Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform The Way You Lead

INTRODUCTION

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, people demanded answers to burning questions. Why wasn't the country more prepared? Why were citizens of the richest country in the world left abandoned for days when it was clear that a disaster had occurred? In the middle of this maelstrom was the American Red Cross, facing criticism for its emergency response. The executive team wanted to be more transparent about the work it was doing and was also worried that detractors on blogs, discussion boards, and social networking sites were hurting the reputation of one of the country's most respected organizations. So in November 2006 they hired Wendy Harman as the organization's first social media manager. "I was hired in part because the leaders ...