Used with permission © Rob Cottingham, Noise to Signal. http://www.robcottingham.ca/cartoons/

      Humanity is a Leadership Asset

      I define a leader as anyone who holds him- or herself responsible or accountable for finding potential in people or processes.[5]

      — BRENÉ BROWN, RESEARCHER AND AUTHOR OF DARING GREATLY

      Few things have put pressure on organizational leaders as profoundly as digital communication, particularly social media. The evolution of digital culture, with real-time scrutiny and in-the-moment humanism, has demanded leaders of all shapes and sizes of organizations embrace a new era of open, honest, and real interactions, whether in person or online.

      Yes. Both are possible. Both are happening. Dismiss them at your own peril. There are already community leaders, political leaders, and business leaders who have successfully applied their innate interpersonal skills from in-person interactions to their interactions over email, blog posts, text messages, photographs, Facebook updates, LinkedIn posts, tweets, audio podcasts, videos, and more. It’s happening all around us.

      The most significant barrier to adapting to this new model of leadership is overcoming established norms for leader conduct.

      For many years, before free agency, baseball players and fans shared a fairly close bond. Baseball players were human beings, accessible both in terms of being members of the communities for which they played and of having a lifestyle and career that was within reach of the average fan. The business of baseball, encompassing free agency and television revenues, created and progressively widened the divide between the average fan and their on-field heroes. Suddenly, both the players and the hope of becoming a professional athlete seemed inaccessible.

      Community, political, and business leaders seem to have gone through a similar evolution. As organizations and aspirations grew in scale, there seemed an increasing distance between the average person and the top brass. Open-door policies were more about perception than reality. They lacked follow-through and often seemed to haunt the career of the person who was bold enough to test the policy.

      Social media has done more than just introduce the notion that there is a shorter distance between the average person and a leader of any sort. It has challenged the very way leaders must conduct themselves. Sincerity and vulnerability, long found in the liability side of the ledger, have fast become valuable assets.

      It’s been said leaders are in their role because they hold themselves to a higher standard. As social norms have evolved, the standard is becoming increasingly human (we expand on this topic later in this chapter).

      Rewards for Being Yourself

      Peter Aceto agrees there is a perception that many leaders lack human qualities. In his role as the President and CEO of Canadian bank Tangerine (which operated as ING Direct Canada until April 2014), he is one of a growing number of leaders whose style allows a human organization to flourish. He’s also cracked the code of human interactions online.

      “I’ve come to the determination that I will be a better leader inside our organization, and outside for our customers, if I’m real and authentic,” Aceto told us. “I empathize with customers who are upset because they’re frustrated because we made a mistake or they can’t get the answer they want. And I empathize with employees and what it’s like to have a young family or to have your father be sick.”

      Aceto confided that it wasn’t his instinct to be real and authentic when he was charting his own career in law and business. He was all too aware of what was expected with respect to workplace personas. It was a mentor at ING Direct who sat him down one day for a chat. His mentor listed things he knew about Aceto. The list included difficulties Aceto faced with his father and Aceto’s love of hockey. He suggested Aceto allow these things to be known to the people around him rather than trying to appear perfect all the time. Being himself, tearing down the facade, would allow others to be interested in him and more interested in being led by him.

      Aceto admits this advice had a significant impact on his success as a leader. “I’ve been rewarded for being myself in life and in work.” He notes that being vulnerable and letting down his facade has created openings for people to trust him.

      If people don’t trust you, your marketing won’t be worth anything. This is another lesson Aceto learned, one that tested his leadership and relied heavily on his style.

      ING Direct Canada ran an ad campaign for their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) product in January 2013. Research suggested RRSP season caused Canadians to feel anxious and stressed about the decisions ahead of them, so the campaign hinged on ads portraying people who looked overwhelmed with an ailment identified as “RRSP” which ING would help cure. The TV spots were posted online.

      The ads were not well received. Not long after they were released, people, particularly those who are affected by mental health issues, expressed their disgust at the ads, saying they were in poor taste. While depression was not directly stated in the ads, it was clear the ads suggested that idea. In addition to the online backlash, Aceto personally received emails from people whose loved ones had suffered from mental illness and had taken their own lives. Gut-wrenching emails.

      Aceto made the decision to pull the ads and issue an apology six days after the ING campaign was launched. He’s pleased with and proud of having made that call and notes five specific facts regarding his decision to pull the ad.

      Leadership Encounters of Another Kind

      The world came to know Commander Chris Hadfield from December 2012 through May 2013 … and beyond. Hadfield lived aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during those six months, serving as commander for the last three. His breathtaking photographs of our planet and outer space, insightful tweets about life on Earth, and videos of living in space made him something of a celebrity. It was his version of David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity” that turned Commander Hadfield into an international space sensation.

      What many people don’t know is that none of the tweets or videos would have happened if not for Hadfield’s son, Evan.

      The