Building on yesterday’s expression “bringing your whole self into the room,” the title above is an oxymoronic metaphor I learned recently.
Put another way, shy professionals miss out on a lot of business. You have to agitate on a gentle cycle.
I suggest you be a recognized force of change, but be cognizant of the receptors. Too much and backs go up, minds shut down. Too softly and you are hardly noticed and others fail to benefit from your experience and expertise.
Please be a reliable force of change, worthy of being followed.
Radical softness on LinkedIn can include:
- asking others who admire your thought leadership to refer you to others who may benefit from your expertise,
- telling why you do something and allowing others to tell how well you do it via endorsements or recommendations,
- publishing your own thoughts in a LinkedIn article, a long form essay about a topic others can appreciate and learn from,
- curating great material written by others, introducing it with a line or two about why it is worth reading and sharing,
- sending a congratulatory note to someone for an achievement or new position, much more meaningful than a quick flick of the mouse as “like,” and
- expressing your words and gestures in a video or slide deck to share with others to be more memorable.
Radical softness is all of the above: orating in your own confident voice, analyzing the world through your own experiential lens, and creatively amplifying your ideas, in essence, marketing yourself. Adult showing and telling about yourself.
Yes, today it’s OK to show yourself; in fact it is REQUIRED through the best power tools for the intended effect on others. Tell us why.
Make one of those agitators in your toolbox the smart and effective use of LinkedIn.
