One Minute HR Consultant

Having been a member of the Twitter community now for nine months, I started to keep a notebook on the different styles of “tweeting,” and the many personalities behind the tweets.  Suffice it to say, that I came up with a unscientific method of matching twitter and leadership styles.  Here are a few humorous conclusions that one can derive from your twitter updates and what it says about your leadership style/personality.

Note:  This is just a humorous look on my unscientific approach; however, please take the time to realize that being an effective leader does not mean you follow any set pattern of leadership or some preconceived notion of someone’s notion of being an effective leader.  Effective leaders are found with varying personalities and traits.  They possess a keen sense of who they are and are aware of their strengths and weakness, maximizing the former and supplementing the latter.

Auto-follows on keywords/Auto Tweets:

Strength:  Someone that values automation and one time effort to gain leverage.  Once system in place and/or value discovered, it is likely that you don’t want to reinvent the wheel.  In addition, you are extremely well-organized (there is a word for that), and you are also very methodical.  You will quickly move-on from one project to the next and likely are very good at starting businesses, setting a system, and moving on to the next project/phase.  Likely considered a very efficient leader who makes decisions in an effective manner.

Weakness:  Details make your eyes glaze and sometimes you are too quick to delegate.  Because you often have more than one project/program/concept going, those working on supporting initiatives are often confused as to just what is your priority.

Tweets Less Than Once Per Week:

Strength:  One who focuses on projects and prioritizes based on competing demands.  You can handle multiple tasks; however, those that seem less important to you likely get pushed to the back-burner.  Out of 3-5 competing projects, you will likely pick 1 that is worthy of your time, delegate projects 2-3, sit-on project 4, and dump project 5.

Weakness:  Leaders, co-workers, and subordinates often think you forget about them because they don’t always have your personal attention.  You don’t necessarily announce that you are tracking through delegation, and really feel that your time is to valuable to explain everything that you are doing – or defend your worldview.

Tweets More Than Once Per Week:

Strength:  A quick mind who keeps a “Daily 1-R” log of activities that must be done – in other words: You are viewed as someone who can complete multiple projects and still get the “little things” done.  Your leadership style is one that values details and demands that the perceived minor activities do not get overlooked.  You are likely a leader who has (or prefers) a dashboard view of organization and takes a round-robin approach to ensuring that all bases are covered.  You value input from the quiet person sitting in the back of the room and want to know what she has to say.

Weakness:  You can be perceived as going to deep and if you are a senior leader, often viewed as one “in the weeds.”  When briefed on major issues, subordinates often think that you are focused on strategic-high level information, but you quickly dive into details at a technical-journeyman level.  They adjust and go into detail, and you counter by quickly pulling the stick back to the “big-picture.”

Quick to Un-follow:

Strength:  Aggressive, Alpha-type personality with a “time is money” approach to leadership, projects, and tasks.  Your leadership style invites plenty of people to the table, giving them a chance to show their worth – the bad news for them is that they only have one shot and they may not know it.  You have a knack (and gift) for discovering value quickly.  Likely seen as detached by subordinates, you prefer summarized information, and make decisions based on .5 gut and .5 fact.  Your subordinates and co-workers view you as someone who gets bored easily and you will often pursue several initiatives at once in an effort to see which ones stick (provide value) and which ones can be discarded.  You are also considered a change agent; however, the “change initiative” must be significant and provide early indication worthy of your time and effort.

Weakness:  Because you are quick to move, you often frustrate those that may have received late notice that you were interested in one of their projects/programs, and did not have time to prepare adequately to capture your interest.  You also see no value in incremental changes thus settings in which continuous improvement is the primary culture are not a fit for you – you have no patience for semi-annual updates and prefer results that can be immediately gleaned from quarterly reports.  You often are viewed as a leader that has read one too many “Harvard Business Review” articles yet does not have a defining philosophy that has time to settle and take hold within your organization, project, program, etc.

Slow to Un-follow:

Strength:  A loyal leader that likely delivers bad news slow and utilizes negative counseling/discipline as a last resort.  You are a leader that will be slow to hire and even slower to “fire” giving someone all chances to prove themselves before you “throw them to the wolves.”  You are also empathic and when all subordinates and peers tell you to pull the plug, you will “stay the course” to see when and if value is ahead (this is from a personal and project perspective).  When presenting and the audience is getting frustrated by persistent questions from “that one” who always asks questions – consistently, you will stay with the person until the question is answered, leaving everyone amazed at your patience and concern for others.

Weakness:  You often spend too much time trying to save people or projects that are draining resources (time, money, material, etc.)  You often are criticized for delivering projects in late and/or over-budget and though are very good at what you do (often considered the best), not necessarily the most efficient leader in the area of scheduling. Your saving grace is that you are able to garner large support from the “grass-root” and “deck-plate” levels, and excel on quality and program effectiveness.

Tweets Both Business/Professional Updates:

Strength:  You are likely a leader that can build relationships across the organization, maintaining a human quality, yet gaining the necessary respect and fellowship when required.  You seek to balance morale with organizational objectives and make it point to see that your subordinates/employees have fun at work.  You are also one that given a microphone (or maybe without one) and a PowerPoint presentation can make even the dullest presentations come alive with both empirical data and strong anecdotes to tell a story that would be boring presented by someone with a different personality.  Personal and professional relationships are important to you and you are a master networker.

Weakness:  Data oriented-peers, co-workers, and subordinates often feel your “personal touch” is intrusive or unnecessary.  Your style may unknowingly make subordinates uncomfortable with peers seeing your style as going into irrelevant areas, having nothing to do with the business at hand.  You are also often viewed as someone who could obtain the same results in a more compressed time-frame.  You do possess a high-sense of self-awareness and realize this perceived weakness, but you accept the trade-off much to the chagrin of your peers, co-workers, and subordinates.

Tweets Only Business Updates:

Strength:  You are a no-nonsense leader that believes in focusing on critical activities.  Someone that could hold marathon brain-storming sessions on critical business proposals and activities.  You also enjoy what you do and are the type of leader in which subordinates often say to themselves: “He lives here.”  You  associate yourself (and often your ego) with your work and have large amounts of concentration/focus.  People like you often fill the ranks of senior business leaders within an organization and you advance quickly on a given career-path.  You also know the “nuts-and-bolts” of the business and how it relates to delivery on business objectives and meeting business goals.

Weakness:  You may be seen as dull and calculating.  Meetings and projects that you chair and/or are a critical team member are often seen as “no flash” ordeals.  Though you are a great leader within an established framework, you may resist entrepreneurship/business opportunities, perceiving them as reap with unnecessary and avoidable risk with no defined “systems” in place (however, if teamed with business-personal tweeter that can be remedied – of course, they have to get to you.)

Tweets Only Personal (with a Professional Profile):

Strength:  You are a social butterfly.  The one that when approached by subordinates with situations they view as serious or emergent, quickly put them at ease.  Leadership style makes nervous subordinates feel comfortable. Though you are very social, you do know your business and your work, but it does not define you.  Also one to ensure that others participate in hobbies and recreational activities.  Strong believer in re-charging the batteries.

Weakness:  May be viewed as the popular leader and may need a strong “second” to offset open-leadership style.  You sometimes upset others within your organization because you may be distracted easily and may be perceived to lack focus.  You may get away with more than many other peers because of your ability to search out and find common bonds – your peers often view this as relationship management taking precedence over results-oriented and documented performance.

Followers Greater Than Those Following (by a significant margin):

Strength:  You are the type of leader that everyone talks about and gathers around when walking the “deck-plate” and”front-lines.”  Extremely poplar, you may have large groups of people clamoring for your time, because you are seen as invaluable or a star-performer among your peers.  Even seniors view you with admiration at what appears to be a natural ability within you to motivate others with relatively ease.

Weakness:  Though you are very poplar (and appreciate the fact that people gravitate toward you), you also consult with a small group of advisers and peers when making key decisions.  Because you possess such a strong following of peers and subordinates, you will often have others give bad news, maintaining your personal reputation and brand, even if it means damaging someone else.  Also there is a false sense that you have an open-door policy, when in fact, there is a considerable bureaucratic process that one has to go through to often get to your level.

Following Greater Than Followers (delta of 20% or more):

Strength:  You are a great entrepreneur and will not take “no” for an answer.  You are the type of person who writes down his or her goals, which appear to be dreams to observers (i.e., meet consult with world leaders or sit on prestigious boards).  You have an ability to come up with innovative concepts or work proven models to perfection.  If your concepts come into reality, you are likely to progress to the aforementioned stage.

Weakness:  Many may perceive you as annoying, or as a dreamer, or as someone to avoid.  Others may see you as a threat and protect information from you and/or see you as an outcast with no room for your concepts or ideas.  Because you are persistent, you may also be viewed as someone to avoid.