Scalable Intimacy

Branding in the age of social media.

Younification: Merging Personal And Professional

Posted on | October 23, 2009 | Comments

iStock_000003002901SmallWe had the Holland-Mark Digital launch party last night, which was a lot of fun (content to follow.)

At a party like that you get to talk to people you work with about stuff that has nothing to do with work. One of our clients has an 18-year old son, and is struggling with his impending departure from home. We had a great conversation about what that’s like, something I’ve been thinking about now that our oldest is 11. I met the spouses of several folks I’ve known for a while, which somehow always sheds new light on people (my Mom, Dad, and wife came to the event, I’m sure others felt the same.) With others I talked politics, song lyrics, the terrorist fiasco in my home town of Sudbury, cooking, travel, old times, women (with men,) men (with women,) and football.

The Two Yous

Most of us are more than the roles we play in work, on a team, or in a single project. Moving past the cardboard cut-out and getting to know the complete person makes work and life in general more interesting, with the added side bonus of making teams stronger and more effective.

Adding Social Media

Embracing this is the key to engaging effectively in social media. You should approach Twitter in the same state-of-mind you do a cocktail party like last night – sharing yourself authentically, getting to know each person you meet for the interest of it, building a network of relationships, and letting the mutual benefits emerge naturally.

Last night I met someone new who went out of her way to tell me so-and-so from her office said hello. “So-and-so” was a guy I met in person once, but who I felt I’d really gotten to know on facebook over the last two years. He and I have shared thoughts on digital media, but I’ve also seen him react honestly to job changes, watched his kids grow, witnessed his trials and triumphs from afar. He’d apparently done the same for me, and felt he knew me in the way I knew him. That’s powerful ju-ji, I think. If there’s magic in social media, that’s it.

This morning I got a YouTube video from another client, featuring her CEO horsing around in an on-camera skit. He’s the kind of person you instantly know is more than his title when you meet him; a warm and open wit, and a personality that fills the room. Seeing that video validates and enriches my understanding of him as a person, makes me want to see him succeed.

“Younification”

The blurring of the “professional” you and the “personal” you that happens on the web – younification – is decried in some circles, and I respect that. My wife would say my work life creeps into my home life a little too much, and, if I were wired differently, one or another of my digitally immortalized indiscretions might be embarrassing. But I’ve always thought good business is personal. And social media at its best really just boils down to that.

It gets us all a little closer to the truth. And in the long run, that can only be a good thing.

That’s how I see it, anyway. But this is a tricky one, and I welcome your thoughts.

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Category: Case Studies, Holland-Mark, Social Media 101, Social Relationship Management
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Comments

  • Great read, thank you.
    Aspiring to "truth" in business, very admirable. Too bad most organizations are missing the point. In recent months I've heard several stories from colleagues and friends that would suggest corporate America can't, um...handle the truth.
    One pal just started a new gig in NYC and on her first day was reprimanded for her Twitter comments. On her first day!
    There's a gap here between what reasonable, thoughtful, intelligent people should seek to create in life and work, and what corporations want to perceive and promote as "transparency."
    It seems in your case that you've made a choice in the way you use social media that's clearly meant to serve as exposition for your professional "positioning" and POV.
    Good on you, says I - you do it well, and with an honest voice, and frankly I agree with many of your core philosophies.
    But you still made that choice, presumably because not making it could impact your career in ways you don't want!
    So, as you paint this portrait of the true value of social media (which is aspirational in all the right ways), I hope future commentary might center around the choices you've made and how they're panning out in the real world. I'm betting there's a valuable story there.
  • I'm actually really interested in this topic and have formed a talk that begins with this exact thought, as a platform to explain broader business trends. Having been President of social network I had to confront this notion way earlier than most of my peers (and get over it/embrace it) This change has deep implications for business as a whole, not just individuals.

    But...I'm really posting to say that I thought you would need to use today to either nurse a hangover or catch up on work that got shoved aside in party prep. A long blog post was unexpected...but I admit that for me writing would be a form of hangover nursing--for its therapeutic effects, but I think I am just odd that way.
  • I like to think of it as thoughtful procrastination.

    My deal with myself is I never force a blog post, but when I have one I get it out immediately. Hence the above.

    Thanks for stopping by, Jules, hope Des had fun...
  • dugla
    Truth is overrated. I am far more impressed by and attracted to interesting-ness. The two can but needn't occur in parallel. Really good, creative, hilarious liars can be interesting. The vast majority of authentic, heartfelt, truthy, stuff sloshing across the Web is boring. Really boring. Like dirt.

    What has not changed since the departure of the MadMen is this simple fact:

    As humans our souls are fed from two streams:

    1) A good story told by a pro.
    2) Our desire to share with others.

    Truth? Not all that important.

    Cheers,
    @dugla
  • anonymous
    "CEO horsing around in an on-camera skit." CEO of what? Clearly someone with too much time on his hands.
  • Seth Hosko
    Great post, Mike. The part that resonates with me the most is about the CEO's video, and where you comment, "Seeing that video validates and enriches my understanding of him as a person, makes me want to see him succeed."

    A brand is not so much different than a person here - I believe you only get to caring about someone once you can experience their personality, and also their flaws - it gives us opportunity to care and invest in some way.
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