{"id":4898,"date":"2018-10-09T13:40:21","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T13:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=4898"},"modified":"2020-10-21T10:55:31","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T10:55:31","slug":"social-media-the-maverick-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/social-media-the-maverick-ceo","title":{"rendered":"Social media & the maverick CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

There have been several examples this year of people who were fired for something they\u2019ve posted to social media. But what happens when it is the CEO posting inappropriate comments on social media?<\/span>
\nWe\u2019ve seen a report that the hotel chain <\/span>Marriott<\/span><\/a> fired an employee for favouriting a tweet about Tibet on its official account. We\u2019ve witnessed a writer working on the video game, <\/span>Guild Wars 2<\/span><\/a>, fired for accusing a fan of mansplaining on Twitter. We\u2019ve also seen a woman losing her <\/span>NASA<\/span><\/a> internship after sending sweary tweets to a man who turned out to be on the National Space Council.<\/span>
\nWhen those involved are higher profile, it gets complicated. TV company, ABC, cancelled <\/span>Roseanne<\/span><\/a> after it\u2019s namesake posted racist tweets, and Disney (which is also ABC\u2019s parent company), fired Guardians of the Galaxy director <\/span>James Gunn<\/span><\/a> after people re-posted offensive tweets the director had published before he worked on the franchise (many were from 2008-9). <\/span>
\nWhich brings us to the founder of PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk. Musk has had a busy 2018 on social media. Back in July, he accused a British cave diver, involved in the rescue of 13 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, of being a <\/span>paedophile<\/span><\/a>. The tweet caused a <\/span>4% drop<\/span><\/a> in Tesla’s share price. <\/span>
\nIn August he tweeted he\u2019d secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share… only, he hadn\u2019t. It turned out the tweet was a weed reference made to make his girlfriend giggle. The SEC accused him of misleading investors, <\/span>fining him<\/span><\/a> $20m <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> fining Tesla $20m. He also had to step down as chairman. \u00a0To appease the SEC, Tesla had to appoint two new independent directors to the board and agree to monitor Musk\u2019s external communications \u201c<\/span>more closely<\/span><\/a>\u201d. In October he mocked the SEC on Twitter.<\/span>
\nAs reported on <\/span>Wired<\/span><\/a>, Elon Musk\u2019s tweets have the power to move markets.<\/span>
\n\"Tesla
\nBut Musk isn\u2019t an employee or contractor who can just be fired without notice. He\u2019s the founder of the company, and integral to its performance. People love him or hate him. While an incident like <\/span>smoking cannabis<\/span><\/a> on Joe Rogan\u2019s podcast is seen as outrageous by some, others find it all part of his charm.<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

How can brands protect themselves from their founders and CEOs?<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Build the brand\u2019s independent profile<\/b><\/h3>\n

If the CEO is the public face of a business, the founding CEO is virtually encoded in its DNA. Their stories are intertwined, and always will be. Everything the CEO does is a reflection on the brand itself, and it can often look like the brand has no identity independent from its progenitor.<\/span>
\nStartups frequently build their profiles on the backs of their founders, but there comes a time when the brand has to develop an independent identity. When the company can function without the constant input of the CEO and can continue to thrive without them. <\/span><\/b>
\n <\/p>\n

2. Understand that social media\u2019s power works both ways<\/b><\/h3>\n

CEOs from various sectors use social media to help boost their profiles and showcase their brand\u2019s innovations. It helps them create a persona and build-up a following of passionate brand advocates, but it also makes them vulnerable. Most CEOs have a healthy ego, and that helps when you\u2019re trying to make a name for yourself in a competitive field, but it can also attract criticism.<\/span>
\nAs we see with Musk, CEOs with powerful personalities sometimes find it hard not to bite when they come under attack. There are two problems with this. Firstly, it doesn\u2019t look good when your multimillionaire, highly-influential CEO attacks random members of the public on social media. Secondly, it has the power to create a crisis.<\/span>
\nWhen Elon Musk tweeted about sending a <\/span>mini-sub to rescue<\/span><\/a> the Thai soccer team from that cave system back in July, various people suggested that it was for the publicity. In the end, the sub didn\u2019t get used. But instead of still talking about the possibilities of the mini-sub created by a team of experts from Musk\u2019s businesses, people are focusing on Musk\u2019s tweet about the diver, after he said the submarine was a PR stunt.<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

3.<\/strong>\u00a0Agree on communication guidelines<\/b><\/h3>\n

CEOs have the power to shape a brand\u2019s reputation in many positive and negative ways, and social media gives them a way to do this instantly and with little oversight. It\u2019s essential to agree on a set of communication guidelines that everyone in the company follows; if not brands can have situations where the CEO makes statements that haven\u2019t been agreed or announces decisions that employees haven\u2019t been informed about. <\/span>
\nAs we\u2019ve seen, the CEO\u2019s statements have the power to move markets and damage the brand\u2019s reputation. I\u2019m not suggesting that the CEO has to get pre-approval for all of their tweets, but company sensitive information should be cleared with internal stakeholders, not tweeted out at their whim.<\/span>
\nEnsure there are separate social media accounts for the corporate updates, as well as the one that the CEO gets to use themselves. By separating the two, it shows that the main corporate account has the marketing messages, whereas the CEO\u2019s account can be used for more personal, behind the scenes thoughts. For example, John Legere is the self-proclaimed \u201c<\/span>magenta-wearing, customer-loving<\/span><\/a>\u201d CEO of T-Mobile. He regularly gets involved in customer conversations on Twitter, as well as posting personal stories and videos – even live posting his favourite recipes. He rarely appears to tow a corporate line but shows buckets of personality, in keeping with the brand.<\/span>
\n\"John<\/p>\n

\n

pic.twitter.com\/xY0U7xCakH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John Legere (@JohnLegere) October 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n