“I want to change the pop world one sequin at a time. Artists tend to take themselves way too seriously and don’t enjoy the fun of making an impact on culture. I just have a good time and sequins represent a good time.” – Lady Gaga (1986 – ), BBC Breakfast, 04-21-09

There is no denying Lady Gaga is pushing the pop culture evolution, just as Madonna and Michael Jackson before her. These super stars wanted to change the world and their role in it…and did so in a big way. Making the case for integrated social media efforts and an educated staff is not an easy sell to the C-suite. Of course, we wouldn’t recommend showing up to work wearing a dress of raw meat to make an impact and a case for culture change, but there are steps you can implement to make the environment more hospitable to change.

Change begins with YOU

According to Amber Naslund, “Whether it’s designing a more social business or simply improving communication between departments, change has to be a verb before it can be a noun. It has to start somewhere before it can take root and actually impact the business for the better.” If nothing else, social media has taught us we do not have control (or the illusion of) of the responses of others. However, this does not mean we lack complete control, either. We have control of our own actions. We can choose to lead by example, to get our hands dirty, to make mistakes and continue learning. We can keep our side of the street clean and make the case by fostering an environment embracing change.

Socialize the enterprise

Throughout May, we’ll be talking about how you can get your business fully socialized, from explaining what “going social” really means to providing you tips and advice for how to combat resistance to social media integration. We’ll give you ideas for where else social tools and tenets can live within your company, and start you on the path to seeing how the foundations of social media can directly impact the efficiency of your teams, the relationships you build and maintain with your clients and prospects, and your bottom line.

Take a couple of minutes to explore our resource library and rediscover our ebook about change management, breaking down what it takes to actually get change moving within an organization based on John Kotter’s eight-step change model. The eBook directly ties each step of Kotter’s model to the process of social media integration, giving you fully actionable steps to take to go social.

Take up your mantle

When getting started in social media, you cannot dismiss and ignore an organization’s fears about social media engagement. Social media success is dependent upon a drastic change in corporate culture’s thinking and execution process. This process takes time, commitment and passion. While there may be times when you become so overwhelmed or stuck in a rut, do not waiver. Keep your vision in sight. Your drive will encourage and inspire others to take up your mantle and assist you in making changes for the better.

Business is serious. Change is serious. But every once and a while a sequin is needed to embrace our own artistic expression and find our voices within our own organizations. As Brian Solis said, “Social media is the democratization of information and the equalization of influence. Monologue gave way to dialogue and we the people ensured that our voices were not only heard, but felt.” Organizations can create all the Facebook pages they desire, but until the internal community of said organization is educated, fears abated and voices found, external communication will falter.