The more I test the waters of social media, the more I understand how important it is for a man or woman of influence to be a digital leader.
Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes but the person who doesn’t lead digitally has forfeited a wealth of influence.
Albert Mohler and The Conviction To Lead
Albert Mohler, who currently serves as President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently wrote a book entitled The Conviction To Lead. The twenty-first chapter is titled The Digital Leader and is subtitled: Leaders Understand That The Digital World Is A Real World—a World in Which They Are Called to Lead. I found this chapter to be most fascinating regarding my own personal pursuit of becoming a more effective leader in the digital world.
Below are some quotes from this chapter that I’ve highlighted in the book. These are great one-liner reminders about how leaders must embrace the realm of the digital world. To not do so would be a great error, indeed. Our tribes demand our internet presence and the people around the world will benefit from what we have to say. To not lead in the digital world could be the biggest mistake a person might make who wants to make a difference, an impact, and be a positive influence.
“Leaders who talk about the real world as opposed to the digital world are making a mistake, a category error.”
“If the leader is not leading in the digital world, his leadership is, by definition, limited to those who also ignore or neglect that world.”
“The digital world is driven by its entrepreneurial and ideological pioneers and cheerleaders, and they are a multitude.”
“A teenager with a computer screen can create a blog that looks more authoritative than a blog written be a CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation—and perhaps read by more people as well.”
“If you are not present on the internet, you simply do not exist, as far as anyone under thirty is concerned.” (Worthy of a tweet?)
“Content is king. People come to your website because they are looking for information. Make sure they can find it, and make certain it is worth finding.”
“If your Internet presence looks stale, visitors will assume that your organization is stale as well.”
“Leaders should let their blogs play to their strengths, but always make it clear, interesting, and serve the mission of your organization. In other words, blog with conviction.”
“If you are not on Twitter, and if you are not working and following it regularly, you are missing a massive leadership opportunity.”
Here’s my favorite: “A teenager with a computer screen can create a blog that looks more authoritative than a blog written be a CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation—and perhaps read by more people as well.”