A lot of people who are doing social media in organizations, particularly associations, may resonate with the article on the Harvard Business Publishing blog that refers to "stranded evangelists." These are the people doing social media and experience themselves on an island in a sea of people who "don't get it." The post offers five tips, which include telling people what they don't want to hear, following your passion, and connecting with others outside your organization who are doing the same thing you are.

I like the tips, but I think they fall short. As soon as you see yourself as a "stranded evangelist" pushing against the people who don't get it, you've lost, because you've lost sight of the system within which you are operating. It's not about you versus them. And it's not about social media in general. It's about social media in your organization, for your cause, for your stakeholders. Assuming you want to make a difference to your stakeholders, you'll need the help of all those people in your system that don't "get it." It's not about people who don't get it, it's about a system that gets results. 

This means you need to pay attention to your organization's capacity for handling social media. Sure, that might involve some education of people who don't see the value, but that's just a small piece. You'll have to look at organizational structures or processes that might need changing, or even very simple ways people communicate or behave in the office might be challenged. Being able to speak more truth (one of the tips) is not just an individual exercise–it has organizational implications. 

Leadership, as I've said many times, is not an individual characteristic. It is about a system's capacity to shape its own future. You're a leader because you see a way to boost the system's capacity (embracing social media), so forget your evangelist role and get to work on making sure that capacity is built. The tips from the article will help give you some of the strength and support you need, but not as a stranded evangelist–as a strong leader.

Jamie Notter