Will your social network move mountains?

When we think of social networks, automatically we think of Facebook, Myspace and the likes. Many companies have taken hold of the social networking platform to implement viral marketing and realize the value of creating 'buzz' around their brand and products. Alternatively, many individuals have risen to fame (or infamy) using these platforms (Justin Bieber, Antoine Dodson, the guy that loves double rainbows to name a few).

Companies are starting to understand the power and magnitude of social networking and are recruiting social media managers. These managers not only manage and monitor the conversation that the public is having about their company, but also attempt to change the conversation. This again links to a company's overall strategy and breaks the high level strategy down to consumers by letting them know what you believe in, what you stand for, and where you're going.

GAP's new logo has sparked debate in the social media realm to say the least. The company looked to crowdsourcing to come up with a new logo. My thinking is that the company was trying to get 'in touch' with the social media crowd and create discussion within social networks. This seems to have backfired as it has been accepted as unprofessional and an act of "we couldn't do any better, so you give it a shot".

New hybrid companies are being introduced that are part social cause (not for profit) and part technology business. Enter Friendfactor. Friendfactor's advisors are high profile (think former developers of Google, a co-founder of Facebook, Harvard Business School professors, a senior legal advisor to Bill Clinton, and founders of non-profit organizations), and their team is balanced with financial, consulting, strategy, marketing and technology backgrounds. Now this is a company that gets it. With the power of the world's top talent behind it, Friendfactor has my bets on success. With a mission to make LGBT rights a reality, this company recognizes the need for balance between levering financial requirements, economics, social trends and social cause to thrive in today's environment. Better yet, Friendfactor is creating hype in social networks to create discussion (now that you've been informed, will you pass it on further (you should)?).

The Charter for Compassion is another project that uses social media/networking platforms (i.e. viral videos, Facebook group, and Twitter) to create change. It is movement towards peace, understanding and the realization on a global stage where humanity should root back to.

For companies, the implication is that like for GAP it is important to know who you're talking to, what they are saying and how to change the conversation as a brand management strategy. If you don't have anyone monitoring and engaging in these conversations, you aren't tapped into your consumer base and your brand appeal.

Friendfactor and the Charter for Compassion are excellent examples of how social networks can ride the social media wave to educate and make global change.

Now a few questions back to you: Who is in your current social network? What is that value to you? Will you join other social networks to move mountains?

Where have we lost touch?

Somewhere along the lines the idea of what business is has been translated into something cold, hardened and impersonal. Taken from the familiar saying 'it's not personal, it's just business', it has become common place to accept the notion that doing business means what's best for the bottom line. Period.

You need to make money or you won't be in business. That being said, consumers and employees are pushing more than ever to be apart of things they care about. The megatrend of Corporate Social Responsibility is a direct result of this, and consumers are becoming more educated to decide for themselves if companies are merely paying lip service to the trend. Consumers link the company's quality to their bonafide efforts on these fronts.

The bottom line is changing; business beware.

This revolution is not new by any means, but the shift is slowly gaining speed, and to some's opinions (such as my own), not fast enough. Many large corporations are stacked with executives in the boomer generation unwilling to accept the need for change, as this is what worked in the past ("this is my strategy, and I'm sticking to it"). Did you know 1 in 4 of your employees intend to leave when the economy starts to recover? The disconnect between the workforce and the so-called leaders can start to be unwound with the difference in generations.

In the May 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review, a set of three articles were published with the theme of "Spotlight on Leadership: The Next Generation". The article is eye opening, even though the basic fundamentals are intuitive. The future leaders require from their company a different set of needs than the now in charge boomers once did. When companies do not address these new needs such as desire to make a change and impact in the world, to be engaged and to be fulfilled, employees start to look at other options. There are high expectations set of their employers, but they also have high expectations of themselves; this generation has been gathering the skills to succeed and lead since early childhood as guided by their parents (the boomer generation). This motivation and intelligence can be harnessed and these people will lead your company; the question is, will you drive them to leave before they can?

The 'old way' of doing business is still implemented in many forms as the core strategy of many businesses has not been able to adapt. Many companies use PR to broadcast more personal messages of "we care about our employees and the environment", but when it comes to actual implementation, they fall short.

Bill Taylor blogs about "Why is it so hard to be kind?", and discusses the large ROI of doing business on a personal level. He writes: "Success today is about so much more than just price, quality, reliability — pure economic value. It is about passion, emotion, identity — sharing your values." Of course, this is something we've known and heard about, but where have we gone wrong, where have we lost touch?

The information is out there, and so is the business case for change. The bottom line is moving, as are customer demands. Your employees will flight and will have no loyalty as the economy starts to pick up, because after all, you as a company haven't kept up your side of the bargain.

Now what? It's not too late- strategy from the top needs to incorporate the 'new way' of business, that isn't so new, but rather hasn't been implemented correctly. There needs to be a balance between economics, employee morale, innovation and interpersonal relationships. The underlying problem? The people sitting comfortably at the top don't want to recognize the need for real change. When will they realize? Either they will act now and attempt to salvage their organization as it falls, or else they will scramble when all of their talent and thus the successors of what they have been building for the past 30 years decide to split.

The ball's in your court; after all, I know I'll keep up my side of the bargain.