Social Capital is the quality by which a person’s perceived savvy, acumen and grace provide access and opportunity in the world. Ultimately, it is the solvency of the Self.
David Bransten
Director, Documentarian
Like the other, more commonly understood forms of capital (financial and intellectual), Social Capital can be accrued or banked. Like all sciences, it can be examined systematically, and fortunately for you, through careful thought and study, its lessons can be learned.
Savvy, Acumen and Grace
When we speak of Social Savvy, we’re referring to a person’s particular sensitivity or awareness in a specific circumstance. By Social Acumen, we’re talking about a broader understanding of the factors at play such as culture, custom and language. Finally, grace is simply how adroitly you apply the previous two qualities. Together, these three qualities make up the basis of your Social Capital.
The foundation of good will
Social Capital is the foundation of good will. In terms of leadership, it is the basis of “buy-in.” Though not as functionally utilitarian as financial capital, Social Capital can be much more powerful.
What do I mean by that?
Let’s say your manager is given the unfortunate task of laying some people off. He’s already put the underachievers and malcontents on the list. Now comes the uncomfortable job of giving good people the pink slip. You don’t want to be on that list. But you can’t exactly walk up to him and hand him $1000 in an envelope and give him a wink. That never goes over well; you don’t work for Tony Soprano.
Sucking up at the last minute isn’t a good idea, either. Anybody with even a little sense will see through that rouse. In fact, this is often the quickest way to squander whatever Social Capital you’ve already accrued. Inauthenticity is the sub-prime loan of Social Capital world.
Time to stockpile
Your best hope is to have more Social Capital stockpiled than anybody you’re competing against. And don’t delude yourself, in this circumstance, you are absolutely competing against them. You’ve probably got a little of it stored up, earned because you’re generally a good person and people like you. Stick with me and I’ll show you how to take what you have and grow it into something truly powerful so when it comes time to use it, you won’t be going into the fray with a BB gun.
Bitches, gripes, smart remarks? Send ‘em.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
“Inauthenticity is the sub-prime loan of Social Capital world.” Like it. But based on neuropsychological research, inauthenticity is the ocean in which most of us swim, as most of what our brains/minds are busy with is not accessible to conscious awareness. Hence, we can expect to discover a lot once we’ve began facing the subprime level of inauthenticity - as we’ve seen, subprime is just the starter!