Before the Coopr event on Thursday night (where I spoke in Amsterdam), I was talking to a local journalist about social media and its role among an executive team.

He asked me, “How important is it for the leader to be involved in using social media if they want their organization to use it?”

I said it’s extremely important and emphasized the value in leading by example.

Take, for instance, Richard Branson or Mark Cuban. They both run very successful organizations (both of them run more than one) and they both are active on the social networks. They don’t have someone tweeting for them, for instance, they do it themselves.

And, even though they are the chiefs of multi-billion dollar companies, they find the time to connect and engage with their fans, followers, and connections. (more…)