The Gift of Social Media: More Transparent Professionals

With the rise of social media, the “Old Professional” – characterized by controlling the message and centralizing power – is rapidly becoming an endangered species, and is making way for a new, more open and transparent style of Professional.

In an HBR Blog, Allison Fine describes the shift from the old to the new.

Old Professional:

• I am closed to the world
• I can’t make mistakes in public
• I don’t reveal my personal interests to the world
• I am expected to have the answers to questions
• Power is taken and held

New Professional:

• I am open and accessible to the world, strengthening my relationships with people
• I am human, when I inevitably make mistakes, I apologize quickly and sincerely
• My interests, hobbies, passions make me interesting and attractive
• I am searching for answers with my network of colleagues and supporters
• Power is shared and grown

Social media is here to stay. New style CEOs, perhaps only 38%, know that their organizations will best thrive by living and breathing out in the real world.

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