The Manager, Executive, and Leader’s Guide to Winning at LinkedIn in the Next 1-2 Years

If you’re a manager, an executive, or somebody with a leadership role inside of an organization…
… where’s your head at right now?

Is it the immediate circumstances in the world?
Employees resigning left and right in pursuit of something “more aligned.”
Decreasing sales and profit margin within your company?
Paid advertising totally tanking your ability to blast positions out to the people who might want them?

My guess is, if you’re being honest, that it’s at least a little bit on the immediate side. And while that’s totally understandable and okay, I want to use this blog post to challenge you and empower you in looking UP AND OUT into what can happen in the next 1-2 years for your organization, not in spite of everything that’s happening in the moment, but BECAUSE OF IT.

And in that shift, I want to show you how LinkedIn can become more for you than just a status list of acquaintances and accolades, but it can actually move you closer to what you want (and the people that can help you get there) in the next few years.

Ready to get your “possibility” hat on? Cool, let’s dive in.

Challenges BECAUSE of The Great Resignation

So, since we’re rooting ourselves in reality here, I thought it would be important to call out some of the very REAL challenges you might be facing as an executive, a manager, or a leader because of what some are calling The Great Resignation and others are calling The Great Realignment.

Organizations have gaps.
It may be a tad obvious that if people are resigning by the millions per month that there are some big gaps in organizations right now. There are likely some gaps YOU are trying to fill within your organization. With the effort to fill those gaps can come the overwhelm of things like, “Who do we REALLY want to fill this role? Who’s going to be best for the job? How do I find that best-fit out in the world somewhere?” Know if you’re staring down the positions you need to fill and feeling that “insurmountable task” kinda feeling, you’re not alone. (But keep reading, because I know some ways to combat this!)

It may feel like you’re walking on eggshells trying to get good people to stick around.
With people resigning left and right, reevaluating their career paths, and on the lookout for new opportunities, it may feel like your ONE JOB is to keep people where they are. And while I understand that feeling, I also think that keeps you stuck in a “walking on eggshells” kind of pattern. It’s important to remember that people thrive in the workplace when they feel challenged and like they’re fulfilling a purpose. So it’s less about never doing anything that rubs someone the wrong way and more about always drawing every action and initiative toward the purpose you know they’re invested in.

Sales are down and paid marketing efforts don’t have the same reach or return they once did.

In another world, you may have put some ad spend behind a hiring push so you can reach a new lead pool and cast a larger net. But, with paid marketing efforts not yielding the results they once did AND sales being down in organizations, it may not be a smart use of your budget (or lack thereof) to rely on those paid efforts as the only mechanism to reach the right people.

Okayyyyy, so what do we do then? Well, first let’s shift our view a bit.

Possibility BECAUSE of The Great Resignation

We know that with great power comes great responsibility thanks to Uncle Ben, but I also think that with great challenges come great POSSIBILITY. And the cool thing? Most of the population’s head is too facedown in the “now” that very few people are in a space to take advantage of that possibility. And that’s why this mindset shift will really set you apart.

So, if we know those things above to be true, what are the opportunities that lie on the flip side of those coins?

Organizations have a chance to realign, too.
Even though employees may be resigning in droves, we know that the impetus behind those resignations is a collective reimagining and realignment of values and where they want to spend time and energy. Well, ya know the really cool thing? The fact that these individuals are taking the time and space to realign means ORGANIZATIONS are also being afforded the opportunity to do a bit of their own realignment.

So, don’t let this season pass you by as a waste. Instead, as you’re examining holes you need to fill and goals you need to strategize (or re-re-strategize), don’t forget to take a step back and think through where you REALLY want to take your organization and how you’d love to get there in a perfect world. That “how you get there” part can really point to some of the purpose and positive experience job seekers are, well, SEEKING during their realignment.

Job-seekers are looking for MORE.
As I mentioned above, it’s important to recognize that job seekers are looking for MORE, more than ever before. And here I don’t just mean more money. In fact, for most, it’s not about that at all. The “more” they want may be flexibility, focus, freedom… but it’s all rooted in wanting their day-to-day work to be purpose-driven. If you can have this realization in your back pocket, it’ll be your natural next step to start to show people the purpose they can have within your organization—or think about how you stack up to other opportunities.

Powerful Personal Presence has the opportunity to win over past paid pushes.
We know that paid marketing has taken a hit. If that’s true, then that means prioritizing organic reach is the next viable option. The best way to cultivate your organic reach is to start building your very own Powerful Personal Presence. Some may call it a “personal brand,” but I think this goes far beyond aesthetic and is rooted in the magnetic presence you bring to any space. Even better, if you can start to build your PPP on a platform that prioritizes organic content marketing, but we’ll get to that next. 

What You Can Do to Capitalize on that Possibility (and how LinkedIn can accelerate your efforts!)

So, we’ve got challenges, we’ve got possibilities, but what are the actions you can take to really position yourself on the upside of this current climate? Well, I’m glad you asked. Here are 3 things you can prioritize to accelerate your growth using LinkedIn.

Define what you’re aiming for and how you really want to get there.
If you’re using your time to reflect and realign before you fill your gaps and strategize your goals (like we talked about above), you’ll find that it’s A LOT easier to get what you want out of a social platform and organic reach. So, before you really dive into a platform, be sure to think through your own goals and KPIs. What do you REALLY want to get out of LinkedIn and what’s your desired time frame for that goal? Expectations are everything, and while way more than you think can be possible with LinkedIn, if you’re aiming at nothing that’s exactly what you’ll get.

Become the person people want to work alongside.
Jon Gordon once said, “Being a great leader isn’t saying ‘follow me,’ it’s being the kind of leader that people want to follow.”
As you start to build your Powerful Personal Presence on LinkedIn, it’s essential that you keep this idea top of mind. Who do the people you want to attract REALLY want to follow? How can you step more into becoming that leader on the daily, weekly and monthly? Who should you align yourself with in order to further that effort of becoming a leader people want to follow?

Similarly, a platform like LinkedIn can help you become someone people want to follow by simply expanding your circle of influence. As you start to tune into the thought leadership of others, and contribute your own values and beliefs into the mix, you’ll exemplify innovation and a willingness to grow.

SHOW that you’re the person people want to work alongside.
After you define what you really want and then start to become the person that people want to follow, the natural outpouring of those steps is making it VISIBLE to other people along your journey.

What does that mean? It’s not just learning and implementing something new, but it’s talking about and sharing the process along the way. It’s sharing your values and beliefs so you can attract others who align with that stance. It’s making your constant improvement apparent through the content you put out and interact with on LinkedIn.

When you stop just existing on LinkedIn and you start contributing to the conversation it makes you not just a leader people want to follow, but it also creates the ability for the right people to FIND you so that they can follow along.

So, which of these will you implement first? I’d love to know! And if you’re a manager, executive, or leader who’s wondered how LinkedIn can benefit you (because maybe you thought it was just for finding jobs), hop over to my profile and feel free to send me a message! I’d love to connect and help you see what’s truly possible when you hone in on this platform with a winning strategy.