Executive Tweets

April 27, 2009

It may turn out to be a fad, or collapse under the weight of its own self unimportance, but if used cleverly Twitter can be a simple and effective management tool. It takes a bit of thinking and organisation, but it can be used source of breaking news and insight from your industry, general knowledge providers – such as the business schools and management consultants – and general news providers.

Here is what Lucy Kellaway has to say about executive twittering. She thinks it s a bit of a joke, which, I guess is one perspective. But as a senior executive these days, not twittering is as much as statement about your management style as twittering. Problem is that, as with all media, the potential for screw up and embarrassment is high. Not just that, as anyone with any experience of twitter can attest, it can be an unhelpful distraction - in an age when distraction is like a viral disease, causing thought patterns to dissipate, tasks left undone, and the self feeling jittery and unsatisfied.

My suggestion for bosses confused about how to use the new media, or finding it an unhelpful distraction, is to make yourself some rules, and stick by them (modifying them as you go).

Here is a stab at some principles which might or might not be helpful, depending on your management style:

1) Twitter only about work. It is both unhelpful and unedifying for people to learn their bosses have “just had second coffee of the morning, feeling like a rocket ship about to explode”, or “sun shining today, puts song in my heart”. Who cares?

2) Don’t twitter unless you have something to say. Anyone who has read the tweets of our political leaders (Kevin Rudd take note) will realise how stultifyingly dull Twitter posts can be. “Dawn Service in Canberra was very moving this morning.” Kill me now. Refrain from telling people what you are doing right now (even though that’s what the Twitter site tells you to do) just for the sake of telling people. Malcolm Turnbull, take note - I don’t care whih radio station you are being interviewed by today. I care what you are sayig to them about oppostiion policy and why. And I’d like the opportunity to tell you why I think its a good thing or bad.

3) Invite replies, feedback, ideas. Use Twitter as an engagement tool. Bosses should be having ideas all the time, what a great way to get feedback on whether they are good ones or crappy ones that should be dropped forthwith.

4) Let your personality come through, but only a very little bit. Don’t post anything that could be used to pportray yo as a bully, a dork, or delusional. Obviously.

Here are a few further ideas for using Twitter as a communication tool:

Think about the discrete areas of your working life, for instance your industry,  suppliers, competitors and the like, and your professional interests, particular knowledge streams or gadgets and do a Twitter search for feeds that relate. If you are into motivational coaching for instance, there is a whole network of coaches out there twittering away.

Set up twitter groups for each of these, perhaps using Twitter-dedicated software such as Tweetdeck. You could also use Twitter as a communication tool, tweeting regularly to the C-team or other discrete work groups – make sure you think about how widely you want your tweets disseminated, and limit membership by approving all followers.

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