Make a Positive Difference
Leadership
December 17, 2009
Mike Henry
Operations and IT Consultant
Topics
chaos, Character-based Leadership, Communication, Community, conversation, Leadership, positive, Technology, tweet chatTweet Chat
Last Thursday we held the inaugural Lead Change Tweet Chat. The topic was “How can you apply character-based leadership to make a positive difference in 2010?” In one hour over 100 people joined in the “conversation” and made over 600 posts. Some of my friends have seen the transcript and called the event chaos. Maybe it’s the wild west of technology and communications. But if you’ve ever participated in a tweet-chat before, you know they can be chaotic. Like “Where’s Waldo,” many times you have to search to find the nuggets.
Three nuggets I got from the chat include:
- People want to make a positive difference. The Lead Change Group is up to 500 members on LinkedIn right now, but only 200 that I’m aware of are on Twitter. We had good participation with short notice and we picked up several new friends and members.
- We all know “poster-quotes.” At 9:33 PM EST, Tim Milburn (@Timage) noted:
Does anyone else feel like they’re walking past a motivational poster shop and reading all the captions? :)
- We want to be about something more significant than "poster-quotes." Many committed to make a positive difference starting “tomorrow” once Kit Stookey (@kstookey) prompted us for some traction. Just Ctrl-F down the page looking for the word “tomorrow.”
- Brandleadership: we can encourage a leader tomorrow.
- Timage: tomorrow I will do my best to say something encouraging in the first 30 seconds of a conversation.
- KetelboeterPR: Tomorrow, I will choose to build the vision and share the trust.
- Timage: tomorrow I can tell someone I believe in them. I can help them become more of the person they were created to be.
- Logosnoesis: Tomorrow I can encourage a leader to invite others into the leadership conversation @ their place.
Tomorrow?
So, let’s take this a bit further. If you’re one of the "Tomorrow" quotes, how did you do? Is there anything this group can do to help? We all want to be part of a community that makes a positive difference by applying character-based leadership.
Chaos To Community
Would you like to insert order into the chaos of your thoughts and plans? Cement your thoughts about making a positive difference. This community will help. Here are 4 steps you can take to begin to make a positive difference immediately.
- Download and check out the transcript. Think about what you will do to make a positive difference?
- Write it down. Post a comment here or on Twitter about what you can do to make a positive difference beginning today. Please use the #LeadChange hashtag on Twitter so we can find you.
- Get some help. Get with people who don't want to spend the next year watching TV. Maybe it's your church or some other local organization. If you don't have one locally, join this group at http://bit.ly/leadchange or just follow 200 active individuals on Twitter with 1-click by going to http://bit.ly/36uhrt. Or start your own.
- If you do take some action to cement your plan, share it with the group here, on Twitter or LinkedIn. We'd love to help.
These four steps aren't complex or the stuff of peace prizes, but they are steps. If you're already making a difference, share your ideas and help the rest of us. But if this is progress for you, start making it. We won't judge you and you don't have to enroll in the Advanced School of Sainthood. Just do something. Our world needs you to stop being a spectator.
We’ll do this again in January. Share your plans. What are you willing to commit to, or what are you already doing to make a positive difference?
Until then, thanks and have a great year!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mike Henry Sr., Michael McKinney. Michael McKinney said: Make a Positive Difference: Tweet Chat Last Thursday we held the inaugural Lead Change Tweet Chat. The topic .. http://bit.ly/6f40Un […]
Mike, thanks for your leadership in the ‘leader’ community. You have brought so many thought ‘leaders’ together this year and you have made an imprint in our world because of your efforts.
As I was not able to take part in the Twitter lead-change’ chat, the transcript link above is most helpful. My hope is that some of the excellent ideas shared in posts during that tweet session, become a reality – today.
Joanne, thank you for the comments. I appreciate the encouragement and, like you, I’m looking forward to the day when we can take a minute and look back and enjoy the difference that was made.
Hi Mike:
This was my first ever TweetChat and I wasn’t disappointed. I was grateful for the opportunity to participate and even more surprised by the level of opportunity to contribute afforded me. While my tweet about “motivational posters” was a bit tongue-in-cheek, I am always a little wary of how “cliche” I can sound when I start to talk about leadership.
For me, leadership isn’t always about knowing the right thing to do as much as it is about acting and doing the right thing to move both myself and others forward. I have been guilty more times than I’d like to admit for being able to say all the right things about leadership (and doing it in a way that is memorable and slightly profound) and yet completely dropping the ball when leadership is demanded of me.
Imagine the disappointment of having one of your own kids or your spouse confront you on a situation by saying, “Remember that article you wrote about consistency? Don’t you think that would be appropriate here?” All I can say is…OUCH!
I learned a lot from the TweetChat and have printed the transcript that you provided so I could reflect on what was said. The conversation started around the foundational principle of character. I was reminded again that any type of leadership starts with me. I did follow through on my “Tomorrow” statements and found that people responded in kind to an encouraging word that I offered at the start of our conversations.
So grateful to be a part of this group and look forward to more interactions and opportunities to learn and grow…from the inside out!
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[…] Change "Tweet Chat" from the LinkedIn group – post by Mike Henry Sr. From Mike’s Blog … I am sorry I couldn’t join the Chat, but I will try to next time. Sounds […]