I recently attended a seminar with two terrific speakers: Nora Jones, director of faith-based partnerships for Facebook, and Jason Dorsey, president of the Center for Generational Kinetics. The talks covered two distinct topics but seemed similar in at least one way. More on that in a minute. First, a few notes for your interest.
Jones spoke to one of the great ironies of our time: that the more time we spend on social media the more socially-isolated we can become. She says the antidote to that feeling of isolation is to use social media to foster a sense of belonging. She encourages business leaders to not just post but engage; to build relationships online; and to contribute to healthy digital communities.
Dorsey is a world leader on generational differences. He says that each generation brings value to the workplace. And contrary to the disparaging remarks some make about younger generations (Millennials and Z, in particular), today’s young workers don’t want to be coddled. They want to be trained and consistently reinforced. That has been our experience at TRG in our work as a firm and in support of our clients.
What struck me about both speakers was their message of mutual support and respect. One wants people to use social media in a way that affirms people. The other wants people to build bridges to other age groups.
Two great messages that struck a chord with me, and not just because our firm helps clients be relevant online and span diverse audiences. As a firm that talks often of the Golden Rule I appreciate speakers who value people and encourage us all to look past our differences.
