The Secret to LinkedIn Success: Find Your Voice

Being named to LinkedIn’s Top Voices 2019: U.S. Influencers list alongside people I truly admire (Melinda Gates, Adam Grant and Mellody Hobson, just to name a few) puts an exclamation point on a year’s worth of thinking and writing, reading and reflecting on the platform. I feel inspired to continue the dialogue and want to share what I believe is the single most important element to success on LinkedIn: Find your voice. 

It sounds simple but trust me—it’s easier said than done. Here are four tips to finding one’s voice:

1.     Say something worthwhile. Write about moments that matter: turning points, uphill battles or forks in the road. 

2.     Have a sense of humor. Remember that it’s okay to take your work seriously, but not yourself. Don’t mistake humor for lack of purpose.

3.     Be vulnerable. Nothing draws people closer together than the shared feelings of fear and insecurity, anxiety and ambition.

4.     Be original. Write your own material and avoiding clichés and time-worn tropes. 

To salute resonant voices, I will honor 10 people who have pierced the din and whose words have rung in my ears for years. These are women and men who’ve led the conversation, made us listen, take note and, in many cases, shape-shifted their environment and transformed the world. 

Follow #ResonantVoices and over the next two weeks you will meet people whose voices have inspired generations, including a little girl from the Midwest.

I offer heartfelt thanks to LinkedIn for providing a safe space to hunt for one’s voice. You’ve created a positive and constructive community in an often cruel and unforgiving world.

Finally, to my followers and connections, I hear you.