Tweets can move mountains. They have incited debates, discussions, the world leaders use them, celebrities use them and they give voice to the voiceless. In one of the most interesting use cases for Twitter, a tweet recently got Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra group, sit up, take notice and do something drastic.
India’s facing its worst water crisis yet and the state of Maharashtra is one of the worst affected. A user was enraged at the huge amounts of water being wantonly wasted for a decorative fountain at Mahindra office. Hoping to bring it up to the Mahindra head, the user Rohit tweeted directly to Mahindra, an active Twitter user with over 3 million followers.
@anandmahindra fountain at mahindra towers at time of severe drought in Mah. Guess can be avoided pic.twitter.com/opQGT7TXXW
— Rohit Talwalkar (@rstalwalkar) March 29, 2016
Not only did the tweet get noticed, but the industrialist responded to Rohit, jumped into action, and promised to have the fountain shut down.
It's recirculated water & no wastage. But you're right, sends the wrong signal. We'll shut it down. https://t.co/zGt4GTOvv3
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 29, 2016
The response was well received by his 3 million followers, many of whom lauded the industrialist for his responsiveness, and leadership skills.
@anandmahindra Many can give explanation. Your second part is the best one. Outstanding humbleness. Great leadership. Inspiring!
— HariKrishna Prudhvi (@hprudhvi) March 29, 2016
The incident reinforces any things, not the least of which is the importance of leaders being active on social media and attending to feedback and concerns. It’s also highlighted how big changes can be brought about, only if they’re proactively brought up and channeled to the right people.