It's time to be honest...

Recently, I've noticed a troubling trend on LinkedIn -- the posts garnering the most attention are far too often negative. The writer does one of two things: publicly shames someone (i.e. recruiters, HR, candidates, etc.) or publicly shames another writer without offering to help. These posts seem to take off, because they prey on stereotypes and misconcieved pain points, virally generating comments from those who agree and disagree. But something about this channeling and sharing of negativity doesn't feel right to me in the professional world (or any world!).

I'm over it. My initial thought was that I don't want to see or read these posts anymore, but I'm not sure I can navigate the LinkedIn landscape well enough to avoid them. I also don't want to avoid LinkedIn, because I believe that beneath the angry-yet-popular posts is a community of great people who also don't buy into the negativity.

Instead, I've decided to ask you -- the people with whom I connect, share, interact, celebrate, and follow -- to join me on a journey to change the narrative. I'm going to shut down the negativity in my feed and start to share my experiences, personal and professional. I'm going to be honest and vulnerable, creative and maybe a little funny along the way. I'm going to share the lessons I've learned and the stories about the people who have influenced me. Most importantly, I'm going to do this with the intention of adding some warmth and humanity back into our digital world.

I invite you to do the same. Write about who you are and what you've learned, and share the tips and tricks that make you successful. I'll be right here, rooting for you from the front row of my keyboard!

Cheers,

Jamie