Identifying your internal social influencers and acknowledging their ability to leverage their influence is critical to social business success. As a result, the next step in the CHANGES Methodology is N for Network.
As a leader, having ambassadors for your vision is vital.
These ambassadors advocate for the change you are envisioning and facilitate the progress and conversations necessary to achieve your business objectives. Communicating the value of adopting a new way of working helps employees understand the potential personal gain from modifying their daily routines and schedules. Coming from a place of authenticity and addressing personal pain points and concerns right out of the gate will make social business tools and processes more appealing. The thought of change and adapting to new business practices has the potential to be intimidating, so identifying individuals who are trusted among other employees is critical. Engaging these influential employees from the beginning will encourage higher adoption rates and less resistance to new or foreign concepts.
Building a network of champions that adopt a social way of working provides the opportunity for employees to see others successfully making the changes you, as a leader, have set into play.
In the N=Network clip below, consider:
- Who are the key influencers in your network?
- Have you identified your company’s influencers and explained the benefits of being an ambassador for change?
- When something happens in the organization, who do people approach to get the full story?
