Visibility and Influence - Have you found your Voice?

Some years ago, the head of Learning and Development for one of my clients told me that I was too loud on social media, specifically, LinkedIn.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“You are always posting success stories and ideas, but you are already coaching our leaders so you don’t need to do that”.

I understood her conservatism, but I was acutely aware of the impact of not having a voice or presence.

Can you be too loud on LinkedIn?

A year later the same person came to me to ask if I could deliver a workshop on social media for her company’s leaders, to increase their visibility. Her conservative outlook had given way to the realization that:

• No visibility, no credibility
• No credibility, no influence
• No influence, nothing changes

The Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde said;

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

This concept is uncomfortable for the more introverted and those who come from cultures that despise any kind of self-promotion, like the Swedish, for example. In contrast, Americans have been known, on occasion, to cross the line into being bombastic. There must be a balance between shouting from the rooftops and hiding in the shadows.

The Right Balance of Visibility

I do regularly share my ideas and insights, here on my blog, in my speeches, and on my LinkedIn Profile. To maintain the balance, before posting, I ask myself

• Is it true?
• Is it relevant?
• Is it consistent?

In short, does it add value to the reader and is it consistent with my mission?

There is a lot of noise on platforms like LinkedIn and it can be daunting to get started, or you might fear crossing the line but if you don’t share your ideas and insights, they are like money stuffed in a mattress, that you have forgotten is there.

Engagement and Influence

Recently, I celebrate a milestone, with 25,000 followers on LinkedIn. I appreciate all who read, like, and comment on my content.

Being a speaker and author can be surprisingly lonely. I spend a lot of time alone with a keyboard with my thoughts, and it is only when I put ideas out there that I  know whether I am providing insight, information, and transformation or just adding to the noise.

If you are considering increasing your engagement and influence, let me encourage you to share your insights, you don’t know who your words will encourage.

I am so grateful that, as a Global Speaker, people come up to me after they have heard what I have to say and share their plans with me. And, sometimes someone will say that they read one of my books or a blog post and it impacted them.

Carl Jung had it right about engagement. He said, 

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

So, will you be a catalyst by finding your voice?