Snapchat, Ghosts & Not Being Old & Lame

I've been experimenting with snapchat lately. The tarnished image of the app is gone (yes, it is) and it has now moved to powerhouse status rivaling the other heavy hitters in the social media space.

What has been an unexpected surprise to me is how many long-time social media "experts" (ahem, I hate that word), have come out proclaiming the futility of using snap for recruiting, because they do not see a way forward.

Really?

Brands Love It
The last time I checked, which is daily, major brands around the world are pushing out high quality content on snapchat.

Are they doing this because it is a waste of time?
Are the doing this because "the experts" keen insight is fun to ignore?

Um...

Isn't there a direct link between employer brand and recruitment?

Now before you discount the millions of people using this tool every day, remember they are the workforce of today and tomorrow. 

Still reading? Good, I'm not done.

Ignore the Noise
Is there noise around snapchat? Of course there is. Is the ghost codes craze over begging for hearts annoying? Of course it is. 

Is snapchat's recent major upgrade a sign of massive innovation and change for a platform with unlimited upside?

You bet your closed-mind it is.

For those of you that have decided that snapchat has no future in the talent acquisition space, I caution you to hold your opinion at the risk of sounding like a fool.

"Those proclaiming so early that there is no future using snapchat risk sounding like the grumpy old neighbor yelling at the kids to "get off my lawn."

Don't be that person.

How About You
I wonder if the bright minds in the social media space that adopted facebook, twitter, Pinterest, swarm, and so many others have lost their edge? Has the fire gone out, and it's simply too embarrassing to admit that you haven't figured out snapchat yet? 

Or, do you need an in-your-face blog post to get you all fired up again so you can get back in the game...and lead the way once more?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Your Community - Your Future

The incredible power of communities in today’s world of work is literally transformational. Particularly for the untapped world of healthcare human resources or other risk-averse industry professionals. 

I’ll give you a real life example…me.

I spent twenty years in hospital human resources leadership, including the last fourteen in executive roles. As I watched the world of effective leadership change rapidly, I realized I either had to step up or stop claiming I was a leader.

"Harsh? Not really. I take the title of leader very seriously, and I believe leaders have to actually do the work, not just sit around fancy conference rooms tossing around leadership quote meme ideas."

Leadership is not only talk…leadership is action. I took ownership of what I knew had to change and completely reinvented myself and how I practiced HR. I made the conscious decision to grow my communities, and ended up positioning myself (unknowingly at the time) for the job I have now.

Oh, and by the way...making these changes revolutionized the talent function at my last hospital far beyond my wildest expectations.

Getting Started

1.  The first step is learning…branching out to try new tools…and it is surprisingly simple:

"Get over yourself."

Forget about your ego, your loaded LinkedIn profile, and your inflated sense of self. I'm serious...you're not that special (neither am I.)

2.  The second rule is to select one tool to help grow your community. For example if you choose twitter start by setting up your account, be sure to use the same picture from your LinkedIn profile, and be patient.

No one will expect you to be a power user on day one! Search the tool to find other leaders in the #HealthcareHR space (it will be a quick search!) or other industry. Look for other leaders, organizations, and thought leaders you trust and connect with them.

Engage

3.  The third step is to start using the tool. One of the best ways to do that on twitter, or snapchat (which is now #2 behind facebook, yes!); or any tool for that matter, is to participate. Retweet and share content. Let others know you like their work. Compliments are completely risk-free!

Remember, you talk to people all day…every day…so you can certainly handle hitting the Retweet button!

How About You

4.  The last step is to reach out directly to others, particularly those outside your specific industry space. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, explain that you are learning and want to participate. While this may sound like a long slow road, what you will quickly discover is that your online communities will grow so quickly you won’t believe it.

...and that impacts your leader brand.
...which impacts your employer brand.

I’m living proof.

Please do not feel like you need to do this alone. 

I want to help! Connect with me and let's get you started:

twitter:            @jrkuhns
snapchat:        jrkuhns
Instagram:     jrkuhns
Swarm:           Jay Kuhns
Pinterest:       jrkuhns
anchor:          Jay Kuhns

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.  

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No Community - No Future

I’ve been pushing myself to learn lately. The new tools that are redefining how executives transform their brands, their teams, and their organizations are exploding all around us. I know that if I do not stay current I will fail. We no longer have the cop-out options of having too many projects, too many meetings, or not enough time to keep up.

When have effective leaders ever had “enough time?” For God’s sake, stop saying that.

Your Community

For most healthcare human resources leaders that I meet their definition of community is the team they work with at their current employer, plus the people they’ve worked with in the past. If you throw in a few people they’ve met at conferences over the years and add that all up you get…their teeny, tiny community.

That approach worked well while Gerald Ford was President, but means absolutely nothing in today’s world.

Let me ask a couple of questions:

- Do you need high quality talent on your team?

- Does your organization need high quality talent?

- Does your employer brand dominate your market both regionally and nationally?

- Are you completely satisfied with the morale in your organization?

- Do you have the ability to reach out to people you’ve never met in person…and get the support you need?

Leaders Take Action

Never before has it been so easy to start connecting. Never before has it been so easy to learn from people far beyond the comfort zone of our “industry.” Are we still so narrowly focused on how “special” our industries are that we are afraid to learn from another sector of the economy?

And God forbid we learn from someone younger than we are! 

How About You

The role your communities play in your professional life have never been more critical to your success. In my next post I'll focus on how to build, engage, and grow your communities across some of the tools I’m using personally and professionally.

Are you willing to lead differently; or, are you simply too busy preparing your next PowerPoint loaded with excuses as to why the talent shortages are not your fault?

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Trend Killer

I don’t know about you, but it feels like the pace of change is at an all time high. Combined with a hyper-competitive struggle to find and keep the best talent, it is clear that staying current as leaders is no longer a ‘nice to do.”

It truly is a “must do."

New social media tools are exploding onto the scene everyday, and they all can be used to connect with employees and candidates alike.

Let me say that again. They ALL can be used to connect with employees and candidates alike.

Just A Trend?

Have you fully embraced social media yet? If not, are you comfortable filling the role of “empty suit” in your organization?

I hate to break it to you, but simply because you’ve been so scared to look bad in front of your team because you don’t how to use these business tools (yes, business), doesn’t mean you are some sort of strong leader. What you’ve actually done is position yourself as the odd man (or woman) out.

Put simply, all of your employees and the talent you want to hire are using multiple social accounts. However, since you are now invisible you no longer matter. Oh, and saying you have a LinkedIn account with (hopefully) a picture, and a couple of job titles and dates of employment doesn’t count.

You’re invisible.

Much More Than A Trend

The solution to the seemingly bottomless pit that you continue to dig for yourself has two simple steps.

1  Stop taking pride in the fact that you don’t use contemporary tools for business. Just be quiet. You’ve all ready proven how clueless you are with respect to how all of society now interacts, and you aren’t going to kill this trend. Just. Be. Quiet.

2  Eat a gargantuan slice of humble pie and reach out to someone you trust to help you get started. (Insider tip: social media tools are so ridiculously easy to use even you will be a pro in a few hours.)

How About You

Am I fired up about this topic? Yes! But it’s really not social media that I’m focused on today. If that’s all you’re taking away from this post then either you’ve completely missed the point; or, I’ve done a poor job of explaining myself.

You and I must be contemporary leaders. We don’t have a choice. We need to push ourselves into areas where we are uncomfortable. It's time for us to be better every day. Claiming that we’re “old school” and “don’t have time for that stuff” makes us sound stupid. 

Don’t be stupid. Suck it up and lead the way instead.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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