THE QUESTION
Leadership goes digital?
Through the effective use of online social media, a small group of political amateurs were able to organize and instigate street demonstrations across Egypt that now threaten to topple the Mubarak regime. How does their success change our notions of what leadership in the Internet age is all about?
Posted by Steve Pearlstein and Raju Narisetti on February 7, 2011 3:32 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Leaving the world of standard operating procedures
In a complex system, everything has side effects. History teaches us that centralized planning and control can't be made to work...
Posted by Don Vandergriff, on February 10, 2011 9:54 AM
Using social media to enhance authenticity and collaboration
Effective, sustainable leadership has always come down to a few key skills, with authenticity and collaboration high on the list. The Internet age doesn't change what those skills are, but it gives us great incentive to...
Posted by John R. Ryan, on February 9, 2011 10:22 AM
Emerging collective leadership
This movement and its principal aim to remove Egypt's President Mubarak from office serves as a paradigm for a new sort of grassroots movement...
Posted by Rice University Undergraduate Leaders, on February 9, 2011 10:16 AM
Technology's opportunity for leaders
Leaders that embrace new tools and ways of communicating can connect with, and listen to, those they lead like never before...
Posted by Susan Peters, on February 9, 2011 10:14 AM
Technology is a tool
Civil unrest and episodic protests in Egypt existed before last week...
Posted by Katherine Tyler Scott, on February 8, 2011 3:06 PM
Speaking the digital vernacular
While the "Internet Age" has brought convenience, the same issues of governance and ethics will remain unanswered until we begin thinking outside the 140-character box...
Posted by Coro Fellows, on February 8, 2011 11:07 AM
Fear and the Internet
Yes, its "democratic" form is a great boon to leaders of revolt, who can avoid the dead hand of state-controlled press and TV. But leaders of repression, beyond "finger-in-the-dyke" censorship, are likely to develop the black arts of Internet propaganda and disinformation...
Posted by Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., on February 8, 2011 10:20 AM
The blessing and curse of social media
The bad news is that online social media can be used equally effectively to manipulate masses of people and cause huge problems...
Posted by Marshall Goldsmith, on February 8, 2011 10:15 AM
Making social media stick
The challenge of these new forms of leadership becomes translating socially contagious, short-term zeal into a long-term commitment toward...
Posted by Sally Blount, on February 8, 2011 10:11 AM
The Internet has turned leadership upside down
Gladwell cited Mao's famous quip that power grows out of the barrel of a gun. But rioters in Tunisia and Egypt are prevailing without shooting a single bullet. In the 21st century, power will spring from...
Posted by Angel Cabrera, on February 7, 2011 4:01 PM
Leading while everyone's watching
Leadership never was, nor never will be, for the faint of heart. Today good leaders also need a strong stomach to cope with what they cannot control, as they seek to do what is right in a world where...
Posted by John Baldoni, on February 7, 2011 3:48 PM
The pros and cons of moving rapidly
Modern technology--fast-moving events and widespread reporting--create a perception that one must jump in quickly, but a wise leader will resist that temptation and...
Posted by Mickey Edwards, on February 7, 2011 3:42 PM
Face time still matters
As trendy (and accurate) as it is to focus on the power of social media in this digital age, when it comes to leadership, face-to-face is still the most preferred, productive and powerful...
Posted by Carol Kinsey Goman, on February 7, 2011 3:36 PM
