Is the CEO of bp a Digital and Social Media pioneer?

The ‘Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer UK launch Deck’ was published at the turn of the year. It provides fascinating insight into the State of the Nation and what we were thinking as we started the year.  

Alongside some very positive and upbeat statistics, there are some which should grab our attention as Business Leaders:

"Employees also believe that companies must be prepared to adapt in the light of changing circumstances and update their key stakeholders on a regular basis."

….and this was BC – Before Covid, is it fair to believe that these stats wont have improved?

This creates a challenge for CEOs, your people want to hear from you on pressing topics and have fears about their employment. So, what do you do?

Townhall meetings? Not personal, rarely reach everyone and don’t allow for open debate

Newsletters? Not personal, rarely authentic, usually just ‘how great we are’.

Email? Not personal, viewed as cold and email is and old fashioned communications medium.

Rely on your senior team to deliver your message? Obvious results....

What got you here, wont get you there...

The low risk, high gain answer:

The world has gone social ... it is your time to be like the rest of the world and live social.

There are studies that show the average CEO is less likely to be active on social media, the majority are Baby Boomers or Generations X and haven’t yet realised that the territory, as we knew it, has shifted to digital, they still think of Social Media as leisure tools.  This is an excuse, its easy to ignore, detrimental to your people and your business. It also plays out that if we accept the stats, we are laying down and accepting that the Millennials are the only ones who can do this..... none of us were born knowing how to use Social Media but, how are you reading this...?

You will likely think “Im too busy", but we all know that is just another excuse. Now is the time for you to show Social Leadership your people need you to show. 

As you reel off all the other excuses…your employees are all active on social and likely following the leaders who are Socially Mature. Still not convinced? take a look at Bernard Looney’s LinkedIn profile and activity, I’m guessing the CEO of bp is fairly busy, and….he was born in 1970. Is he a pioneer, or just aware that the business world has gone Digital and Social and has been well trained?

THE WORLD HAS GONE SOCIAL, HAVE YOU?

4.57 billion people now use the internet, an increase of more than 7 percent since this time last year. Social media users are growing even faster, up by more than 8 percent since April 2019 to reach 3.81 billion today. Social media users around the world have both increased by more than 300 million over the past twelve months.

Now more than ever, our teams need to be fitter and stronger and have embraced digital and social by the time we get out of this crisis. You should also know that you need to lead the way.

I talk to multiple business leaders from different business sectors on a daily basis, whilst there is a realisation and clear awakening with some that Social is the key, there are as many who believe they know better and have the usual excuses why it won’t work “not my bag, not for my industry, busy trying to save the company, I’m old school”. We help companies like yours and people like you.

We work, 1 to 1, mentoring CEOs, MDs and Executive teams and, we can also coach and mentor your teams. We understand the blockers, the politics and the excuses and will bring you into the modern age of business management, communications and sales.

This is your Leadership Moment.

Eric Doyle

Crux / DLA Ignite