Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success and Influence [Hardcover]

Erik Qualman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2011

Digital Leaders are Made—Not Born

"Fail forward, fail fast, fail better is a winning concept from Qualman's latest book, Digital Leader."
-- Tony Hsieh, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.

"People with a passion for something can be infectious. It's obvious that Erik Qualman's passion is social media."
-- Dan Heath, New York Times bestselling author of Made to Stick and Switch

"Qualman is to social media what Deming is to quality and Drucker to management."
-- Scott Galloway, professor, Stern School of Business, NYU

"Erik Qualman is a Digital Dale Carnegie."
-- Todd Young, CEO, ProspX

About the Book:

"Digital footprints are what we post about ourselves. Digital shadows are what others upload about us. Collectively, they have changed the world forever. As leaders and future leaders we need to adapt to this new world."
-- from Digital Leader

Digital leaders are made, not born--you have it within you to become an effective digital leader. As a leader in the digital age, your reach is boundless. With advanced technologies, you can exert more direct and indirect influence than ever before--anywhere at any time. And everything you do, fail to do, and wish you didn't do is documented forever in the digital universe.

Digital Leader explains how to take full advantage of everything the digital age has to offer, while avoiding common pitfalls that can damage your "digital legacy."

Bestselling author Erik Qualman explains what modern leadership means and describes how to be an effective leader in the digital world. In order to succeed, you need to adjust your leadership skills to adapt to today's digitally open world--and you need to start today. Qualman breaks the process down into five powerful truths you can use to establish your leadership "stamp":

Simple: success is the result of simplification and focus
True: be true to your passion
Act: nothing happens without action--take the first step
Map: goals and visions are needed to get where you want to be
People: success doesn't happen alone

Basing his conclusions on a wide range of research and resources, Qualman provides an abundance of real-world examples and tips to help you create a path to success while leading others to achieve their best.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In today’s digital world, you have greater individual power to become a leader, influence others, and determine your ultimate stamp on life.

In Digital Leader, Erik Qualman, one of today’s most respected social media experts, provides invaluable lessons drawn from a wide variety of sources—from the British Institute of Psychiatry and Forrest Gump to Harvard Business Review and Dr. Suess—to provide digital-leadership best practices.

Practical, profound, and a remarkably enjoyable read, Digital Leader is a 21st century manifesto for leveraging technology to become a better leader and help your employees, family, and friends reach their full potential.

About the Author

Erik Qualman is the author of Socialnomics, an AMA “Book of the Year” finalist. PC Magazine ranked socialnomics.com as a Top 10 Social Media Blog. For the past 18 years Qualman has helped grow the digital capabilities of Cadillac, EarthLink, EF Education, Yahoo, Travelzoo, AT&T, and others. He has keynoted alongside Al Gore, Julie Andrews, Alan Mulally, Tony Hawk, Sarah Palin, and prime ministers. He sits on the Advisory Boards of Manumatix and Bazaarvoice. He lives in Boston and is an MBA Professor at the Hult International School of Business.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (November 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071792422
• ISBN-13: 978-0071792424
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Called a Digital Dale Carnegie, Erik Qualman is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business and Digital Leader: The 5 Keys to Success & Influence. Socialnomics made Amazon's #1 Best Selling List for the US, Japan, UK, Canada, Portugal, Italy, China, Korea and Germany. His new book Digital Leader launched in 2012 has experienced similar success.

Socialnomics was a finalist for the "2010 Book of the Year" awarded by the American Marketing Association. Qualman produced "Social Media Revolution" the most watched social media video series in the world and it has been used by NASA to the National Guard. Fast Company Magazine listed him as a Top 100 Digital Influencer.

Qualman is a frequently requested International speaker and has been highlighted in numerous media outlets including: 60 Minutes, The New York Times, WSJ, Mashable, USA Today, ABC News, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, CBS News, and The Huffington Post. He has been fortunate to share the stage with Julie Andrews, Al Gore, Tony Hawk, Sarah Palin, Jose Socrates (Prime Minister of Portugal), Alan Mulally (Ford CEO), James Carville & Mary Matalin, Lee Scott (Chairman Walmart), and many others.

Qualman is an MBA Professor at the Hult International Business School. For the past 18 years Qualman has helped grow the digital capabilities of many companies including Cadillac, EarthLink, EF Education, Yahoo, Travelzoo and AT&T. He is the founder and owner of socialnomics.com which PC Magazine ranked as a Top 10 Social Media Blog. He sits on the Advisory Boards of Manumatix, ShopVisible and Bazaarvoice Inc. Qualman holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from The University of Texas.

He was Academic All-Big Ten in basketball at Michigan State University and still finds time to follow his beloved Spartans while living in Boston with his wife and daughter. In 2011 Erik was honored as the Michigan State Alum of the Year and in 2012 he was selected as one of the Top 50 Professors in the world.

Qualman has recently advised/given keynotes with the following: Coach, IBM, Facebook, UGG Australia, Starbucks, M&M/Mars, Cartier, Raytheon, Montblanc, TEDx, Polo, UGG, Nokia, Google, and more. Qualman gave the commencement address to the 2011 graduating class of McCombs Business School (University of Texas).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What works in the real world matters in the digital world. January 1, 2012

By Mark P. McDonald TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Erik Qualman's book Digital Leader reboots many of the habits of highly successful people into the digital world. The book focused on the acronym STAMP to organize his recommendations for how you build your reputation in the digital world. The book is organized around these principles: Simple, True, Act, Map and People which are discussed in terms and with examples found in other books about personal productivity and success. If you have read other books about personal success, then you will recognize many of these stories and ideas.

Digital Leader does not discuss how you use social media and online tools for success as much as restating prior principles. If you want to know if non-digital leadership practices translate into social media, then this book will assure you that you can translate personal analog success into the online environment.

The book is largely filled with pre-existing advice about time management, email management and reminding you to be professional online. Qualman makes his points largely by related stories taken from others and other publications. For example he quotes Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Ray Kroc and others who were leaders in the analog world but not digitally.

This is not a bad book, but rather given the topic of Digital Leadership I was expecting much more both in terms of what it means to be a leader and what it means to be digital. If you are looking for a book that will help you understand how to engage people and your organization using digital media, then I would suggest Zarrella's Hierarchy of Contagiousness. Zarrella's book provides better actionable advice for those looking to actively participate in social media....

Qualman's book is better aimed at those looking to understand how to personally work in a digital environment. This is a book that will translate rather than challenge your views on personal and professional into the digital world. Qualman has focused more on wrapping a self-help book in digital clothing. Not a bad thing and valuable if the digital world intimidates you, but there is more to being a digital leader than this book covers. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and Thought Provoking December 29, 2011

By William Klein

Format:Hardcover

This is the next book after Socialnomics by Erik Qualman. While it touches on social media, this book isn't a social media book. Rather it gives insights into how to have technology work for you rather than you work for it. One of my favorite parts is the research the book shows around why multi-tasking can often make you less productive (an area I clearly need to work on)!

I found the book to be an easy read as well and one that still has me thinking about ways I can leverage the digital age to get more of myself and others in my organization.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Avoid if poor editing bothers you May 4, 2012

By Kara

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book shows you how to be a leader in the digital age and provides "keys" to do it. The keys themselves boil down to: keep it simple, be true to yourself, be decisive, set ridiculous goals and stick to them, and put people first. None of them are particularly groundbreaking, but they were aggregated well from other business books and presented in an engaging way. Although those parts were more like a business primer than a book in its own right, I still enjoyed them.

Another reviewer said that this had good advice for "baby boomers" but was nothing new for the already computer savvy. This may be true, but based on how many public Facebook pages there are with people posting things they clearly don't think are public, maybe there are fewer "computer savvy" people out there than we think. Some of the tips and tricks (like using LIFO for emails, managing your online presence) aren't anything new, but they are definitely things people need to know. The digital-related information comprised only a small part of the book which made me wish it had a different title. When a book is called "Digital Leader," its readers are going to expect digital content.

I still would've rated this more stars if not for the EGREGIOUS editing errors. There were many, many missing commas that made some sentences difficult to read. This was a sentence: "To help sell an original deal to Starbucks's owner Howard Shultz." Yes, that's the whole sentence. And the very worst of all was the paragraph that referred to both "Rosey Grier" and "Rosie Grier." Incredibly distracting. I've never stopped reading a book because of editing mistakes, but I almost got there with this one. Come on--these are basics!

Qualman, I'll read your next book, but only if you get a new editor.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! December 21, 2011

By Book Lover

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a terrific book! It holds your interest from the minute you start reading. I especially enjoyed the quotes and real-life examples of famous people in the business community. I recommend this to everyone, teachers, businessman/women, teenagers and homemakers. You will take away a lot of ideas to use in your life.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Club 52 - Paul's (Short) Review Of Digital Leader January 6, 2012

By Paul Colligan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Club 52 - Paul's (Short) Review Of Digital Leader

Erik Qualman's Socialnomics is one of the most important books I've ever read about the social web - if not about the Internet in general. When I found (through surfing) that he had a new book, I was thrilled.

I'll admit I bought it without knowing anything other than the author and the title. I was surprised with what was inside.

It's really not like anything traditional to the books about the Internet space. A more proper title (but one that wouldn't sell) would be something like "How To Be A Real Leader In This Digital/Social Age." With that said and done, my review:

It's a book more along the lines of "How To Win Friends And Influence People" than it is anything that's come out in the last 50 years. That's actually a very good thing.

The framework is "STAMP" - Simple / True / Act / Map / People. Here's my big take away from each.

Simple - Life is complex, those that simplify it win.

True - Being well rounded no longer works in a globally competitive world. I gotta niche.

Act - I guy who starts as many things as me can't leverage the inertia I really need in this day/age.

Act - Firm in destination - flexible in path.

People - (via Malcolm Gladwell) - Customers desire, and are demanding, partnerships with companies.

The "old" success literature is still very true if you make sure it adapts to a digital world. Erik did that in this book.

Awesome.

Bonus - Book contains the world's greatest vacation autoresponder that Il will be using on every vacation from this point on.

One of my new years declarations was that I'd read a book every week. Join me on this journey? [...]