Adaptive leadership and Embracing Social Media

2014-03-13T00:13:20-04:00

There has been a great deal of talk lately about the downsides of social media, as well as irresponsible usage by service members.

I advocate embracing social media with a "bottom-up" approach.

We as senior leaders need to work to adapt to social media and utilize it for the greater good, while putting in place clear standards and expectations that are actively enforced.

I have the additional duty of "social media manager" for my company. As a recruiter, I have developed a social media marketing/prospecting plan for my company that fully capitalizes on social media in a professional manner. The key is training and awareness at the lowest levels. We have utilized it for community support, referral recruiting, increasing communication with Future Soldiers and each other, etc.

A big part of it has been active and regular social media awareness training coupled with OPSEC and Army Values. Some of this is common sense stuff, but by embracing social media and incorporating it for the greater good, we can exhibit adaptive leadership and keep up with the ever changing landscape.