Over the last 15 years of working on the Internet, for the Internet and with the Internet I have seen the maturity of its use by business people. Shifting from e-commerce and focus on website brochures to connecting widely though the various ‘social’ sites to build brand, trust and the asset of a ‘follower’.
The time I have enjoyed most with clients is when they realise that ‘Intent’ is an area of their business skills that they must focus on. The ‘why’ in their business to ensure that their own organisation becomes a community of people with the same ‘intent’ to make a difference.
I have seen too many examples of people who say their intent is to make money, pay salaries and build a business for their shareholder. Sadly this ‘intent’ shows up in the way they use the networks. Their tone and language online is not as a friend, it is as a sales person wanting to sell to you.
Intent is a driver for many micro businesses. When someone starts a business they usually start it with pure thoughts of the customer and how they can embed the customer at the center of their company. Over time, processes, tasks, day to day challenges take over and the customer becomes a person who needs to serve the companies need for income rather than the company wanting to serve the customer.
Over time business leaders lose their ‘why’ and they become driven by ‘control and command’, they become driven to pay salaries, meet the demands of the tax man, the costs of the business. This eats away at the core of a business leader and work becomes stressful.
Then on comes this new world, asking you to be a friend online, to connect openly, randomly and with an attitude of ‘help me’ not yourself. This is a bitter pill for a CEO who wants to place the social world in the ‘Digital Marketing bucket, delegate it to someone and know that once again the task in the business is dealt with.
When I started to help CEOs to find their online voice and coach their ‘marketing team’ to amplify it, I didn’t realise that I would end up working more on the Intent of the business. I have seen so many CEOs lose interest in their business and then regain that love of it when they start to connect their heart back into the business. The result is energy, love and a workforce that realises WHY it is doing what it does.
Once this is achieved their business is ‘socially ready’. Now ready to be a friend and create the asset of followers.
If this resonates with you, take time to find your intent again. I believe you will be surprised by what you discover and how the business changes around you.
Penny Power is the Founder of Digital Youth Academy and the Chair of Digital Business Britain. While she has some businesses to run Penny spends as many days of her month on this subject as it keeps her connected to the intent she has which is to connect businesses through the power of intention and technology.
You can follow Penny on Twitter on @pennypower or get in touch on pennypower43@gmail.com
Penny Power has dedicated her life for the past 13 years to the potential of the internet and digital tools for SME’s by helping them connect through and understand the ‘social web’. In 1998 Penny founded Ecademy, the UK’s first social network for business. 