When I started as a graduate, things were laid out for you.  You started at the bottom of the company and you worked your way up.

But the internet, mobile and social media has changed that.

People had a "place" in society, but thankfully this is now all behind us.  Or society is changing to reflect that the world has changed.

In the past if you wanted to complain you needed to write a letter and maybe, just maybe the company would reply.  Now you can instantly go online and complain.

President Obama was the first President of the United States to go onto Twitter and talk to the people.  No need for a press meeting, no need for journalists and no need for it to be written up in a newspaper.

In the world of commerce, you can connect the CEO of any business and get a meeting with them.  It's one of the things we teach in our social selling programs.  Of course, if you look like a spammer you won't get the meeting.

I've argued before that the "glass ceiling" and the "old boys network" have been eliminated as everybody have a level playing field through the use of social media.  Just look at LinkedIn, it reflects the amazing diversity of the world.

In this #TimTalk on my Youtube channel I talk with Priscilla McKinney about how in the world of social media the hierarchies have been removed  

https://youtu.be/PyUJQJKxfeU

As a consumer I expect the company I am buying from and to understand and support my changing circumstances.  I bring that "attitude" to work, I expect my employer to understand me and support me.  Free of bureaucracy and hierarchy.

As leaders and as individual contributors we have to change our own working practices.  As CEO, I expect my team to lead, as much as I do things that a CEO might think was below them.  Writing blogs for example.

In our Social Human Resources (HR) program we have built into it a platform that HR professionals can use to support Social Learning as well at the Employee Experience.

This will impact on the people and the process within a business, you may or may not like it, but the change has taken place.  The Genie is out of the bottle.  It's down to us as leaders to embrace it.