Posted on Mar 10, 2015
E-leadership: can it be effective and what are the standards?
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E-leadership, if it exists, is the art and science of managing an organization and inspiring people to accomplish the mission through electronic media. Is this a critical skill that all leaders must develop in the "digital age"? Is it even possible to lead or inspire people through email, social media, and other digital connections?
What are the standards for using it? Does email allow all that we need in electronic information conveyance? If conference calls add something, then isn't video even better? Could distributed companies hold a battalion formation via Skype? LDPs via VTC could save thousands of dollars and hundreds of miles in travel in the Reserve Components.
What are the standards for using it? Does email allow all that we need in electronic information conveyance? If conference calls add something, then isn't video even better? Could distributed companies hold a battalion formation via Skype? LDPs via VTC could save thousands of dollars and hundreds of miles in travel in the Reserve Components.
Leadership
Social Media
Leadership Development
Edited >1 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 18
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The bigger an organization is, the harder it becomes to be a "visible leader."
Take a Base Commander for example, they are responsible for the safety, well being, and morale of thousands of troops. When I was stationed on Quantico, our Commander supplemented his traditional leadership skills with all-hands emails.
Currently, they use tools like Facebook to announce things like base closures, emergency conditions, and modifications to policy (Marines swapped to Desert, but it's still "winter" in VA, so sleeves stayed down).
E-Leadership, I think is a misnomer. I think what you allude to is one more tool in a leader's tool belt, to better support his troops.
Edit: Base closures, not foreclosures.
Take a Base Commander for example, they are responsible for the safety, well being, and morale of thousands of troops. When I was stationed on Quantico, our Commander supplemented his traditional leadership skills with all-hands emails.
Currently, they use tools like Facebook to announce things like base closures, emergency conditions, and modifications to policy (Marines swapped to Desert, but it's still "winter" in VA, so sleeves stayed down).
E-Leadership, I think is a misnomer. I think what you allude to is one more tool in a leader's tool belt, to better support his troops.
Edit: Base closures, not foreclosures.
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It is essential. Does it replace face to face? absolutely not. It needs to be properly leveraged. Examples, not everyone can go to a Wing Commander's Call be it duty or space issues. If that leader also broadcast that Commander's Call via DCO, they are leveraging that technology to reach a much broader audience they ever could face to face. The CMSAF does a periodic "ChiefChat" video on youtube where he answers questions from the field submitted by facebook, email, video and the audience. With it he has the ability to get "the message" out to a much larger group then he could even a with a base visit. I have seen some bases have a virtual town call using FaceBook, reaching out to those folks living/working on base using their native means of communication.
One area where I personally have taken the lead is my unit has a "secret" facebook group for unit members and their spouses (meaning you cant search for it, and have to be added by one of the admins) that we push out general information to. Things like base/school closures, reminders for Sq events, tidbits about forthcoming policy changes, recognizing promotions, awards, etc. The feedback has been amazing. Even though folks are normally getting the same information via "bulk" email or even face to face, folks really engage with that means of transmitting the information.
These all leads me to what leadership is about. It is about getting people to do what you need them to do. Good leaders will have people do it because the folks they lead WANT to do it, bad leaders will just make them do it. "e-Leadership" is just another way to do it. Another way to look at it is this. With a good Leader, the addition of "e-Leadership" has the ability to make them even better. With a bad Leader, "e-Leadership" with likely make them that much worse.
One area where I personally have taken the lead is my unit has a "secret" facebook group for unit members and their spouses (meaning you cant search for it, and have to be added by one of the admins) that we push out general information to. Things like base/school closures, reminders for Sq events, tidbits about forthcoming policy changes, recognizing promotions, awards, etc. The feedback has been amazing. Even though folks are normally getting the same information via "bulk" email or even face to face, folks really engage with that means of transmitting the information.
These all leads me to what leadership is about. It is about getting people to do what you need them to do. Good leaders will have people do it because the folks they lead WANT to do it, bad leaders will just make them do it. "e-Leadership" is just another way to do it. Another way to look at it is this. With a good Leader, the addition of "e-Leadership" has the ability to make them even better. With a bad Leader, "e-Leadership" with likely make them that much worse.
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E-leadership is difficult to do well, but IMO it is a very important skill for leaders to develop as part of their repertoire. I get it, people will say F2F is the only way to lead, yada yada. But that's just not true, especially in today's military. Leaders are required to e-lead as well, and often that can be harder to execute. It's true.
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