Digital Leadership Kit

Finding Your Blue Unicorn

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This will help you influence and guide your community, your team, your customers, your

partners. Share your unique point of view, in your own voice and style – be yourself –

that’s the person people will be looking for and wanting to follow.

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Start a Blog - beyond engagement in social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and

others, build a home base that you own and control, from which you can share your

insights and point of view. This “digital home base” will enable you to define your

personal brand, which you control through your career. Few executive leaders take

advantage of this, presenting a fantastic opportunity to stand out in today’s

connected economy. What you don’t build today, will restrict you tomorrow.

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In your LinkedIn Profile and Twitter Bio, articulate what’s unique about you – what’s your

point of view, what value do you offer, what experience do you have. Share some

personal. The goal is to share what’s special and unique about you. Remember, you

know more than you think you do, with more valuable experience than you may think

you have – share it.

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Images help people connect with you. Images build trust. Images create a sense of

openness that draw people in because they can see more of who you are and what you

are about. Images bring humanity into digital engagement and foster a sense of

relationship. No one does this better than Richard Branson… he is a great role model to

emulate.

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Providing context and meaning is the most powerful way you can build influence, trust

and leadership. You and you alone have the understanding of the business, the

marketplace, the opportunity to provide the meaning and vision that employees,

customers and partners are looking for.

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Thought leadership is predicated on mission and purpose. Be intentional about the

mission of your organization, the purpose you serve and the change you aim to make in

the world. Be clear and be concise. If you don’t have this ready, work with your inner

circle to net this down into a succinct message. This then becomes that platform, the

foundation for the context, insights, perspectives and leadership you share in social.

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Stories are a path to connection and understanding. People resonate with and

remember stories. Think about how you can create an emotional connection in your

stories. Sharing personal stories create the strongest connection. A great way to

incorporate stories is to lead with a story or close with a story. The more you do it, the

better you will get.

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You can never underestimate the impact these two words can have. Here, the more you

give, the more goodwill will come your way. As they say, ‘what goes around, comes

around.’ A public thank you or acknowledgement to an employee, a customer, a partner

is worth a thousand private notes. Be the domino that sets off a chain of impact.

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The best communicators are great listeners. Social provides a unique opportunity to

listen to employees, customers and partners… directly. Acknowledging their opinions,

views, perspectives and experiences in social, is an incredibly powerful way to help

people feel ‘heard’ and it’s an effective way to spot signals of unmet need and

opportunity.

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Share what excites you and get’s you fired up. What gets you jumping out of bed every

morning? Share this with your followers, your community. Passion and attitude are

contagious. Passion goes viral. Nothing can amplify your standing in social more than

sharing what you are passionate about, what you value and what you care about.

Passion is what separate greatness from mediocrity.

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1. What’s your point of view?

2. Remember to build your personal platform, your digital home base (e.g. Blog)

3. What can you share about you to build connection?

4. What image will convey your message?

5. What context can you provide to give greater meaning?

6. How can you clarify and reinforce the mission & purpose you serve?

7. What story can you tell to frame or illustrate your message?

8. Who can you recognize/thank, openly in digital?

9. What are you hearing in social from employees / from customers?

10. Are you expressing your passion and enthusiasm?

Blue Unicorn Check ListWhen you engage in digital/social, questions to ask yourself to keep you on track...

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