“Success, both in business and personally, is something that’s consciously created.” – Robin Sharma, The Leader Who Had No Title

Today’s culture revolves around titles and accolades, accomplishments and scoring the best accounts. We see celebrities praised for blockbuster movies and athletes remembered for show-stopping plays. Society is obsessed with achieving greatness and spending the most money.

“Leaders” are no different. Those in management tend to think that fancy cars and corner offices are the life. Dinners purchased with company credit cards and international business meetings give off impressions of leadership and success.

But true leadership involves nothing mentioned above. In fact, no one needs a title, or fancy car or wads of money, to be a leader. They just need passion, determination, and a commitment to make the world a better place.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be sharing with you how to manage your social media campaign like a true leader. The concepts in the series will be pulled from Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title. You need no title to be a great leader. You don’t need to be chief social media marketer or manager of the IT department. If you are determined to change the lives of others, this is for you.

You and your social media campaigns can have an impact on the world; you just need to unlock your inner leader.

The Title Conundrum

Our culture is obsessed with titles. The person with the best or highest ranking title is usually considered the “winner” and will get praise solely the few words that follow their name. However, titles undoubtedly lead to trouble. When a person is given a high ranking title, they put themselves above everyone else. Instead of being the leader they are called to be, the employee walks around like a king or queen, expecting everyone else to wait on them. All of this because of a title.

Leading without a title means that you put away the notions that one person is better than another and you work to benefit others. You are humble in your daily work routine. Instead of serving yourself, you serve others. Your vision of the world is not clouded by thoughts of self; instead, you think about how you can help the world.

No Title = No Limits

One of the first objections people normally have to the leading without a title concept is the perception that if you have no title, you won’t get the glory and money and benefits of the “titled” positions. This is not the case. In fact, it’s about the furthest from the truth that you can get.

If you are good at what you do, people will notice. If you continue to be good at what you do, people will praise you. If you consistently go above and beyond in the workplace, you will receive accolades that will make others jealous. Your determination means and willingness to help others will set you apart from even the people who have the big titles. Do you know why?

You are committed to making the world a better place, which is something that most corner office residents don’t even think about.

When you have no title, there are no limits on what you can do.

Leading Without A Title in Social Media

Now that you have an idea as to how you can begin to unleash the true leader within you, let’s focus on how you can apply the leader without a title principles to social media and marketing.

First, put your customers and clients before your business needs. Want to impress your clientele? Bend over backwards to serve them. Bring them customer service like they’ve never seen. As Seth Godin states in Linchpin, “Customers…crave the unique, the remarkable, and the human.” Deliver them something that they can’t get from another company–above and beyond loyalty to their needs.

Next, offer your help and expertise to those who want to learn. You are a knowledge base full wonderful thoughts and ideas. Don’t hold them inside; instead, share them with the people in your industry who need them the most. Ideas are copyrighted. Be diligent in serving others because they will return the favor when you need it the most.

Finally, put your new and innovative ideas into motion. Have you figured out an easy and simple method for creating customer Facebook pages of Twitter backgrounds? How about an easy to use program that notifies you whenever someone mentions you on Twitter or writes on your fan page wall? If you have a great idea for process improvement or making your industry thrive, go for it. As a leader without a title, you’re more concerned about the well-being of the world itself than just yourself. Share your resources, ideas, and passions with others.

Action Items

It’s time for you to begin leading without a title and having a greater impact on the the world. Here are a few action items for you to do today:

• List three ways that you can serve your current customer base. How can you “wow” them? What needs could you meet that you aren’t addressing right now?
• Join a LinkedIn Group or message board in order to help people in an area where you are strong. Good with Macs? Join the Apple users group. Really good with web programming? See if you can help solve some code problems on a forum.
• Tease out one idea you’ve been holding inside for a long time. What do you need to do to set it in motion? Whatever it is, do it.

As always, please share this article on the social networking site of your choice. Also, if you haven’t connected with us on Facebook or LinkedIn yet, come join us.

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by pnijhuis

Series Introduction

I have been a huge fan of Seth Godin’s Tribes since I picked it up in my local bookstore.  The book is short and to the point with its message: the world needs everyone to be a leader.  Although the book goes into detail about the attributes of a tribe leader, it does not contain instructions for gathering a tribe or leading.  Each tribe is different; therefore, there is not a universal way to gather and lead.

To get us on the same page, we will use Godin’s definition of tribe throughout this series.  He defines tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” (pg. 1)

As Godin points out, there are characteristics and qualities that each tribe shares.  I have defined these qualities as knowing, believing, building, persevering, and growing.  I will be expanding on each of the six attributes as the series progresses.  Also, I highly recommend reading Tribes when you have the time.  It is a short but powerful read that has the ability to revolutionize your business and life.  (Feel free to read my review of the book.)

The Basics of Knowing

The first step in growing your tribe is to know yourself, your potential tribe, and the tribe’s goals.  Without a firm grasp on these three things, your leadership and your tribe will most likely be unsuccessful.  However, if you have a complete understanding of each area, you will have a solid foundation for change and a productive tribe.

Know Yourself

As you begin to lead, you need the ability to ask yourself the tough questions and to engage with honest answers.  How did you lead in the past?  Was it successful?  What critiques did you received about your leadership?  All of these questions are great starting points in order to grasp your motivation.  Be sure to ask questions that begin with “What” and “How.”  When you begin to ask questions that start with “Who” and “Why,” you begin to go down the wrong lines of questioning and can get into some dangerous territory. (Miller, 2004)

After you have answered the tough questions, see if your answers align with the qualities of a leader.  Do you display humility instead of selfishness?  Are you generous?  Do you take advantage of the opportunities given to you?  Are you able to stand up for your beliefs and ideas?  If you answered “no” to any of the questions above, hope is not lost.  Take the time to reassess your priorities, implement changes to align with positive leadership qualities, and then ask the tough questions again.

Here are a few quotes from Tribes regarding the various leadership qualities noted above…

“Generous and authentic leadership will always defeat the selfish efforts of someone doing it just because she can.” (pg. 7)

“The question isn’t, Is it possible for me to do that?  Now, the questions is, Will I choose to do it?” (pg. 8 )

Know Your Potential Tribe

Once you have taken part in some self-reflection, it’s time to get to know your potential followers.  The first step in this process is realizing that everyone wants to be part of a group.  In Tribes, Godin states, “Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong.  One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute (and to take from) a group of like-minded people.” (pg. 3)  In a nutshell, if you become a leader, there is a good chance that you will have people willing to follow you.

It is important that you stay away from the misconception that every person will follow your lead.  It is not practical to think everyone will be jumping at the opportunity to join your tribe.  Not everyone shares the same traits or preferences.  Sally, the office accountant, probably doesn’t like the same type of music as your neighbor’s son, James.  However, it is critical to realize that there are people who will serve as your tribe.  You just need to reach them, engage them, and let them know that they belong to a group consisting of people with similar interests.

Also, knowing your tribe and building your tribe are two different steps that require different resources.  We will learn about building your tribe in part three.

Know What Your Tribe Will Accomplish

If you take a look at the heading for this section, you will notice that I did not state, “Knowing Your Goals.”  Why not?  Because you are different than your tribe.

When you are leading a tribe, there is no time for a personal agenda.  Your goals go out the window and the goals of the tribe come into view.  When Godin recalls a time earlier in his life, he notes, “Everything I did was for us, not for me.” (pg. 30, emphasis Godin.)  It is paramount to take an attitude of humility when leading a tribe.  If you don’t, no one will want to follow you.

Once you have realized that your goals do not exist and that the tribe functions for the betterment of the tribe, begin to understand what the tribe can accomplish.  Dream big.  Anything can happen when a tribe is inspired.

A few guiding questions might be…

• What are some goals for the tribe?
• How will the tribe communicate?
• What objectives need to be met in order for the tribe to meet its goals?
• How will the tribe begin to organize itself?

These questions may be tough for you to answer at this moment but that is a good thing.  These questions aren’t about you; they are about your tribe.

After knowing yourself, your potential tribe, and the goals of your tribe, you will have a solid foundation for the growth of your tribe.  Without this foundation, your tribe ventures into dangerous territory.  Remember, an unmovable foundation can be the beginning of great things.

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

Photo by dbking