Over at Kicking Sand, the following appears:

“…As for what interests me as of late: de-compartmentalizing communications. Social media has become a silo when really we should be focusing on how to integrate the new modes and methods of communication that social media have made possible into the overall communication strategy.”

…back to the original stream of thought: Are you seen as a credible, business-contributing executive if you have PR in the title? If you’re in charge of said “communications strategy?” Are you brought in early for those off-site and long-term planning sessions or only after the decisions have been made and advice is needed on how to tell everyone? That’s not a seat at the table. That’s the secretary that ran out to get the coffee and bagels and is then called in to take the memo.

It’s funny to read this, since it’s often a question that some technology directors ask but for involvement in Curriculum & Instruction department meeting and ideas. For example, the Curriculum department of a K-12 school district will have a meeting, decide to hire a vendor for a few hundred thousand, if not more, whose product relies on a non-existent technology infrastructure.

Now, before you say, “Miguel, you’re talking about MY school district,” I want to remind you that this is a COMMON problem…working in silos can be difficult. Since you’re the TECHNOLOGY expert, there’s no reason to involve you except to tell you what’s going to happen and that you’re expected to support it.

Just last week, a school district tech director sent me this note via email, requesting a copy of admin procedures and electronic form….

As a result of my modifications above, trust and relationships are all the more important. Instead of continuing with the elitist attitude that communications are about what other people do, social media makes what other people do about communicating effectively. Our failure–in schools as well as social media–is choosing to ignore, discount, disregard the contributions of the cog in the organization.

The goal of executives should be, not to control or hype what is happening, but to awaken and unleash the communicative potential of those cogs. The resulting stories will swamp anything negative local news reporters might engage in. It is grassroots efforts.

…leadership is listening, knowing, and understanding what needs to get done and then unleashing the power within every facet of an organization to make that happen.
–Jan Van Dam, quoted in an ISTE Interview (09/2004).

If you can do this, your title doesn’t matter. If you can’t, then be prepared to be pushed aside.

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