After Facebook (Thefacebook as in the 1st half of
the “Social Network”) went public on 17th May,2012 I became more interested in knowing
this social networking giant which is on the verge of overtaking the internet.
I started my research by going through different articles and after a lot of
reading a picture was created in my mind about this company. But the idea was
not clear in my mind. It was a kind of a picture puzzle; I knew the solution
was in front of me but I had to arrange all the pieces in a proper order to get
the solution. And I can say I found a cheat code to the problem in the form of
a book-“The Facebook Effect by DAVID KIRKPATRICK”. It was a compelling account
of the origins and prospects of the social networking giant. After completing
my research on Facebook I drew a conclusion that Facebook is really teaching us
“TO LEAD”.
Here are my observations on what leadership lessons Facebook
can teach us-
#1 KEEP IT SIMPLE-
The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg followed this rule and kept the
site as much easy to use as possible. He knew people will be interested in
using a social network if they can use it without getting into confusions.
There were other networking sites at that time like Friendster, six degrees and
there used to be a separate social network for each university. But the problem
with them was that they were too much complicated and cluttered, as a result of
which they failed to continue. Similarly we try to complicate our lives to such
an extent that we are unable to handle even the simplest tasks and end up
losing everything. We should learn to simplify our life (Use the simplification-multiply
your happiness and divide your sorrows).The real challenges of life will be
more easy to face if we don’t mess up with the complications of our daily
life.So,keep in mind the first lesson-“KEEP IT SIMPLE,SILY”.
#2 PASSION-
Mark Zuckerberg had a real passion to connect people. He was
offered millions of dollars from the big names in Silicon Valley, which was
considered as a huge amount for a startup made by a twenty something college dropout.
But massive offers were
unable to convince Zuckerberg to sell Facebook as he was passionate for
connecting people. In his initial years as a Facebook CEO he was interested in
making people comfortable to connect rather than generating profit for the firm
through advertisement. This is what we should learn from Mark. If we have a
passion to do something in life, we must follow it regardless of money or
anything else. Because if we follow our passion and achieve our goal the glory
and money are bound to follow which is very clear by the stature of Facebook in today’s market.
“Mark Zuckerberg didn’t build services for money, he made
money for services.”
#3 COMMUNICATION-
The most important ingredient for success in professional as
well as personal life is communication. Mark Zuckerburg understood this thing
very clearly. He improved his communication skills and presentation skills. He
has always ensured that what he is trying to convey must reach his audience
clearly. Facebook has similarly improved the way we communicate. The best way
to solve a problem or end up a dispute in private or public is to communicate effectively.
We should work on our communication skills to be successful.
#4 FAIL HARDER-
Zuckerberg believed
that-“you are destined to fail, if you are not making mistakes”. Silicon Valley
was a home for successful entrepreneurs who succeeded after making a lot of
mistakes. The unique part of the valley was that they had a belief that-“if you
don’t fail, it means you are not trying”.Facebook did faced many problems at
their initial years but they learnt from it and improvised in their technology.
We should keep in mind that failures are stepping stones to success. They are
just the path finders to do the things in a right manner.So, we should not be
afraid to fail as if we are failing it should remind us that we are more and
more closer to our success.
So these are the leadership lessons which Facebook teaches
us.
Grow Up Once Again…..
:)
