An Open Letter To Executives: It's Time To Address The 'Consciousness' Of Your Business

It’s time leaders take ownership of the “consciousness” of your businesses.

For those who are quick to dismiss consciousness as some sort of spiritual woo-woo, let me offer a quick reference point for even the most scientific, analytical and skeptical amongst us.

Reflect briefly on your own inner life for a moment. Your thoughts, the conversation and sensory experiences you have within yourself, private to you. When I’m referring to your consciousness, I’m pointing to the quality of that inner dimension of yourself.

Is your inner-space a critical and judgmental experience or a still, quiet and deep state of inner peace?

Everyone is somewhere on this continuum.

It shouldn’t be a stretch to understand that the internal dynamics at play inside every human at a company and particularly its leadership team -- inform the quality of the consciousness of the company itself.

It shows up in your daily communications, reactions and decisions -- and most especially, as one of my most curmudgeonly mentors says, "when the shit hits the fan."

It seeps out into teams, clients and customers, and yes, the public. Many companies do not address this below-the-surface dynamic unless and until it’s so bad that it’s become a clear and present danger to the business or of course, when the news hits the press.

Read the rest on Forbes.

The Social CEO: What You Need To Know

Sir Richard Branson named Top Social CEO in compilation done by Hootsuite and Xinfu (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Let me start off by saying -- this isn't about tweeting. This is about the critical Social Paradigm Shift CEOs and the other C-suite need to make -- and fast.

Almost a decade ago, I created a ‘How to Tweet’ graphic for distribution to CEOs and other senior executives at the Aspen Ideas Conference. Back then, it was just about tweeting, about exploring, about connecting with peers ... Ten long years later and social media has gone from a bleeding-edge, cool-to-use playground for the tech set to a complete and total Social Paradigm Shift affecting nearly every human -- and organization -- worldwide.

This shift has built juggernaut businesses from scratch (Buzzfeed, DogVacay, Dollar Shave Club, just to name a few) and destroyed businesses in the same very short time period. And let us be clear -- we are only at the very beginning of this cultural revolution. The inherently-social, inter-connected global world of digital is the new world and it’s mission critical that your leadership catches hold and doesn’t let go -- ever again.

When it comes to CEOs in particular, an astounding 61% of Fortune 500 CEOs are still not active, according to CEO.com. And after consulting and training CEOs and CMOs for a decade, one of my biggest concerns is that too many still think this is just about tweeting or participating on LinkedIn. That is wrong and let me be clear -- putting-your-business-in-danger wrong.

So, how does a CEO become a Social CEO? Here are the 5 Steps you must take: Read the article on Forbes here.

And after that, if you're READY, join us in our latest course: The Social CEO startingSeptember 5th. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/The-Social-CEO-Course
 

Face Stats: You Are Missing The Entire World Of Social Media, MTO Agency CEO and Founder, Gretchen Fox

As my business partner, Kyra Reed and I work to crack the code to social media and help set much-needed industry standards, we continue to peel back the onion and reveal critical points where companies are failing — and failing hard.

And to really get this, you’re going to have to wipe clean your current understanding of social media and open your mind to see things differently. I mean, you can hold onto your preconceived notions but if you ever want your business to realize the full power of social, you know, the potential I keep talking about: 

Something much more powerful. Something like a giant current of electricity connecting every man, woman and child across the globe. A power so strong and capable, that it can move entirecountries of people to protest in the streets and spark viral videos to spread across the globelike a wildfire on a dry night.

Yes, that kind of power. But to really harness the full power, you’re going to have to do something uncomfortable. You are going to have to admit to yourself that you might not be doing it right.

Read more on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gretchenfox/2015/10/22/face-stats-you-are-missing-the-entire-world-of-social-media