Opinion Lawrence Kamwi
IN one of his classic parodies, Italian author Umberto Eco recounts the ill-fated experience of trying to keep a “smoked salmon” fresh as he travels from Stockholm through London and onto Italy.
He bought the “enormous one dirt cheap” and was advised to keep it refrigerated.
When he eventually gets a hotel room in London, he transfers the fish from his suitcase into the minibar.
“As a rule… the minibar is a small refrigerator containing two beers, some miniature bottles of hard liquor… In my hotel, the refrigerator was family size and contained 50 bottles of whisky, gin, Drambuie, Courvoisier…there was no room for the salmon. I pulled out two roomy drawers of the dresser and emptied the contents of the bar into them, then refrigerated the salmon.”
When he next returned to his room, he finds the salmon on the desk, while the bar has been restocked. This hide-and-seek exchange continues until he prepares to leave the hotel.
“The next morning, I went down to sign the bill. It was astronomical. It indicated that in two-and-a-half days I had consumed…10 litres of various whiskies … eight litres of gin, 25 litres of mineral water…I tried to explain, but the clerk, with a betel-blackened smile, assured me that this was what the computer said.”
Former US President Barack Obama launched the @POTUS Twitter handle from the Oval Office in May 2015.
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It became the official account of the US President, designed to enable him to “engage directly with American people.” Tweets came exclusively from him.
His first tweet received near immediate reaction from Bill Clinton who welcomed @POTUS to @Twitter.
Clinton then asked whether the username would stay with the office (we now know that it has).
In quick repartee, Obama replied: “Good question @billclinton. The handle comes with the house. Know anyone interested in @FLOTUS?”
A social media expert, Catriona Pollard finds the exchange not only interesting, but instructive.
She defines it as a guide to how people, the famous and powerful, and – in fact – everyday people, can use various vehicles to build and nurture personal brands.
She extols the exchange for creating a brand that “is accessible and compelling to people from many walks of life”.
Today, people have indeed found different uses and expression on various communication platforms.
Yet others – those we wish to hear from – still exercise self-effacing caution.
One school of thought suggests that business leaders who fail to embrace Twitter and LinkedIn, among others, raise questions about “their understanding of one of the most powerful business-related paradigm shifts in the 21st century”.
In much the same vein, Phillip Decker bemoans the fact that, “not all leaders appreciate the importance of communication skills for leadership and management.
In other words, the risks that come from a poor approach to communication are underestimated. Poor communication is one of the largest areas of self- handicapping”.
Research shows that “the most common excuse from chief executive officers (CEOs) for not being on Twitter or becoming an influencer on LinkedIn is they view it as being narcissistic”. Some form of ego-building or grandstanding!
Business trends aficionados, however, contend that communicators should see beyond self-doubt and confidently share their expertise and experiences.
“CEOs who share valuable knowledge are the ones who create stronger, more authentic relationships with people both inside and outside the organisation. Customers are turning to social media for answers, and businesses (and their representatives) need to be where the customers are, if they are going to engage with customers and be successful.”
Decker suggests an option. He writes: “Increasing self-esteem, addressing goal orientation, reducing fear of failure, positive self-talk, group support and group cohesion have been associated with reducing self-handicapping.”
More importantly, he argues that “regarding responsible leadership as shared also means that different parties assume leadership roles in search for common solutions. Every party affected by a decision can be regarded as part of the solution”.
While it is nigh impossible to find a fool proof way of avoiding criticism and ridicule, the alternative is not to go mute.
“Access to a diverse group of people exposes you to different perspectives that can spark new ideas and enables you to refine your ideas by receiving relevant and thoughtful feedback.”
Two years ago, New African magazine observed that “it is no surprise that the continent where 70% of the news traffic is mobile, 50% of the population is under the age of 20 and social media use is growing faster than anywhere in the world, is fertile ground for a new generation of digital natives who produce and publish their own content online, from political satire to fashion, from travel to business.”
Richard Koch strikes a similar note in Strategy (How to Create, Pursue and Deliver a Winning Strategy).
He writes that “with social media there is no halfway house. You either have to use them, as an integral part of your marketing, and creatively … as a cheap tool to promote your firm or yourself. Social media have the edge on other methods”.
