Social Media Week is winding down, alas. It has been host to 185 different events focused around different aspects of social media, ranging from sports media, SEO, content marketing, social media in healthcare industry, technology and so much more. That means lots of talks, lots of interesting conversations and lots of good advice.
With hundreds of influential industry leaders hosting these discussions, the applicable insights and takeaways from these talks have been pouring in. Here’s one that stood out: Entrepreneur and reality TV regular Bill Rancic moderated a panel on Tuesday about social listening, “Using Social Tools to Inform Strategies.” Rancic shared a great anecdote, highly applicable to managing startups. He passed along some advice he gained from a highly successful entrepreneur: “You have to be the conductor.”
The conductor doesn’t play every instrument expertly, but he is the one who harnesses the chaos of hundreds of independent musicians to create a unified, harmonious symphony.
The metaphor may simple, but the lesson is valuable: When running a startup, you can’t be the expert at everything. Possess a broad working knowledge of all aspects of your business, focus on what you can do and where your strengths are. Delegate accordingly. When funds and personnel are limited, prioritize appropriately.
This was only one valuable lesson among many from Social Media Week 2013. What lessons did you pick up?
Adam Fridman is the founder of MeetAdvisors.com, a social network for entrepreneurs. MeetAdvisors allows for professionals to give free advice to those seeking help with their business ventures. Forbes has coined MeetAdvisors "Yelp for entrepreneurs." Armed with a Master of Science in Finance and experience in corporate finance and investment banking, Adam spent the past 10 years tackling a number of ventures with a focus on business development and strategy.
