My dad stepping up the LinkedIn game

My dad is one of the most IT illiterate people I know. Probably he is the worst just after my mom, who (I swear) still owns a Nokia 1112 and hasn’t learned yet how to read texts. He has always been a true man of action, spending his whole life working in the constructions business all over the world and working hard every day. He is one of those guys that wakes up at 5AM to work….on a Sunday.

A few months ago, he got interested in using LinkedIn and in how to keep in touch with his former colleagues and current working partners. At the age of 69, I found this very admirable so I gave him a crash course on the social network. The usual stuff: how to connect, how to comment, what kind of content should be shared, which kind of language should be used and so and so forth.

With my pleasure and utter surprise, a few weeks later I noticed how he was probably the most engaged user in my over 4000-connections network, and he certainly was the most passionate user. Contrarily to most people on LinkedIn, he gives honest, spontaneous and personal comments about his field of work. He doesn’t try to (over)sell himself his brand, his expertise. He just says what he thinks. This made me think that this is how all of us used to be on social media before we started being more concerned with personal branding. We would just say things and explore opinions, trends and reactions. Now we continuously sell ourselves, our image and our brand. We kind of become our own brand.

In my work I often bump into people saying “It’s too late to change” or “I’m not cut out for communication and social media.” My dad gives the example that all it takes is the will and desire to learn anything. Everything can be taught and everything can learned at all ages. Go on dad! You’re the man!