a shift. Do we ‘over-vet’, as Marc would say, those who are visible to the masses to the point that others are overlooked? Is it to the fault of those who have chosen to focus their work in a different manner vs. those who have chosen to communicate, create and develop their footprint in the more public social arena?

There’s a lot to be said for both sides of the table and I don’t necessarily have the answer, but let’s hear your stance on this.

Do the unsung heroes deserve more recognition or is it up to them to create it?

Companies are evolving past the stage of ‘shiny toys’ and are taking their strategy a step further and stretching it across departmental functions outside of marketing and aligning it with their overall business goals – an approach that becomes ingrained and an extension of the organization vs. one siloed focus.

Human Barriers

With this evolution come internal challenges. There are various obstacles that we come across but the one at the forefront is of the human kind. Changes in a business’ culture and how they’ve been accustomed to operating is as much about the people and behaviors as it is the strategies that they’re leading.

So, what do these human barriers look like and how do we get through them? Below are some challenges we’ve seen and a few highlights on how-to proactively and positively break-through those barriers:

Challenges

• Silos: yes, everyone’s favorite poster child when it comes to internal challenges. I don’t need to go into detail about this challenge but we all know that they still exist where teams don’t see the benefit of a cohesive vs. singular approach to the business

• Pushback: this happens at various levels. Pushback occurs at both early and late stages in the game when working with teams on an integrated approach that push the boundaries of what they’re accustomed to. They may have gotten to one level in the overall vision but can get stuck and hesitant at the next one

• Running rogue: one of my personal favorites (not) is the challenge of a herd of employees who are ‘interested’ in social and want to create every page and profile under the sun on as many platforms as possible

Breaking-through

• Education: in managing any sort of change, the biggest hill to climb is education. There are new business concepts, technologies, and vernacular that are foreign to those you see as a barrier. This process is more than just a couple presentations to team members – you need to bring these team members into the meat and potatoes of what you envision. Knowledge sharing is one thing but making them a part of the process and acknowledging their continued growth helps to gain their trust and understanding in this stage

• Structure: change and unfamiliar territory naturally creates discomfort for people. Creating structure and building process is important when trying to rope other departments/teams into a new landscape. Clearly define your strategy, what your goals are, the guardrails in accomplishing those goals and how you envision team X helping in the business’ growth in social. Make them feel like an integral part of the plan and not just a one-off (see, it works both ways)

The double-edged sword

• Support: this one deserves its own category because depending on your organization, it could fall in either of the above categories. Internal support is a bit of a no-brainer, as it is critical in helping alleviate cultural clashes and helps support social and the vision for the organization. On the same token, this is also a potential barrier that could break your attempts at trying to slowly massage the thinking of those very people you’re trying to help along this evolving social path. There needs to be complete alignment, openness and trust with leadership and your team/goals for these barriers to come down in a positive and efficient way. Without those aspects lining up, the reverse could happen and leadership either thwarting your actions or diverting it into an entirely new direction that strays away from the original vision

I only added a few key challenges and opportunities here but want to leave the rest open to you. What other areas do you feel are barriers and how can we work to get past them?

With that, there are also challenges, setbacks, roadblocks, callitwhatyouwants. It wouldn’t be life if it weren’t for those things that try to veer us off-course. Though those things make us stronger, on the same token they can also break a person to a point where it affects them and the successes they have.

Whatever this year has looked like for you, there always seems to be one word that sums it up and resonates most strongly with a person – as several people shared with me on Twitter. I could list off a few different words for myself, but I want to share one that correlates directly with someone else in my life and a word that I think we can all connect with:

Perseverance

A little over a year ago, I shared with everyone my teen cousin and his diagnosis with cancer. What he’s experienced in this past year far exceeds anything that I could’ve imagined but what he’s done in this past year has been even more amazing.

Without getting too deep, this kid has gone through the adversity of being bed ridden and not able to walk or move his legs for months. Fast forward to this fall and you would see him pushing himself to gain strength in his legs, eventually going from wheelchair to a walker and being able to function more independently. Soon after, he got his drivers license, will be taking college courses and vows to be able to walk with just a cane by this summer.

Talk about looking challenges dead in the eye, shoving them aside and continuing to push forward.

What this word means for you

The meaning behind this short story is two-fold:

• One – I’m a proud older cousin who’s watched a kid I grew up with persevere and refuse to give up no matter the circumstances.

• Two – We all face barriers personally and professionally and the work we put into those aspects of our lives. I’ve seen some amazing people do amazing work and get to places where others have doubted them. But I’ve also seen those who let adversity and frustration take over and suppress the positive things they were working towards and let the negative control them and their future.

I’m not saying that we can easily get through any challenge that we face in this new year but rather, that no matter how big or small, we have to stay focused and determined to get past them and prove those things blocking our way wrong.

So instead of providing a word that summed up my year, I’m sticking to the word that encompassed my cousin’s 2010 year and more.

Persevere and make things happen this 2011, k?

But with all the hustle and hard work that goes on behind the scenes, there are moments where you look for that extra push that keeps you motivated and focused on your goals. There are visual or emotional triggers that help keep us grounded – but sometimes we need a little bit more.

Affirmation

We have conversations with our colleagues and peers on a daily basis. We ask for advice, we brainstorm and we collaborate on ideas. But there are moments where it goes deeper than that. Moments where words from these same peers come less expected, where they catch you by surprise and provide you with an extra push. They observe, take stake in your work and  the positive moves you’re making and shed a few words that helps create this sense of affirmation.

Validation

Seth Godin had an interesting post in regards to validation and the fact that if you’re waiting for it, your focus is probably a bit off. Though I agree with his overall sentiment, there’s a fine line between validation & affirmation.

We may have our sights set on the proper goals but as we work down that long and tumultuous road to success, comes those pit stops (roadblocks?) where there’s a need for those few words. This does provide a sense of validity but it helps further us down that path.

Your Homework

As easy as it is to provide this to our peers and colleagues, it unfortunately doesn’t happen often enough. We get caught up in our daily routine and our own work to remember that little things like this account for much more.

So, I have a little homework assignment for you:

• Take some time today and dig into the work of someone within your own community

• Understand what they’re doing on the day to day

• Provide genuine, positive feedback to their work

It’ll go a long way.

Father: That’s interesting.

Daughter: What’s interesting, daddy?

Father: This thing over here.

Daughter: What thing?

Father: Nothing.

That short back and forth left me frustrated. Sure, I’m not a father yet but I do know when there’s a lack of communication, especially when the other party (in this case, a child) is hoping to learn and understand. I hear this often with the social media whateveryouwannacallme living in ‘the bubble’ and paying no mind to the learning curves of others. But where I see it having greater impact is internally where individuals/teams are trying to break down barriers, evolve and venture into new areas where colleagues and the business need to be educated and led. There’s a bridge that needs building, yet the disconnect remains – but why?

Complacency

People have let complacency set in. As we work on (gently) breaking through human barriers, there’s a higher level of education that needs to be addressed. The problem is that we lose sight of what that entails because we’re not preaching to the choir anymore. We’re talking to a room full of people who are curious, skeptical and uninformed. These people come with different levels of thinking and the responsibility is on us to equip them to understand so there is a two-way dialogue on the business at hand and not a siloed room of thoughts.

Laziness

Communication is not easy. How we communicate with our communities to help them grow takes a LOT of effort. It’s not easy to create and sustain these networks but if we want to continue to deliver value, we have to keep up the gritty side of it. It sounds great on paper to want to connect the dots and become ‘integrated’ with our internal communities, but lacking the hard work to do so will result in the very same silos and leave a sense of ambiguity between your respective teams – and in the end, that doesn’t help serve your business’ goals.

Now that I laid out the prominent issues I see, what ways can we better it?

Honesty/Openness

I put these two together as it’s easy to be outspoken, but being honest and open in those same words is more difficult. I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. In situations where the open dialogue occurred after the fact, where bickering and disagreement ensued and little was accomplished. On the flip, I’m thankful to now be a part of brainstorms and strategic meetings where it’s encouraged to speak up and provide your thoughts/opinions and create a conversation that pushes plans forward collectively.

Collaboration

This doesn’t happen without the aforementioned honesty and openness. There is no two-way street, no open dialogue, no brainstorm without that. That’s where the gold is. That’s where the greatest disagreements, ideas and A HA moments are created. It’s easy and silly for us to think that we, from a singular role/department, can do it all and that we have all the answers. That’s not the type of attitude that breeds a collaborative culture where the entire business can grow together. You have smart people all around you, take advantage of those minds!

I listed our four points that organizations should either put in check or put into play, but let’s hear your experiences. What are your thoughts on disconnected communications?

Powering Up

When I think of this phrase, I immediately think of my childhood video game hero – Mario. Well, it isn’t all about the flash and power that he shows with his new overalls and fireballs (you know what I’m talking about), it’s about the growth from the various levels in your career and the different challenges, experiences and learnings laid within. Being put into a situation where I can dig my hands in even deeper and learn from amazing leaders while helping mold the social landscape of a large organization – that’s where I’m fortunate enough to be able to grow.

In this, I’ve stepped back from my blog, and even Twitter a bit, to immerse myself in my new role that has evolved my understanding of not just the tools and tactics we use on an every day basis, but the inner workings of building a social business and the strategies that are integrated within. It’s at the ground floor with the team where we’re busting out the gritty, constant and iterative work and mapping out what this road looks like for our organization. That’s where the meat of my focus has been and though an excuse is an excuse, it’s taken time for me to reorganize myself with this exciting and challenging transformation in my career and life.

What’s Next?

A whole lot of work is yet to be done but to be honest, stepping away from my blog for a bit has helped me put into perspective where my online home was and where I know it can grow to. This next level of my career really goes hand in hand with my written word and how I talk about my career and experiences, to help better not only myself but you all who come here to read and converse on the same. Hopefully you’ll still stick around for the ride!

Your Moves

Enough about me. I’m curious on what you’ve been working on, what new moves you’ve been making and how you’ve been powering up?

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Sidenote: While writing this, I realized that Chris wrote a post last year on ‘leveling up‘ – similar in thought and analogy but he provides more of a how-to – well worth the read.

I was glad though to see that Southwest responded quickly and even more than once (whether to people’s liking or not) – but I want to tackle an even deeper issue than that:

Social Responsibility

It’s no secret that the social web allows us to interact with businesses more closely and under a larger microscope than ever before. But when does one draw the line from expecting rapid communication to an issue, to going overboard and abusing your ‘social power’ for the benefit of yourself and to balloon a story even larger than it needs to be?

On one side I see Kevin Smith, a filmmaker who has more followers than Southwest Airlines themselves. A guy who was definitely wronged by the company and used his influence to voice his displeasure. On the flip side, I see a guy who continues to berate and badger SWA all over Twitter and IMO, abusing the social responsibility that we all really have in this space. For what? To truly push the message that SWA did wrong or to USE the social web to continue one’s own agenda?

We EXPECT, DEMAND, WANT big and small from companies online – but when it comes to us, the consumer, we apparently get a free pass when it comes to RESPECT, UNDERSTANDING and RESPONSIBILITY online.

Next time you want to flip the script and go Kevin Smith or Motrin Moms on a company, sit back and think about the openness of this space and the responsibility that comes along with it. Even more so, think to yourself if you’d truly do the same in-person if this situation were to happen at a brick & mortar.

But enough of my side, what do you think of this story? Is Kevin right in his continued messages against SWA? Or did Southwest drop the ball far enough to deserve this amount of ridicule?

In hindsight, I’m appreciative of the adversity that I’ve gone through. It’s what has helped me evolve – personally and professionally – turning that adversity into opportunity. It’s made me realize that we’re all on a roller coaster – a ride that you either hang on for as long as you can until it decides to make a pit stop, or one you get thrown off of. As I write this post for all of you who have endured part of that ride with me, I wanted to let you know that I hung on.

For those of you who’ve been with me through this ride, you know that I endured a layoff late last year and went through the monster that is – the job market. It was a brute for a good while, but I took that adversity and utilized it to build up my independent skills and consult with some great companies this past year.

But during this time, I was patient. I continued to hustle. And I continued to push on and reach for those goals that I set for myself. I had faith and I believed – not only in the work I was putting in, but the people – you all – that offered a nudge along the way.

My Next Steps

I’m here to tell you all that I’ve accepted a new role as DeVry University’s Social Media Manager. Words can’t describe how ecstatic I am about this opportunity – being able to work for a great organization and with a super smart group of people. There’s a lot of work ahead, but I wouldn’t be excited if I weren’t confident in the organization’s vision and where they’re headed – in the social space but as a business as a whole.

Where does that put me? Right in the beautiful city of Chicago. I’ll be making the transition to the windy city during this holiday month and kicking off 2010 in a great way.

But now, all I have to say now is…

Thank You

To everyone who’s taken stake in me, my vision and my grind. To the community of smart folks who I continue to learn from every day. To the numerous friends that have had my back from the get go (you know who you are). Really, there’s a long list of people to thank, so I won’t try to name or link back to every single one of them…

Instead, just thank you.