When it comes to blogging, executives have a unique problem. It has to do with the fact that the risk and cost of failure for executives are greater than they are for other employees.
Blogging is a personal affair. The learning curve requires the blogger to open up to the world, create content, build relationships, develop readership, get feedback, make modifications, and repeat.
That can be a lot of risk for anyone. But for the corporate executive, the pressure to “nail it” right out of the gate is more extreme:
- Unlike others who build audiences slowly, the executive starts with everyone watching. In those early days when a blogger is finding her voice, she makes herself vulnerable by opening herself up to the judgment of her early readers. For most of us, that might include close friends and family, which is hard enough, but for executives, it often includes coworkers, too… and lots of them.
- The science says that there are 5 forms of power that managers use. One is referent power (think social power, or charisma), and a second is expert power (the power that comes as a result of having an experitse). By blogging, an executive puts both of these on the line. True, the executive could increase his or her power by creating a successful blog—and some forms of failure could enhance an executive’s referent power if employees appreciate the risks the executive was taking. Also true is that we all put these power bases at risk when we blog. But let’s make no mistake: the stakes are much greater for the executive. If things go awry, and the executive loses her social power or damages her perceived level of expertise by blogging, that could have very real and very immediate consequences for her ability to do her job.
- It’s more difficult for executives to be genuine, because they operate in a more narrow range of behavior than their employees. Look at it this way: people in an organization look up for cues on what acceptable behavior is. In a company that has a rock solid, crystal clear culture where executives and employees can be themselves because the culture is built around them, this is a non-issue. But in the other 99.6% of corporate America, this means that leaders must somehow set a consistent example for hundreds or thousands of employees, each of whom judge that executive from different perspectives. That leaves executives with very few degrees of freedom; the sad truth is that all those overlapping perspectives leave executives very little opportunity to show off their personality without risking offending someone… and when people in power offend their followers, bad things can follow.
For most employees, dipping a toe into the world of blogging is a simple as setting up a WordPress.com account. But for executives, because of the pressures of their jobs, far more thought and strategy and planning needs to go into it, because both the risk and cost of failure are greater.
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I'm Jason. I make people shine. My mission is to help 1 million people tell their stories better. 
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I don’t see blogging as the problem, but rather poorly written or controversial material. That sort of thing can get executives in trouble whether it’s on a blog, sent as a mass e-mail, or distributed as a memo. It’s just that blogging is faster, easier, and has the potential to reach more people quicker. If a organization wants to improve internal communication, keep people in the loop, and provide a vehicle for quick feedback, blogging is also a quick, easy, inexpensive way to do it with a permanent record of what was said and when.
Interesting how this blog makes a very blatant gender blunder. When talking about power the executives are referred to as his or her. . .”the executive could increase his or her power by creating a successful blog”. However, every example or mention of a problem in blogging the executive is referred to as a woman. . . “makes herself vulnerable by opening herself up to the judgment of her early readers” or “If things go awry, and the executive loses her social power or damages her perceived level of expertise by blogging, that could have very real and very immediate consequences for her ability to do her job.” Apparently the intended take away from this blog is that female CEO’s have a unique problem when it comes to blogging.
Kathleen: On the contrary, I thought it was refreshing to see all the female pronouns instead of male ones for a change……but maybe you’re right.
@Kathleen … rampant feminist just scraping the internet for far-out examples to stomp on? Relax…. I agree with @Therese, this is just a refreshing change of perspective, remember the blog is about executives and blogging NOT feminism. Sheesh… :S
I’m confounded by this post; it seems outdated. Trends indicate a desire for authenticity, transparency and identifies lack of both as a barrier to success. This post flies in the face of that by encouraging leaders to hide behind the door of safety.
If transparency through blogging makes a leader’s job more difficult, there are likely things in the way, barriers to success. So often the issues that hold an individual or an organization back are the conversations that are avoided … the things left unspoken. Creating space for a conversation, offering an opportunity for participation is the sign of a competent leader in my book. Fear is usually what is in the way … once there is an awareness of the fear, it is owned and acknowledged, authentic conversations contribute to shared success. Blog away … with the knowledge that you may be in a difficult conversation! There are resources to develop skill in leading them … one is coaching!
Political correctness aside, as a director of one company and the founder of another. I agree that there is a lot of pressure to do the “right” thing on your personal or corporate blog. The problem is that there are 25 opinions on what the right thing is.
I think they key to avoiding some of the negative results as a blogger is to stick to the intent of the blog you have created. Whether you are seeking to entertain, educate, or update on company related business and be sure that your readers understand that is your goal.
Always balancing,
Rafael
@Dr. Buck—Technically, you’re right… the real issue here is communication. And technically, you’re also right that blogging can be a “quick, easy, inexpensive” way to communicate across the organization—just as Facebook is a quick, easy, inexpensive way to communicate amongst friends. That doesn’t mean they’re not without risk! Moreover, the risks of blogging are not the same as with other forms of communication. (How many people download company memos into their Google Reader each morning?)
Bravo Kathleen,
I agree with you 100% with the blatant depiction of female executives. And, Therese, I do welcome the change especially since our male (masculine gender)counterpart is mostly referenced in books, novels, textbooks and articles in lieu of female (feminine gender) however, not in this case where the female executive is protrayed negatively and without merit. As a blogger one must be extremely careful of the information one releases to the public.
@Kathleen—Here are my thoughts on women in leadership. And this post isn’t about mistakes women make, it’s about risks executives face—including female executives.
@Therese & @Ben—Thanks for keeping the discourse on this topic civil. I appreciate the benefit of the doubt. The English language fails us in some very fundamental ways. I think we just found one of them.
Bravo Kathleen,
I agree with you 100% with the blatant depiction of female executives. And, Therese, I do welcome the change especially since our male (masculine gender)counterpart is mostly referenced in books, novels, textbooks and articles in lieu of female (feminine gender) however, not in this case where the female executive is protrayed negatively and without merit. As a blogger one must be extremely careful of the information one releases to the public.
@Ben… Since these articles are in my in box daily there wasn’t much scouring required. Far from a feminist, it wasn’t until I read the entire story that this tone stuck out. And, I was actually surprised it resonnated with me. Being too open is linked to females in business constantly and these examples reiterate that link. That aside, it is a balancing act as Rafael points out. And, Jason is right it is something that every executive has to consider. Look at the owner of the Cavs after LeBron left.
Thanks for a great article, Jason.
I am of the opinion that the transparency required for blogging, while unnerving at times, and not without risk (as you mention here) helps to keep executives accountable. I think blogging provides an opportunity to set a great example for employees, a challenge to remain consistent to your message, and a communication channel to inspire others. (Think Tony Hsieh of Zappos).
I have been producing a daily blog for over two years (www.ThinkCustomerSatisfaction.com) that all of the employees of our company receive in their email each morning, and not only has it helped me in thinking through tough management issues, I think it has helped to create a culture of commonality in thinking about how we approach customer issues.
I think it would be great to see the other half of this topic from the side of benefits, as well.
Cheers.
@Kathleen—Thanks for note. Since I was discussing “risks” today (as opposed to mistakes), I didn’t expect my gender choice to elicit the reaction it has with you and a few others. Re-reading it on the heels of your comments, I see what you mean—especially if you yourself have felt that double standard applied to you, this could seem like a perpetuation of more of the same.
As someone who prefers to solve problems rather than debate them, moving forward I will use my own, made up, third person, gender-neutral, humanized pronoun.
He, she, zhe. Pronounced, “zee.” And—bonus—it flows with the existing third person, gender-neutral plural of “them.” (I thought of thee, but it’s already in use, plus Z could use a little love.) Look for it in future posts, starting next week.
Hi Jason,
Great post on a subject I’ve been arguing about for a few months now with my friends in the social media department of my company. To your excellent reasons I would add the following:
- The boss can’t always write very well
- The boss may not have time
- The boss may not be particularly nice to customers
- The boss has lots of other things on their plate and may not be able to keep up with the commitment a blog requires.
If you’re interested, here is a link to my post about why CEOs should stay away from social media: http://bizmarketer.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/why-most-executives-should-stay-clear-of-social-media/.
Love your blog.
I liked the article and sent it over to my wife who is a female executive at a large multi-national. Executives who use a balanced approach to communication coupled with common sense can use blogging to their advantage.
I agree with Irene above – there is real and growing need for authenticy. I have trouble accepting that a CEO or any leader of a company cannot be genuine as the article suggests – the fact of the matter is that the world needs real people leading and that we need to get a little use to accepting that there is a human in all of us. It goes without saying that technique, manners and diplomacy all play a role however to shut down a potential dialogue between the leaders and people simply because it will take a little work to get it relevant but honest seems like we are going backwards.
@Elizabeth—Great points. Social media provides a powerful level of transparency… and sometimes, as some of the comments to this very post show, blogging even opens the doors for misunderstandings regardless of intention. It takes a very special CEO with a very careful strategy to be able to tread these waters successfully!
@Dan—Agreed. <irony>Of the thousands of executives out there, the two dozen or so who fit your criteria should benefit mightily.</irony>
@Deborah—Let’s be careful about the semantics here… I don’t say executives cannot be genuine. I call attention to some of the very real risks they face in attempting to do so.
Great exploration of a touchy subject. You don’t often hear people discussing the reality of the situation as regards executive blogging. Another interesting issue is ghost writing–as in, “you can’t ghostwrite thought leadership.” Is this true? I’m not sure yet, but it’s a question worth asking…
Cheers
I have been very enlightened after reading this post. I agree there is some downfalls to blogging, but often people are going to judge you regardless of your post. If you have ten out eight employees who dont think your truthful about what you blog your still down. That is why it is always good to have a private only- personal page for the enjoyment ofyourself and a business page for employees, customers etc.
@Shadora‚ I find that readers tend to fall into a few categories: long time followers who get to know you, fly-by readers who skim a few sentences on a single post (if that much) and then draw global conclusions about you, and others who resist drawing conclusions about you because they don’t really understand your blog and interpret that to mean that you know something they don’t. Write for the first group, reach out to the third, and laugh about the second. It’s about the best you can do…
Why does the refrain ” Keep it real!” keep rolling through my mind? I’ve helped hundreds of senior executives develop new networking connections in order to source their next position within the unadvertised, hidden job market.
The secondary gain from these new strategic relationships which I initiate through a personal introduction to hiring decision makers is lifetime “career insurance.” Although I show them the value of blogging with stats and talk with them about social networking, 99.9% resist entering the blogosphere either as commentators or authors. The universal resistance is the risk of exposing themselves, the potential for criticism and then of course, the lack of time and no commitment to networking as a necessity to promote themselves and establish themselves as an expert.
@Debra, I have yet to find a situation in which facts can be used to overcome emotional resistance. At least not in the short run, and not when the fear is the fear of exposure! Keep at it, though… All our work is sure to pay off in the long run!