Thoughts for those still in denial

Smart businesses run by smart people get it. They know that learning to be great at using social media channels is the key to their near-term (and possibly long term) success. They’ve long since figured out that the societal changes hastened by the rapid, widespread adoption of online communication platforms have ushered in an urgent need for organisations to embrace a new generation of business communication and collaboration styles.

Yet so many other organisations still haven’t got it. Or perhaps, rather, they don’t want to get it. These changes are profound, complex and irreversible. It takes a brave business leader to face up to changes of this magnitude. Surely it would be easier to keep our heads firmly in the sand and hope this whole thing blows over? Few executives ever expected to tackle radical organisational change during their brief term in office; surely these tough issues would be better handled by their successors?

But this denial is no longer viable. It hasn’t been viable for most organisations for several years, but I firmly believe we’ve now passed the stage where any organisation can credibly afford to continue to ignore the changes that social media has brought.

Social media is firmly established as the most prominent business communication tool. While it remains confusing and fast-changing, the new behaviours it has taught us are already firmly entrenched in our daily lives. Social media has changed vast swathes of the general public who have adopted it and quickly learned to love it. Isn’t it time your business learned to love it to?