Aspects of Social Leadership #2 Curation

Circumstance need not be accidental: it can be planned. Within the NET model of Social Leadership, the first component is ‘Curation’. This isn’t some Victorian notion of gathering stuffed animals and displaying them for public approval, but rather the way we curate our space, choose where to make our stand, decide what we will be known for.

It’s important for a Social Leader to realise that their destiny is fully under their control: created in the moment, founded upon their reputation within their community, not bestowed upon them by the formal power of the organisation.

Reputation is forged within communities, in social spaces: our challenge is to bring that across into formal environments, to recognise the validity of this authority against hierarchical and positional types

Formal leadership is codified within the hierarchy of the organisation, whilst Social Leadership is contextual and consensual, awarded by the community based upon the strength of our relationship to it and our actions within it. It’s a type of authority that is earned, not taken, granted by permission not formal remit.

When we look to develop Social Leadership capability, we start by choosing that position: what will you be known for, in which spaces? Because Social Leaders now only inhabit many communities, both formal and social, but create those that they need, and disengage from those they add no value to. Indeed, this fluidity of role and position is a key skill of the Social Leader.

We take our stance, curate our stories, interpret the information we gather to be both relevant and timely to those in our communities, and we connect people together into sense making groups.

Curation is just one aspect of Social Leadership, but it sits at the foundation, at the heart of our positioning. It’s where the power is grown from: the space we choose to take.

This week i’m #WorkingOutLoud as i write the 2nd Edition of the Social Leadership Handbook