What does it mean to be a leader? Have you ever thought about that question in depth? For me, I have never considered myself a true leader, but I guess that is in the eye of the beholder. I do think back on my life and think of a certain time when I showed leadership or I was in a group that did. I don't think anyone sets out to be a leader. I truly believe that people who are leaders are people who just want to do good, make a difference or just make their business successful. It has nothing to do with being able to say, "Yes! I am a leader." In my experience it's the people that don't realize they are leaders that turn out to make the biggest difference. For example, I think parents are leaders. Why you ask? Parents are leading their children; shaping them into the adults that they will become. My parents made me the person I am today. They had a vision to bring me up a certain way and that is what they did.
I can talk about being a leader from a personal side as well. My father is self-employed in two different businesses. First, he owns a hunting lodge that I will say is a family run operation. My dad doesn't do it all by himself, but he is the one that built it. He started his business in the early 1980's. My dad is an entrepenuer; plain and simple. He does not have a college degree, but he had an idea, a vision if you will, and it worked. Yes, he can be considered a manager, but he is a leader because the people that work for him look up to him. His attitude of always putting his customers first has always been the most important thing. His attitude is what makes him a leader and the business successful. Also, he is what many people call a crop consultant in the summer months. He works for different farmers throughout Central Alabama and he is, basically, there go to guy for information about their crops. He informs them of what type of chemical and how much of it they need to put on their crops to keep the weeds away while continuously being on the lookout for other things that could possibly go wrong in the growing months. My dad's farmers depend on him to make their crop season successful. I know that my dad never set out to be a leader, but he is one in both areas of employment.
Having a vision or an idea gives anyone the ability to become a leader. Take for example Benjamin Zander telling his audience that he was going to get them to love classical music. He had this vision that he would do that and he had a plan on how he was going to get it done. He knew the steps to take, he reeled them and hooked them. By the end of the 20 minute demonstration he had the entire audience in the palm of his hand. It was absolutely brilliant watching him take the audience along for this wonderful ride. I will say, he had me in the palm of his hand as well. Does he have you in the palm of his hand??
I truly believe that true leaders never set out to become one. Martin Luther King set out to try and make a difference because he believed in his cause, not because he wanted recognition. He was made a leader because of what he was doing and the impact it had on people. All people start out doing something because they believe in it. Do they know if what they are doing will catch on? No, but that doesn't stop them from trying. All leaders seem to be unafraid of failing, which in most cases is what it takes to get things done. Thomas Edison had a vision of creating an incandescent lamp, otherwise known as the electric light bulb. He had three thousand different theories in hopes that one would create his light bulb. (http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/lightbulb.htm) Does anyone focus on how many failures he had trying to create an electric lightbulb? No. We only focus on one, the one theory that produced what we now know as the light bulb. He was a visionary, a leader. We all know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. He just wanted to make a difference, which is what most leaders want to do, and made a difference he did.
How well do you communicate with the people you work with? I don't know if you think about it often and quite honestly until we started reading about internal communication in my graduate school class I had never really paid much attention to it. Yes, it is an important topic because communicating with the people that you work with is one of the most important things that you face throughout the day. If you and your coworkers are not on the same page chaos could ensue. Have you ever been in a job where not everyone was on the same page. I can most definitely say that I have been in that position. Thankfully, the place that I currently work is full of understanding people who are fantastic to work with. In one of my past jobs that was most definitely not the case. I worked under someone that no one in the office respected. It was not a good environment because when the employees do not respect the person in authority there will always be a difference of opinion. That is the situation that I walked into everyday.
Internal communication between coworkers is important yes, but it is not only internal communication that matters. External communication is extremely important, if not more, because without as great of communication you may have inside of the office if you there is not good communication with the office and the outside world then it does no good. Most organizations and companies are in business for the public. Credit card companies, grocery stores and car dealerships are all in business because the public keeps them afloat. Since their success depends on the public the external communication is extremely important. If these companies do not have good communication with the people that keep them in business then the company will no longer be in business. It's as simple as that. I'm sure you all can think of a business that has completely fall apart, or at least taken a major blow, because their external communication left a lot to be desired. I will use Exxon as an example. Back in the 1980's there was a terrible oil spill that they were connected to. Instead of taking responsiblity for it they lied to the media and even pretended the effects were not as bad as everyone said that they were. The simple fact is this: the company lied to the public and the media which was terrible external communication.
What communication all boils down to, in my opinion, is leadership. Leadership does not necessarily have to be someone in a "boss type" role, but it's someone who has the ability to make a difference or make change, even if they don't realize it. A video that I recently watched that spoke of leadership mentions someone who helped to keep someone from dropping out of school even though he had no idea that he had made such an impact on this person's life. This young man helped to keep this young man from dropping out of school simply by using communication. Think of all the people who have made a difference in someone's life without even realizing it. That is what leadership is. Communication and leadership go hand in hand because without good communication, good leadership does not exist. Good internal communication in the office requires a leader, but that is not necessarily one person. Every single person in the office can be a leader because a balance is required between all employees for everything to stay in order. Every person, whether it be in an office, a community organization, or the media, has some type of leadership role that they can fulfill. Every person has the ability to be a leader; they just need to embrace it.
YouTube is essentially part of everyones everyday life. I cannot think of one day when I do not go on the website to watch a video that someone has suggested to me or just to pass the time. It is amazing how, with one click of a button, a video can go viral. It doesn't take but one person to send it to someone else who then sends it someone else and before you know it the video has been viewed by millions of people. In a segment titled Why Videos Go Viral Kevin Allocca talks about different ways videos spread like wildfire through the community. He begins with talking about tastemakers. Basically, this just means the people that send this video on the trend to becoming viral. For instance, he mentions Jimmy Kimmel tweeting the link to a video, which was then viewed 23 million times. This video was nothing more than a guy looking at a rainbow. It is amazing how the simplest of things can turn into a phenomenon. Speaking of phenomenons I am sure that most of you will recognize this image below....
Screaming Goat
How many of you have watched some video that relates to a screaming goat? It seems that those videos are everywhere, most notably compilations and music videos. I was just at a Brad Paisley concert on Friday night and guess who made it an appearance. You guessed it...the screaming goat.
This day in age, it seems that a lot of the artists on the radio are discovered by some means of a viral video or people become popular because they posted something on YouTube. Justin Bieber and Colbie Caillat are good examples. Justin Bieber was discovered after Usher discovered a video he posted on YouTube. After that, he was off. Colbie Caillat posted videos of herself singing on Myspace (does anyone even still have that?) which then led to her getting a record deal. It is amazing how videos take off and make people famous. It doesn't even have to be through music though. People can post one video that just hits people in the right spot and then there it goes. There are people that give makeup tips by uploading weekly makeup lesson videos to YouTube. Those videos have made them famous among a certain group of people.
It is not hard to become famous these days. As Mr. Allocca said, "It only takes one video." That's true it does. If the video hits the right person, then it will take off like a rocket and there is no going back. However, there can be a downside to this. All of the funny videos that go viral are great and fun to watch, but what about the videos or photos that go viral that are disturbing and/or harmful to a person's reputation. For instance, the Taco Bell employee who was recently seen licking an entire stack of tacos while on the job. That is not reassuring for anyone who sees it and that photo was posted everywhere. Reese Witherspoon is another example. Her drunken "rampage" was caught on camera and then released to the public. That video went viral and there was nothing she could do to stop it. In this day in age people need to be wary of the things that they say or do because anything can be releasd to the public. Almost everyone I know has a smartphone, so they have the ability to film anything they want at any time. It is a scary thought, but it is the day we live in. A person can rise to fame or crash and burn in minutes and it can all be because of one video.
In my world of YouTube, I like to focus on the videos that make me smile, laugh and put me in a good mood. For me, that's what most viral videos are right now. I mentioned earlier the screaming goat. They are completely ridiculous, but as hard as you try you really just can't help but laugh. (This video has been viewed over 18 million times.)
I will post one more video just because it makes me smile, which as I said earlier is why YouTube videos so great. This video was only posted 3 months ago and it already has over 6 million views. It is a video made by the company Three out of the UK and they were able to make a video that not only got a group of "tastemakers" to spread it, but there were able to include the viewers in on the fun. With this video they created a website so the viewers can make their own version of the video. By doing this they garnered the attention of people and kept it because not only did they interact with the public, but they made it fun as well. It was a great way to market the company. Obviously it worked because I'm in Alabama talking about a video that was made by a company in the UK for promotional use. These different examples of viral videos and photos are just a few of the videos that have sent individuals to stardom. This day in age it doesn't take much, but content means everything. Without the proper content that is going to get the attention of people you have nothing. So...please enjoy the commercial that will most likely bring a smile to your face. I give you "The Dancing Pony."
How many friends is to many? That is a question that I have often pondered myself. I have never actually thought I have to many of what I call "true friends." We all go through our lives making friends wherever we go. We start as little children going to pre-school where we make our first batch of friends. I am not going to say these relationships stand the test of time, especially if after the 4-year old graduation ceremony you never see each other again. I still here from my mom, "Hey. Y'all went to Leika's together." My response is normally, "Oh...that's cool." (Leika's was the name of my pre-school." Now, the relationships that began to form when I began kindergarten, at five years old, is a completely different story. I'm not sure many people can say that they still have friendships from when they were in kindergarten, but I most definitely can. Honestly, I think that has a lot to do with where I was brought up and the school I attended. Let me give you a brief overview. I started kindergarten in 1993 at a small private school which consisted of approximately 350 students including myself. My kindergarten class had 36. Be aware this was a massive class for the school at this time. We were all cramped into this small little building, that wasn't even attached to the school, for eight hours a day. When I say cramped, I mean squished. In order for us to take our "daily nap" the chairs had to be picked up off the floor and put on the tables so we could lay down our mats and sleep. Now, to some this may have been inconvenient, but at 5 years old you don't know that. In our case the inconvenience didn't matter; we were making friendships that would stand the test of time. Most of us that started kindergarten together graduted high school together. When I graduated high school in 2006 it was shared with these people that I had grown up with. Out of the 26 people in my graduating class (yes...I said 26) I had gone to school with all of them for most of my life. Was graduating a bittersweet moment? Absolutely. For 13 years we had been through everything together. We would finish one school year and know exactly who we would see when we returned the following August. There was hardly ever any change and it was a comforting feeling, for me at least, to know exactly who I would be sitting next to on the first day of school. When I graduated high school that comfort feeling disappeared for me entirely.
When I left for college I was the only one attending Troy University from my high school. I knew maybe one person when I arrived at my home away from home. The word terrified doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. I moved away from home for the first time and went to a town where I knew no one. I was starting over and I had to make all new friends. For someone who had the same friends for 13 years that was a terrifying thought. Honestly, it was the best thing I ever did. I joined a sorority and was met with some of the greatest girls that made my four years at Troy some of the best years of my life. I have never once regretted going to Troy, to a school where I knew no one, because I was forced out of my comfort zone to meet people. If I hadn't done that I would not have the friends I have today. I have several that I still keep in constant contact with; My Girls.
It seems that everywhere you go you make a new group of friends. I moved to Nashville in 2010 for my internship and made some of the best friends. Our "little group" from those 5 months has stayed in close contact and it has been over three years. We all bonded because of where we were and I can now say that I have friends all over the country and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to know all of them. One friend that I made during those five months is one of those that you feel that you have known your entire life. We live on different sides of the country, but somehow we manage to see each other about twice a year.
I read an article for one of my graduate school classes that gives the idea that people who have more friends make more money. If you went by Facebook friend list and that study you would think I was rolling in the dough. Honestly, many of the people on my Facebook friends list are not people that I talk to regularly. Sure, I have many people that I love to keep in touch with because we grew up together or we had some great times in college. Do I call them close? Could I call one of them to discuss my problems with? Would they be there for me if I were in trouble? Not all of them, no. I have about 5 or 6 friends that I could call and they would drop everything for me. I know that. They know the same thing about me. I don't think friendship is a statistical matter, nor do I think true friendship is judged on how many friends you have. That is not the point to the word. Frienship is between two people and it is a relationship. It has to be nurtured and communication is required, just as with a significant other. My life is made up of friendships; old friendships and new friendships. The point is that no one person, no study, can tell you what the ideal number of friendships are. We all have the ability to have many friends, some close and some not. I have been blessed to continue friendships that started when I was five years old and make new ones. That is a blessing in itself.
A new term has begun which means my weekly blog will return. I am not going to lie, it was nice to have a two week break from school, but now we are in the home stretch. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, which in this case is a Master's degree with my name on it. Just in case this is your first time visiting my page I will go back over a few basics. My name is Margaret, but everyone knows me as Maggie. I graduated from Troy University in 2010 with my BA in Broadcast Journalism. While at Troy I held an internship at CMT in Nashville, which is probably the highlight of my life at this point. What an amazing experience that was! Currently, I live in Montgomery and work for the city in the Parks and Recreation Department as the Social Media Coordinator. In lamens terms that means that I connect with people through Facebook and Twitter and manage the department's website. Also, I am in graduate school and in the process of obtaining my Masters in Strategic Communication.
This blog will include topics relevant to strategic communications and emerging media. The topics will vary from week to week so make sure you come back and check out my thoughts! I will be posting to this blog once a week and would have to your input on what I have written. In order to check out my blog please visit maggiesoutlook.blogspot.com. Yes, I am writing this blog for one of my graduate classes, but it is also to enlighten you all on my thoughts about todays media. Let's face it things have changed in the media world in the past 15 years and will continue to change. Also, if you haven't noticed blogging is a major way to retrieve ones news and is a great way to just get your thoughts out. That is basically what this blog will encompass.
As I just mentioned it is not hard to see how fast the media world is changing. It seems that everytime we turn around there is some new media outlet to retrieve our news or express our thoughts. Everything that is happening is innovating our world as we know it. Facebook has become the norm. It has innovated the way we communicate with our neighbors, friends and colleagues. It isn't just a website anymore; we now use it as a verb. Have you ever caught yourself saying, "Just Facebook me?" If you say you haven't then you're lying. I know I have. It is amazing how fast things change. Products innovate and change our world when they begin to catch on and become popular. Facebook is an example, but Twitter is one as well. That became popular because celebrities started using it and then everyone did. Honestly, it is insane how fast these social media sites became addictions for the people today. Personally, I'm addicted to Twitter. I don't really know why, but I am. I am using social media as examples of innovation, but there are plenty and not just from in today's time. Refrigerators, microwaves and televisions weren't always used, but they were marketed in a way that got people hooked, just as Facebook and Twitter were. People began purchasing these new items and realized they were quite useful and fun (television) and the world was changed forever. In our readings the innovation of newspaper was brought up. Honestly, I do not think there is anywhere to apply the diffusion of innovation to the newspaper industry. It has been through its ups and downs, but the digital age is just taking over and I do not think there is anywhere for newspapers to catch up. Televisions, microwaves and refrigerators use innovation because they continue to change with the times. Technology improves with each passing year, which means these appliances do as well. The problem is the newspaper industry has fallen behind in the technology time and I am afraid it may be too late. There is a quote that a music artist once said that I think applies to this situation as well. (Okay...it was Stevie Nicks.) Anyway, Stevie once said, "Comebacks are never good." That is very true in the music industry because she went on to talk about the fact that you must always stay busy and keep your name out there because if you don't it's not good. Time passes and things change. The newspaper industry is trying to make a comback, but it maybe to little to late for them to be asked for the encore that they desire.
