A chamber string quartet. Three players entered stage right in black. Then she strode onto the stage, and our eyes opened wide.

In a red dress.

Not just any red dress, but a screaming red orange satin sleeveless dress with spaghetti straps and up to her knees. I am no fashioniste, and without judgement, I was just not expecting this break with the traditional formal dark clothing that we normally see–clothing is not normally the focus, but the artists’ music is.

To repeat, no moral judgement on my part, I want to assure you.

I inwardly said to myself, “that takes some self-confidence!” with just a bit of an inner surprise at her breakaway from the formal chamber music ensemble dress code.

And she played that viola like a champ.

When the piece was finished, she bowed deeply to thunderous applause, knowing she performed well, and strode off just as she confidently strode onto the stage.

Next was intermission and I grabbed for her bio in the program booklet and saw it mentioned she is critically acclaimed for interpreting contemporary viola music. In the middle of the piece, I noticed that in aceing it so jarringly, dramatically, and cacophonously, she broke a couple of bow strings, while showing her expertise on the instrument in her face and body movements, demonstrated how deeply she was feeling the composor’s music.

That made us perk up our ears (end widen our eyes) to pay raptured attention. Just like the program said.

Look at your LinkedIn profile, do you enter confidently and exit making an impact on the reader’s attention even more deliberately, with intensity of color and panache, with movement and emotion, to make them want to bring you onto their stage of recognition?

Do you snap fragile bowstrings in your career narrative with emphasis on your “why,” to critical  (i.e. clients’) acclaim?

Wear your metaphorical clothing in your LinkedIn profile story and play your piece of music expertly enough so they want to know more about you.

Be a star. Perform amazing-er work.