Customer Reviews

Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand (J-B International Association of Business Communicators)

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Holtz and Havens put together the business book I've been hoping for. The premise of this groundbreaking business-strategy book is that companies need to be more forthcoming with information about the internal workings of their business. There are three "publics" that a business deals with, according to this book: external (the public), internal (employees) and investors.

From Enron to AIG, opacity in how executives make decisions has cost investors, employees and investors dearly, and the government is stepping up regulations to force companies to be more transparent. Holtz and Havens show that companies that have been transparent all along--with liberal employee-blog policies, social marketing policies and releasing what was once sensitive information (financials, research, opinions, and the handling of corporate mistakes and blunders)--have always fared better and retained the loyalty of their publics even in bad times.

There are concerns to being transparent. Some information is not for competitors' eyes, and some information cannot be legally exposed, especially in publicly traded companies. But the argument for releasing as much information as possible is put forth quite admirably.

By being transparent, a company becomes motivated by honesty, not greed. The employees have a better understanding if the bottom line, and investors feel more confident about the management decisions. A two-way conversation with the public means that a company is better positioned to compete.

The most important points that Holtz and Havens make are that corporate transparency is a legal, moral and competitive requirement, and that transparency among businesses is inevitable, that opacity is not only futile, but self-destructive.

I strongly recommend this book, with a rating of A+. Not only was I inspired by what Holtz and Havens wrote, I am moved to incorporate their ideas into the Flying Pen Press way of business.

I've had the pleasure of hearing John Havens speak at various seminars and panels in New York. That background has been extremely useful in building our start up, ShortForm.TV. I'm glad everyone else now has the opportunity to tap into John's and Shel's insights on initiating and maintaining a dialogue with customers. This knowledge is critical to all of us now since, as the authors say, "the toothpaste is out of the tube!"

"Focus on dialogue not monologue." This is running premise throughout the book. I feel this universal principal allows us to build long-lasting relationships in business and family life. In business, many companies are finding that you can't just "do" a website; instead, the website needs to engage the consumer in a conversation. All the while, this premise has reminded me how important it is to stop talking to the family and start listening. Living a transparent life gives us the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level, and that will give us a more fulfilling business and personal life.

Shel Holtz and John C. Havens have tremendous experience with a range of social media, and both this experience and their zest for its possibilities come through clearly. This lively, timely book's core message is simple: In the digital age, transparency is a requirement, not a choice, and so business leaders must decide how to manage it. Your choices are complex, and fraught with emotion and risk. Transparency issues concerning openness and how much data to divulge often unfold in real time, so business readers need every bit of the guidance and preparation the authors provide. Holtz and Havens acknowledge that some of their specific suggestions will become dated quickly; however, their general principles and case studies will be useful for quite some time. (Actually, more pertinent than the fear that their pointers will become dated is the concern that the authors are overly enthusiastic about their topic.) getAbstract recommends this to readers interested in social media, and to leaders trying to shape a communication strategy in today's shifting landscape.

This book has some excellent points in it about transparency and how best to navigate the social media side. I would suggest it as a perfect companion book to David Henderson's "The Media Savvy Leader." The Media Savvy Leader: Visibility, Influence, and Results in a Competitive World

This text is a bit preachy and I don't care for the style. It retells the Dell Hell story and another about Sony's bad boy attempt to use social media undercover to drive up PSP Christmas sales, but generally doesn't say anything that hasn't already been covered in this genre -- What Would Google Do, Here Comes Everybody, etc. Yes, we know the dialectic Internet is changing business, but there's nothing particularly insightful about this text. Be Honest, it says. So did Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt and How to Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive -- were those two decades ago?

But this is different -- be honest, or else, it will bite you. The Internet is forever and anything on a website at anytime can be rediscovered via a simple Google search.

Is there really anyone reading this who doesn't already know this?

This book is more an issue of wishful thinking. The authors HOPE businesses will be more honest in the future, but ...
REALLY?

I have been familiar with John Havens since his days overseeing the podcasting section at about.com and have been impressed, not only with his knowledge of the subject matter but his ability to explain it to everyday people...and his new book "Tactical Transparency" is no different.

The business world is changing and Tactical Transparency is a must read...if you are interested in building your brand and leveraging social media.