As the founder of Impact People Practices, Christine McLeod’s vision is to become the trusted adviser for all things related to the “HR of the Future.” Drawing upon her prior executive and operational leadership experience within the hospitality and retail spectrums, McLeod’s team is immersed in the innovative potential of the workplace via coaching, technology, social media and branding.  Most recently, McLeod organized Impact99, a social media conference for HR and e-published a book on social media in the workplace.  

What was the principle motivation for Impact99?

We had this crazy idea that if we could bring 99 senior HR leaders in one room, for one day in a really experiential way, we would take the conversation of “Canadian HR of the Future” further in eight hours than anything that’s been done to date on that topic. Ninety-nine felt like a good number: model that would be part social HR boot camp, think tank, networking and learning. If 99 decision makers could leave the one day event and impact 999 people in their networks and organizations then we would have the beginnings of a movement on our hands to re-think the role of HR in organizations today.

What is the key connection between social media technologies, culture and innovation?

We don’t wake up as humans and say “today, I want to operate at 50 per cent of my potential”- yet 71 per cent of Canadians are either apathetic or disengaged with their jobs and that is precisely what they are doing. Technology allows us to connect the spaces between the dots, or the silos.

Social Media and the internet have pretty much re-wired how we answer questions (google it), make decisions (what does my network think), share, learn and collaborate. The more time we spend on the web the more stifling corporate “culture” feels.

Projects, decisions, feedback, initiatives get clogged in the system and decision-making has to flow up several layers and then back down- which makes the real-time, collaborative nature of the web that much more unique and attractive to businesses looking to reinvent how they work.

Ninety per cent of what we email back and forth does not need to be private. If that same information was public, at least internally,  we would be better placed to add value because we would see things and could anticipate and troubleshoot- before issues even arose.

How does social media change both the toolkit and role of HR?

It is not all about the big trifecta of Twitter, Linked and Facebook (although each has their application in building strong employer brands).

In Canada alone we have some incredible social HR platforms that can help us do things like self serve employee services, share goals and objectives, give kudos or recognition to each other, gain status for contributing answers to real issues, communicate in real time, at our finger tips, store information differently and elevate our game and our HR brands.  Why do we still do such process heavy work in HR when we have these tools popping up to help do things differently?

Social Media also allows leaders to have a voice and a personal brand much bigger than “the job they perform’.

What are the primary challenges companies face in realizing the potential of social media?

1. It’s NOT about the tools:  Let’s get one thing straight- social media and the toolkit of HR is not about implementing a bunch of tools. If you first don’t have the company culture that is bent on creating a connected, engaged workforce, that believes the crowd has better answers than the one leader, that leadership exists at all levels and that people are really smart and creative if you truly give them the chance to show it- then you are wasting your time. You may implement the tools but you will fight a culture not yet ready.

2. It doesn’t translate to ROI overnight: Contrary to what people think, social media is not about collecting fans and its not about “5 minutes a day”. It’s a mindset to commit to becoming more open, transparent and creating powerful talent communities. Over time that increased “attraction” others have for your brand translates to filling jobs faster, or with higher quality talent or retaining your engaged employees longer, but it takes consistency which in turn also requires resources- human, capital and time.

3. Senior Leaders aren’t wired for social… yet:
If HR could help raise the digital IQ of senior leaders that would be incredible. If HR could think about where their customers (current and future employees) were and how their customers wanted to be communicated to and then focus on those platforms… that would be wild.

Although the fastest growing FB demographic is boomers, as a rule social media  is not part of their DNA yet, but it will come. There is an entire generation about to not only step into the workplace but re-invent it. Like the mobile phone, and email, and the internet, having a digital mindset is quickly becoming an essential skill that everyone in the organization must possess.