How To Avoid Four Common Social Media Mistakes Made By Leadership

Kara Cowie, SkillPath's vice president of corporate communications, knows that LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram are invaluable tools for creating a company of brand ambassadors. In fact, she openly encourages employees to share their stories online, and SkillPath's social media policy is clear in expectations and requirements. "I’m actually a huge advocate for blurring the lines between our personal and professional lives -- within reason, of course," she said.

Like many communications professionals, she sees the daily reminder of the potential pitfalls of employee's sharing personal and professional lives on social media. "In today’s highly charged and sometimes combative world of social media, the chances of someone -- including customers and co-workers -- taking offense to a seemingly innocuous post have never been higher," she adds.

No plan is 100% foolproof, but here are four tips Kara has for employees and leaders to minimize the risk of upsetting someone while using social media.