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c h a p t e r7:FIVE ESSENTIAL TIPS■As an example of the former, consider a business line leader who approaches an
executive with a breakthrough idea, only to hear “Sounds great, but if sales dip you’re
fired.” The chance of implementation is zero, and there is even less chance of another
breakthrough even being looked for in the future. The latter example—screening out
change agents—happens slowly, as companies mature. The kinds of risk-taking, entrepre-
neurial minds that are were attracted to Walmart or Southwest Airlines 40-odd years ago
(when Southwest had a handful of airplanes and Walmart had less than a dozen stores)
may not see the allure of joining what are now among the largest businesses in their
respective industries, or any industry. It’s up to the HR departments and hiring managers
to ensure that organizations remain attractive to fresh minds as they these firms age.
The ability to support calculated risk and to adapt to change matters: It brings
out contributions from those who will willingly take the personal risk in the context of
the workplace—the risk to a future career path, for example—that is associated with
innovation. In organizations that predictably and measurably benefit from social busi-
ness practices, the in-place leadership often sets examples of acceptable failure—mak-
ing risk-taking within limits OK—and rewards innovation and process change when it
is grounded in business objectives. Again citing Progressive, we had what we called the
Armadillo Award. It was a huge motivator, as it recognized individuals who failed in
big (but smart) ways. Like Armadillos, sometimes despite the best planning and inten-
tions, when you step out into the fast lane...you know the rest.The Negative Conversations Are Already Happening
The fear of negative events and negative conversations is often a factor in a decision not
to embrace social-media-based practices inside or outside the organization. Not always
irrationally, no one wants to intentionally steer into bad publicity. At the same time,
and as said before, the negative conversations are already happening. It is rarely the
simple presence of a firm itself on the Social Web that causes negative conversation to
flow. To be sure, this does not mean “Just go running in...it will all be fine.”
Instead, as has been outlined—flip back to Chapter 1, “Social Media and
Customer Engagement,” and see the sidebar reference for the USAF/Altimeter response
matrix—listen first and understand what is being said. If there is some negative, exam-
ine it. If it’s factually incorrect, you may have an opportunity to correct the error. If it’s
an all-out assault on your brand, you’ll want to plan thoroughly first. But then, this is
the whole point of adopting a social media program: Build an understanding of how
your brand, product, or service is viewed on the Social Web—and based on that, create
your roadmap for future activity.
As an example, suppose that a service issue results suddenly in a fast-growing,
negative conversation. In January of 2010, India’s Café Coffee Day, a higher-end chain
coffee outlet, caught the full force of an attack when a group of bloggers meeting in a
Café Coffee Day were asked to pay a cover charge (presumably for sitting and talking in