Be Prepared for your Social Media Presence !

Social Media is here to stay as more companies join the band wagon every day, many companies believe the first step in Social Media is to create their company presence with a  Facebook Page, Twitter Handle, LinkedIn company page, Pinterest presence and finally a Google Plus+ presence and maybe a few more to be safe !

Most companies do not have a social media strategy or a social media management agenda or team, most of the social media management is outsourced to ad agencies or social media specialists. Companies need to understand  they are best equipped to respond and support their customer through social media; customer engagement is too valuable to be outsourced ?

Business could use the services of social media strategists who can help them with their campaign and build a road map for their social media presence and  so train their team to handle social media in real time.

Companies who do not handle social media in real time are doomed and will stand  out as non-customer focused companies.

The Toddy Tapper - Social Media is Heady but Be Prepared !

The CEO must lead the social media charge with a Twitter handle and a blog page at the minimum, CEO's could learn from Sir Richard Branson  (@richardbranson) who has a great social media presence. 

Social media affects your company in multitude ways and is unforgiving, one social media gaffe could  be the death knell for your company. Companies need to understand that social media is  double edged sword, it can hurt and maim with equal ease as it can conquer and subjugate customers.

To get your social media strategy right, start in small increments, big bang does not work for social media, maybe start with a Facebook Page and Twitter handle, tend it well like a good gardener and reap the harvest in abundance. Like a good gardener you must know what to plant, when to harvest and when to leave the land fallow for best outcome of your social media strategy.

Be Prepared before you venture into social media; Be ever watchful like a good gardener and enjoy the benefits of your Social Media Presence!

CIO Journey to the Corner Office - A reality or a Fantasy !

Recently I was in a panel discussion in a Seminar and the question of the CIO's journey to the corner office as the CEO of the Company.
Unfortunately the instances of the CIO transforming to a CEO are few in the world of business and there are number  of reasons logically this transformation is possible but in a Real world it is a fantasy.
Let us examine the qualities of a good CIO the first of course is being a good team player, second political acumen to survive and please the various stake holders in business and the last is the IT prowess.
CIO's who are successful do excel in people management and handling corporate warfare and wading through uncertain cycles in the business.
But are these qualities enough to make them the CEO, there are certain factors missing, the CIO never leads the business troops which is essential to be a CEO, neither does the CEO interact with the Board on a regular basis in most companies, the CIO is drowned in budgets,data and analysis whereas many successful CEO's are street smart and lead from the Gut.

Let there be a New Dawn for CIO's to realize their Potential as Business CEO's 

Thus the qualities needed by a CIO and the CEO are world's apart, though the CIO has a ringside view of business the CIO is not the doer, the CIO is just the observer watching from the sidelines.
The CIO seldom has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership attributes ; the CIO does lead  the IT team, which are mostly a breed with high IQ and high emotions thus when the CIO has to lead the troops it will be greeted with resistance and followed by failure.
The Board seldom gives face time to the CIO, most often it is the CFO who gets the credit from the Board and whom the Board trusts for IT Investments, this puts the CIO at a Disadvantage but the CEO is comfortable, since the probability of the Bean Counter wanting the corner office is generally remote.
Though some CFO's have become CEO's  the outcome has been mixed.
So if the reality is that the CIO Journey to the corner office is doomed, then how does the CIO realize one's fantasy?
IF the CIO firmly believes that one is made for the corner office, then then at the first opportunity the CIO should jettison the IT department as a cost center, and as the first step make the IT department the profit center.
Few Boards will agree with this approach, so it is the CIO's persuasive powers alone which can make it happen and a good time to try is when the Business is doing well.
The CIO  has an enlightened Board and the IT Department becomes a profit center, the next step of  the CIO  is to reduce the exposure of IT services to the parent business and expand the IT services to outside companies. This should to be done quickly and with profits must accrue into the balance sheet of the Profit Center led be the CIO.
A smart CIO can show exponential growth in IT services, since the angel investor is the parent company and when the CIO converts the IT company into an independent unit then the CIO's  fantasy will be a reality .
Surprisingly IT companies return on Assets employed is one of the highest in the world and the IT Division can be spun as a separate entity and subsequently get listed and create wealth for all and bigger corner office to the CIO transformed in the CEO.
Here is wishing all CIO's a wonderful journey to the corner office as the CEO's of their own IT companies, after nothing succeeds like success driven by one's own core competence.
May more CIO's transform in CEO's in 2014!

P.S. There are number of these CIO's today who due to circumstances or of their own choice have transformed themselves into CEO's and  seem to be happier and effective.
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