#LetsGetHonest: Something Human Is Going on Here at LinkedIn

Flaws, challenges, failure, and rejection …

There’s something unbelievably human going on here at LinkedIn. Shocking, right?

Back at the start of 2017, I’d all but written off LinkedIn. I read a few stories about Microsoft’s acquisition, most of which had grim headlines like “4 Reasons Microsoft Wasted $26.2 Billion To Buy LinkedIn” (Forbes) and “Why LinkedIn Under Microsoft Is Doomed” (PC Magazine).

Then, I met a small handful of everyday people — not mega-influencers in the traditional sense, not book authors, not keynoters. People like Michaela Alexis, Manu Goswami, and Josh Fechter. I don’t know why, but for some reason, they were willing to hang out with me (digitally speaking).

Suddenly, I started seeing posts with thousands of likes and sometimes hundreds of comments. They pulled back the curtain and showed me stats I couldn’t believe. Not just huge view counts, but a flood of leads and closed contracts that all came directly from LinkedIn. Then came video, and I was in love.

But here’s the thing …

They weren’t sharing their successes. They were sharing their failures.

Raw, honest, vulnerable posts about weaknesses, not strengths. Missed opportunities, not those seized. Losses, not wins.

Why? My theory is this …

What we share as humans aren’t universal perfections, but universal flaws. What connects us aren’t our success, strengths, and wins. It’s our failures, weaknesses, and losses.

After all, true failure isn’t in the failing. It’s in the not getting back up when you do. Our lowest, darkest moments are the moments that change us … if we let them.

In fact, failure isn’t just an inevitable stepping stone toward success. Failure is part of success itself. As Louis CK put it to a new comedian:

“The only road to good shows is bad ones. Just go start having a bad time and, if you don’t give up, you will get better.” 

This little revolution culminated last week when I had the distinct pleasure of “helping” kick off #LetsGetHonest. I say “helping” because really, I was just sorta there … with the right people at the right time.

The campaign — if that’s even the right word — is all about flaws, challenges, failure, and rejection. And it not only garnered a comment from the CEO of LinkedIn himself, Jeff Weiner, on day one … yesterday, it received the organization’s official stamp of approval and, today, it hit critical mass with a shout out from the official Pulse account.

We staggered our posts one day at a time …

Manu: “One judge said, ‘Swish, you’re an incredible debater. I can’t wait ‘til your retainer is off.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god. I don’t have a retainer. I have a lisp.”

Michaela: “I depended on what other people thought of me to feel good about myself. So much so that a few years ago I became agoraphobic.”

Josh: “We were pumping out lots and lots of content. [But] we never figured out how to make money. It was an ugly scene on my part.”

And me (on the worst week of my professional life): “Believe me, I felt demolished. I thought, ‘Gosh, I’ve made the complete wrong move. Maybe I’m good at blog posts and articles. But clearly, I tried to step up to something bigger, and it absolutely fell apart.”

The response has been jaw dropping. Here’s a sample — in no particular order, and selected for no particular reason — of some of the amazingly human people willing to get honest …

Alexandru I. Baltat: “After reviewing your job application we’ve decided to go through with another candidate. I wish you the best of luck with your job search.”

Dana Moss: “Okay, cool let’s get honest about bullying.”

Pascal van Steen: “I didn’t have a plan when I dropped out of college. Also, I’ve been homeless for over two months now. I might fail often, but I don’t quit. I won’t let my failures define me.”

Andi Davis: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join the #LetsGetHonest movement. However, my story is not about me. Let me introduce you to my son, Arryn. I always knew there was something special about Arryn, but I also knew he just needed time and support in order to find his own way.”

Roger Wilkerson: “I too have a childhood speech impediment story. That ultimately evolved into a radio career during my 20s.”

String Nguyen: “Have you had a loved one pull you down? Yeah that really happened to me. I was young and vulnerable. I lived in a cage, my partner at that time created that cage. He made me feel worthless.”

Daniel Wallock: “I still spend hours and hours everyday listening to podcasts, reading articles, and watching videos on marketing. Recently I've been doing this 6 or 7 hours a day. I work intensely because I’m terrified to ever not know the most — I’ve never had any client, company, or project where they felt I didn't know what I was doing, but I’m still scared about it happening.”

Goldie Chan: “I’m a bit tired after a long set of client filming days but here is my honest video on finding family, giving support if you are emotionally able to and finding your family if you don’t have a great one at home.”

Bobby Umar: “To that end, here is my honest video about something that I personally struggle with. I've become more open about it in the past few years. However, many people don’t know that I have binge eating disorder.”

Matija (Tia) McRoberts: “As an early school leaver I always felt like I wasted years of my life when I could have been dedicating myself to better things. But it’s all part of the journey and those rough times where you feel down and out or that life just really sucks, they're the moments where you really learn what you've got!”

Meg Miller: “I used to hate my Hearing Aids when I was a little girl. Now, I LOVE them. Check out this video for why.”

Rachelle Houde Simard: “Rarely does LinkedIn give us the opportunity to go deeper than our professional ‘front.’ Hats off to Manu Goswami, Michaela Alexis, Josh Fechter, and Aaron Orendorff for this #letsgethonest initiative putting forward our vulnerabilities as our superpowers and putting video on LinkedIn to excellent use.”

And maybe my favorite, thanks to the uber honesty …

Natalie Bergman: “So I sat down with my webcam today and told my story because I want to help others who may be stuck in the same place I was. It was terrifying. And I’m going to get even more #honest … I changed my shirt three times before recording this. I recorded this video 9 times over. I still feel like it could be better but finally I said — ‘It’s never going to be good enough. Just share it.’”

We’re not done yet. Jump in and #LetsGetHonest … together.