Chief Influencer®

Emma Wade-Smith is His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America and Consul General in New York representing the United Kingdom. Emma shares how to leverage social media platforms to transform your personal and professional brand while remaining authentic, increasing engagement, and spreading positive messaging.

Takeaways:

• Take a hands-on approach to your social media presence and activity. Avoid simply handing over the keys to someone else. By logging in, liking, and engaging personally, you can maintain authenticity and connect with your audience. 
• Find the right balance between personal and professional in your social media content. Some things are better shared from a personal account than a company account. For example, leveraging personal interests like football while delivering the message.
• Understand the strengths and characteristics of each social media platform. LinkedIn works well for longer-lasting, substantive content, while Twitter is more news-oriented and in-the-moment. Tailor your messages and formats accordingly. 
• Major industry events can be leveraged as prime opportunities to connect with targeted people and convey important messages. These events provide a platform to engage with senior officials and decision-makers who may otherwise be difficult to reach.
• Great social media content is a team sport. Work closely with your content producers, marketing, and communications teams to brainstorm ideas, leverage their expertise, and create engaging content together.
• Focus on highlighting positive stories, successful investments, and the impact of your work. Use social media to showcase the extraordinary things people and companies are doing, even during challenging times. 
• Stay true to your personality and let your enthusiasm and energy shine through your social media presence. Connect with your audience by sharing your passion for the work you do, engaging them with your genuine interest and enjoyment.

Quote of the Show:

• “It was really important to me, right from the very start, that people got a sense of who I am and the passion and the energy that I personally bring to the role” - Emma Wade-Smith

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewadesmith 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmawadesmith/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emma.wadesmith/
• UK Department for Business and Trade Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-and-trade 

Nedra Dickson is the Managing Director and Global Supplier Inclusion & Sustainability Lead at Accenture. Nedra is also the Chair of the Board of Directors for WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council). Nedra shares what supplier diversity really means for a Fortune 500 company, how to use your shoes to kickstart connections, and why LinkedIn can be a great channel for communicating with coworkers.

Takeaways:

• Supplier diversity requires companies to look at who they are purchasing goods and services from and ensure that those providers include diverse-owned businesses that are at least 51% owned by members of an under-represented or under-served community.
• By emphasizing supplier diversity, large corporations engage with small businesses they would not have otherwise. Big companies need to find opportunities to integrate businesses from underrepresented groups into their supply chains.
• Increasing supplier diversity makes an outsized impact on the economy, especially within traditionally marginalized communities. While it might seem small in comparison to a project’s overall budget, every $1,000,000 with a small, diverse supplier creates around ten jobs.
• By expressing her genuine personality through her love of shoes, Nedra created an easy jumping-off point for connecting with other people authentically. Others want to connect with people that embrace who they are.
• Social media can be used to share the right information with the right people, both inside and outside of your company. For example, Nedra used social media to highlight success stories from her work to showcase the positive outcomes of supplier diversity.
• Include as many voices as possible in the discussions you have about your field on social media by tagging the right people. For example, Nedra tags fellow members of professional organizations when relevant to get spark a richer conversation.
• Adapt your message and formatting to include the right “language” for each platform because different platforms serve your message differently. For example, you need to utilize the right hashtags for each platform to reach your target audience.

Quote of the Show:

• “If there's not a seat for you at the table, grab a chair” - Nedra Dickson

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedra-dickson-051b361/ 
• Accenture website: https://www.accenture.com/us-en 
• WBENC website: https://www.wbenc.org/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer 

Peggy Rajski is an Oscar-winning filmmaker and the Founder of The Trevor Project, the first 24/7 suicide prevention service dedicated to LGBTQ young people. Peggy is a venerated supporter of the LGBTQ community and was recognized as a Live-Action Icon by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. In addition to producing award-winning films, she has taught at New York University and served as the Dean of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. Peggy shares how to connect with audiences through film, align an organization firmly with its mission, and innovate to adapt to the ever-changing digital world. 

Takeaways:

• After directing the film Trevor, Peggy saw the massive need amongst gay or questioning youth for some kind of support system. This need was the inspiration behind forming the Trevor Project and its mission, “to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, & questioning young people.”
• The motivation for Peggy’s film was seeing that gay or questioning youths were four times as likely to make an attempt on their lives than their straight peers. Peggy knew that the medium of film could be uniquely used to educate people on this issue.
• The most important group Peggy had to reach was the young people in dire need of The Trevor Project. Crucial to this were the relationships Peggy built with voices in the media interested in this larger story. 
• It’s vital to share your message through the communication channels already used by your audience. The night that Trevor was presented by Ellen DeGeneres and aired on HBO Family, the Trevor Project call center received over 1,500 calls.
• Honesty is integral to building a cohesive brand that can speak uniquely to different stakeholders, such as donors, staff, and those being served. This requires being clear on what the brand stands for and its mission.
• Evolving how you meet your audience where they are can be critical. The Trevor Project is transitioning its services from primarily voice-based to chat-based. This mirrors the growing shift amongst younger generations toward text messaging. The Trevor Project must adapt to the times to continue serving LGBTQ youth.
• Peggy considers the expertise built up within The Trevor Project to be “open source” as the organization sits on many boards and commissions to help protect the mental health needs of historically underserved groups.
• Leaders need to be storytellers every day of their lives, throughout meetings, introductions, etc. To be a great storyteller, you must be clear, concise, and compelling. Your stories should convey what you’re doing, what you want to make, and who you are.

Quote of the Show:

• “Film can make you feel things. When it's working, it bypasses the brain and it goes to your heart.” - Peggy Rajski

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeggyRajski 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyrajski/ 
• The Trevor Project Website: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ 

Shout Outs:

• Dr. Jay Nagdimon - Mental Health Expert
• Ellen DeGeneres - Comedian and TV Personality
• Elton John - Musician
• Sting - Musician
• Daniel Radcliffe - Actor
• Dylan Mulvaney - Influencer and Activist
• Kara Swisher - Host of On With Kara Swisher
• Scott Galloway - Author and Host of the Prof G Pod
• Hard Fork - Podcast
• Longform - Podcast
• This American Life - Podcast
• Serial - Podcast
• Soul + Spirit - Podcast
• Ten Percent Happier - Podcast
• Tara Brach - Meditation teacher and Podcast Host

This Chief Influencer is an elected official and a former prosecutor. Rob Sand is the State Auditor of Iowa and the author of The Winning Ticket. Rob is the only elected Democrat in state or federal office in Iowa. He shares his insights on communicating effectively in the twenty-first century, being accessible to his constituents, and amplifying great ideas from both sides of the aisle. 

Takeaways:

• As an elected official, Rob needs to influence the everyday people that comprise his constituency in order to begin making any impact. This is becoming more difficult with the growing partisanship of voters and the erosion of long-standing political coalitions.
• Rob provides people with an open look into how the state government works. He tries to educate people on what he does as the state auditor and what is going on in the government in general.
• Rob connects with the people of Iowa in two key ways. First, Rob travels to all 100 county seats in the state to talk with people in person. Second, Rob is very active on social media and actually manages the accounts himself.
• Every Tuesday evening, Rob goes live on Facebook for “Transparency Tuesdays” to tell people the highlights of what he worked on in the prior week and what is going on in the government. He leaves time to address comments and questions at the end.
• Many public-facing leaders avoid going live with their constituents as they are afraid of making a mistake and tarnishing their image. When Rob live-streams, he focuses on being himself, something that people really connect with. 
• Many elected officials seem very distant from constituents and by utilizing social media Rob is able to overcome traditional barriers and invite people in to look at what really happens. It creates an opening for dialog and community between Rob and Iowans. 
• When Rob comes across a great idea or innovative practice that each county could implement, he compiles those ideas and shares them with officials from every county each year. It doesn’t matter who came up with an idea, if it works, Rob will share it. 

Quote of the Show:

• “It's important for people to have a sense of the ability to reach their government, to reach levers of whatever degree of power and to actually have an interaction there” - Rob Sand

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobSandIA 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robsandia/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robsandia/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robsand1/ 
• Website: https://robsand.com/ 
• The Winning Ticket: https://a.co/d/c9xQN6w 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer 

This Chief Influencer is a longtime educator and leader that has been recognized time and time again for her commitment to bettering her community. Dr. Monica Goldson is the CEO of the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, one of the largest school districts in the nation. Dr. Goldson shares what she has learned about how to communicate with different groups of stakeholders, the importance of building trust as a leader, and knowing when to amplify other voices to make a greater impact.

Takeaways:

• As a leader, you need to identify the stakeholders that you need to reach and the communication channels and formats that each prefers. For instance, Dr. Goldsons’ students primarily use Twitter and Instagram, so that’s how she alerts them of timely news or shares relevant messaging. Parents or teachers, on the other hand, rely on other forms of communication. To reach them, Dr. Goldson and her team use a wide range of tools including a weekly newsletter, automated phone messages, and “town hall” style meetings via telephone. 
• One example of how Dr. Goldson embraced two-way communication with stakeholders is the town-hall style meetings she held with parents through the pandemic. By doing this, she could share the latest school-health updates, field questions from parents, and bring on doctors to educate parents on pandemic-related health issues.
• The message is just as important as the medium. Leaders should tailor their message according to what each group of stakeholders needs. 
• When you are communicating with your stakeholders, it’s important to remember that you need to listen. Make sure that people feel heard and are able to ask questions freely. This openness is a building block of trust in your relationship with them.
• Consistency is also key to building trust. When you communicate consistently, people know what to expect from you, when to expect it, and through which channel. 
• You will not always be the most impactful voice for sharing certain messages with a given group. For example, Dr. Goldson realized when discussing certain topics, such as drug abuse, students are more likely to listen to fellow students. This led to an effective student-made video outlining the dangers of using drugs. 
• Don’t run from the media. Media outlets can be powerful allies to have in your corner as you lead your organization. Remember that media outlets do not only focus on negative stories; when you do something great, especially for others, reach out to see if there is interest amongst broadcasters in covering it. 

Quote of the Show:

• “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” - Monica Goldson

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-goldson-ed-d-99770283/ 
• PGCPS Fentanyl PSA: https://fb.watch/kQJAroxp_i/ 
• PGCPS Website: https://www.pgcps.org/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer 

Today, we spoke with a special guest that is committed to creating opportunities for the next generation of music makers and lovers through touring live shows, assisting underserved schools, and providing free children's programming. Luke Frazier is the Founder and Music Director of The American Pops Orchestra. Luke shares his unique insights into envisioning a future unconstrained by the status quo, the importance of providing many points of entry for your audience, and the power of a community-focused organization.

Takeaways:

• Challenge the predictable and formulaic elements of everything you do. For example, many people regard going to an orchestral performance as very expensive, however, Luke has worked to change that thinking by innovating his pricing structure. 
• Creating a welcoming, accessible, representative environment allows you to connect with more diverse audiences. For example, consider how representation, through a presenter or performer, creates a more inclusive space.
• Don’t accept the status quo. Luke focused on incorporating diversity of all kinds into his concerts, both amongst those performing and what they were performing. By committing to diversity, even a simple concert can make a bigger impact.
• Consider how leaders in other industries have solved issues similar to those you might be facing. For instance, Luke shared he was influenced by subscription streaming services in developing the pricing strategy for his concerts.
• Financial transparency is crucial to Luke because it allows the communities he serves to see where their monetary support goes, whether it is better art or better administration. 
• When an organization is supported by a community, instead of a few wealthy donors as is typical for orchestras, it is not beholden to the tastes of the fortunate few. Because of this, an organization can be more representative of the community at large and cater to their collective interests. 
• If you want your marketing to reach the right audience you need to research them and meet them where they are. This is a much more sustainable way to grow than forcing people to go somewhere else just to communicate with them.

Quote of the Show:

• “I believe all people need to have that voice and all people need to feel seen and represented from a stage.” - Luke Frazier

Links:

• The American Pops Orchestra Website: https://www.theamericanpops.org/ 
• The American Pops Orchestra Twitter: https://twitter.com/theamericanpops 
• Personal Website: https://lukefraziermusic.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukefraziermusic/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lukefrazierconductor/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer