Social media leadership skills are a blend of abilities, both learned and innate, that help leaders direct and inspire social media teams to succeed. They matter at every scale, but they matter most in enterprise environments where one decision can ripple across dozens of markets.

A successful social media leader’s skills must go beyond social media management. A true leader understands how to delegate and guide in real time through an evolving industry and culture. They know how to use a social strategy to achieve business goals.

It’s no surprise, then, that a recent IBM study found 69% of CEO respondents say their organization’s success is directly tied to maintaining a broad group of leaders with a deep understanding of strategy and the authority to make critical decisions. Social is no exception.

Shakivla Todd, a 4-time Shorty award-winning Social Media Strategist, says a great social leader must be “naturally culturally aware and in-the-know.”

“You don’t need to be chronically online. But you do need to be acutely aware of what’s happening as it pertains to current events and cultural moments.”

Cultural relevance isn’t just to stay ‘on trend,’ says Todd. It’s to “help lead your team through culturally sensitive moments. An exceptional social media leader should know how to read the damn room, everyone hates a tone-deaf brand.”

In short: social media leadership skills are the mix of strategic, human, and technical abilities that turn a capable social team into a business function executives rely on.

Social media leadership sets the direction; social media management executes against it.

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