I've Surpassed 50 Linkedin Recommendations -- HBU?

I have 54 Linkedin Recommendations and more in the pipeline. How 'bout you?

This is not me bragging (maybe just a little). I've only met one other person who had more recommendations than me (although I'm sure they are out there). I realized early on that Linkedin is the closed thing to Yelp that we have for professional reviews on an individual level. And no, I'm not talking about Skills Endorsements, which is a simple click of the button; Recommendations are personally written notes of support and insight. And unlike Yelp reviews, you can keep out the trolls, turning each submission either On or Off.

Not sure how to get started? This ACTION acronym will help:

1. ASK: I started asking people for Recomendations seven years ago; 14 years into my career -- meaning, it's never too late to start. And that seems to be the hardest part: ASKING. I'm often surprised when I ask for one, it's given, and then the submittor doesn't ask for one back. I realize it can be awkward for someone to ask for feedback, but that seems like one of the most opportune times to make the request!
2. CONSISTENCY: 54/7 years = 7.7 per year. I'm proud that I've had a consistent impact on colleagues throughout my working life. 2018 was a good year, when I received 19 reviews. It was also the year I got laid off, so it was nice to see my support system rallying around me. The point is, be consistent in asking people throughout your career.
3. TRANSPARENCY: Obviously, the whole point of the recommendation system is that it provides insight into people. Looking to hire and expand your team -- what have others said about them? Thinking about finding a new job and working for a new leader -- what have ex-team members written? You learn a lot by what people write. It might raise some red flags as well, for what's not said. Also, check out the recommendations that they've written for others. That might tell you even more.
4. INSIGHT: I analyzed the most frequent words that people have written about me and created the word cloud in the picture above. I am most proud that the word "team" appears the most frequently. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I value team more than anything else, even more than personal glory. It's nice to see "innovation", "thought leader", "speaker", "presentation" and "engaging" also appear frequently. These are all traits that I've put work into throughout my career. "Entertaining" is a nice bonus too, lol.
5. OMISSION: Take anything written in these reviews with a grain of salt. You're not going to get much negative commentary here. Since individuals approve every single submission, everything's going to be filtered and edited with a positive spin. But the point is that people took the time to write something and you have to evaluate how passionately and emphatically those statements are written. Also I realize that this system can be taken advantage of -- imagine a class of college students all writing hollow reviews for each other. So, keep in mind the range of professional experience and seniority for contributors. Not completely discrediting college students, but a review written by a President or CEO carrys more weight.
6. NON-RESPONSE: Ok, I'm being cute here to get the acronym to work, but I mentioned that I have a pipeline of recommendation requests. And like a sales pipeline, not everyone will agree to write something about you. That's ok; it's not everyone's cup of tea and not everyone is active on LinkedIn. You have to expect that. I think I have about a 25% ghost rate.

Lastly, to help you get started, here's a template that I've regularly used. You'll note that I give people an out, in case they don't want to respond.

"Hi Jane, I really enjoyed working with you on X project. It was great to see the results that we achieved. I was wondering if you'd be willing to write a few words of personal support here for me. Anything you can write is greatly appreciated. If that's not your type of thing, no worries! Thank you in advance for the consideration."

So go out there and get started. And if you especially enjoy this type of professional development content, I am taking on a select number of mentor/coach relationships where we regularly work on things exactly like this.