The end of the year is perfect timing we address the third step of achieve success in a challenging situation to stimulate positive change. When getting started in social media, you cannot dismiss and ignore an organization’s fears about social media engagement. Social media success is dependant upon a drastic change in corporate culture’s thinking and execution process. Already we have addressed two out of eight steps as defined by leading change management thinker, John Kotter – increasing the level of urgency and building the guiding team.

Now that urgency has been established and there is a team in place to lead, a relevant vision is needed to guide the way. How do you get the vision right?

1. Be creative – Quantitative data is always a necessity, but go beyond the number crunching and discover the emotional needs and desires of your community. Find out what they want to talk about and most, importantly, what they expect of your organization.
2. Capture clarity – One of the hardest things about change is communicating goals so other people see them as you do…with the same passion, intensity and drive. Draw a clear picture of the vision. Demonstrate the engagement that can be achieved.
3. Grasp low hanging fruit – Get the organization behind your team by scoring quick wins with easy opportunities discovered while making the case for change. Don’t try to tackle the big items on your agenda without first proving your team has the ability to succeed.

Stay tuned for how to turn this step into a resolution you can keep in 2010!