For the first time on Thought Leader Life, Michael and I hung out with not one, but two #ThoughtLeaders: Ted Coine and Mark Babbitt. This episode centers on the Social Age, and how it is quickly changing the way in which business is done. As recognized enablers of change in the time of social, Mark and Ted share the belief that #ThoughtLeadership is about having an original thought and gaining people’s trust. They co-authored the book A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive to make businesses, specifically CEOs, become fully aware of the huge impact of social media. Mark and Ted lament the fact that less than 30 percent of world CEOs are actually on social, and so they push business leaders and all leaders to dive in, because people are there on social, and if you’re not, you can’t be a leader. One reason CEOs of many big companies refuse to engage and participate on social is because they are afraid to hear the bad stuff. Mark says it is not easy to get involved, listen, absorb, and react, especially to criticisms, but you have to be ready for that.

Mark and Ted insist that CEOs will be hard put to retain their jobs if they don’t participate on social. The Social Age is so powerful and different than anything humans have seen because it has the power to amplify attention, responsibility, and recognition, among other things. Until leaders see the business lead on social, they are not going to leave their comfort zone. In the discussion, Michael and I also inquire about OPEN, or Ordinary People, Extraordinary Network, which is the subject of a new book by Mark and Ted. They encourage all listeners or viewers of #TLL to create or join open circles to find the right people who are capable of getting the job done.

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Here are some “‘aha’ moments” from the episode. See more in the Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life books available in the Aha Amplifier and watch the interview below!

Soon, CEOs, social leaders will realize that if you’re not there on social, you’re not doing your job. @TedCoine @MarkSBabbitt

What leader can afford not to have real-time intelligence? @TedCoine

People’s attention goes where it’s rewarded. @MarkSBabbitt

We’re still in the industrial age in terms of management thinking & processes. @TedCoine

To CEOs: Hey, you gotta go there yourself! @happyabout

Follow Ted and Mark on Twitter at @TedCoine and @MarkSBabbitt, respectively. Tune into Thought Leader Life every Saturday for more thought-leader goodness!