All work and no play makes you dull and boring on LinkedIn

Set in the snowed-in Overlook Hotel, the movie The Shining features winter caretaker Jack Torrence holed up in his study, day after day, attempting to write a book.

Making a buck looking after an empty hotel while churning out a book seemed like a win-win. But, as in all decent horror movies, it wasn’t meant to be.

Fast forward to the iconic scene featuring Jack’s wife Wendy approaching Jack’s typewriter with great trepidation, wanting to see what he’s been writing. Instead of finding a well-progressed manuscript, she’s horrified to see hundreds of pages featuring the same blurb typed over and over again:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Most certainly an horrific display of writer’s block in the movie, it’s an old proverb that means working all the time and not making space for things that bring you joy is unhealthy.

This is a great lesson for how I believe we should show up on LinkedIn.

Many people assume because LinkedIn is a professional network we should only present one dimension of ourselves: the ‘work’ self. The trouble is, being all work and no play is boring and doesn’t set us apart from the crowd.

Further, journeying through the pandemic made us appreciate the value of showing up in a genuine and transparent way. Kids, cats and dogs appeared in Zoom meetings. So too did beards and gym gear. We picked up new hobbies. We may be venturing back to the office, but people’s wellbeing still matters.

We owe it to each other to show up in a balanced way on LinkedIn instead of pretending we have nothing else going on but work.

Here’s what you can do to go beyond your ‘work’ self and show up with a life in LinkedIn:

• Tailor your background banner – The grey banner behind your head is customisable. Instead of a picture of you presenting at a conference or a company logo, pop in an image that resonates on a more personal level. It could be where you like to holiday, the city you live in, or where you like to ride your bike.

• Make your headline more than your day job – Are you a recruiter who is a life-long learner? A consultant passionate about animal welfare? A kick-boxing banker? You can go beyond your job title to reinforce the things that matter to you by extending your headline with a second sentence or additional key words.

• Tell me what you care about – In addition to covering your areas of expertise in your summary (About section), explain why you enjoy doing what you do and describe the difference you’re trying to make. This could be a work-related passion or a contribution you make in your community, such as volunteering, or participation in a professional association.

• Mention your personal interests and hobbies – I promise your IQ will not be diminished if you mention that you like to surf, sing or dance the tango. In fact, it will make you more interesting. Noting hobbies and personal interests in your LinkedIn summary is a great way to set yourself apart. It could even act as a conversation starter in a connection request.

• Don’t sound like a textbook – When you post, write the way you speak. Use informal language, rather than textbook or corporate speak. When sharing content, point out its value. Tell me a story. Ask questions to encourage a conversation. Save 10% of your bandwidth for sharing a personal achievement or milestone.  All these things will make you more interesting, interested and relatable.

Did you know our “all work and no play” proverb has a second part?

All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.

In the context of LinkedIn, I take this to mean: don’t go overboard on the personal stuff and seek balance in how you show up. After all, LinkedIn is still a professional social media network.

So, go on and open up a little more. Tell me what you like to do on the weekends. You’ll be way more interesting to me if you do.

Why liking stuff is just not enough: 10 reasons to go beyond the ‘like’ button in LinkedIn

There are a bunch of reasons we like things on social media platforms.

We put a thumbs up on content we find interesting. Laughing emoji for funny stuff. We like content posted by our friends to tick a box and let them know that we’re thinking of them. We may like content to follow a crowd. We love the dopamine hit we get when people ‘loveheart’ our content. And in dating apps? The ‘like’ operates at a whole other level (so I'm told).

Here, I want to cover hitting the ‘like’ button in the world’s largest professional social network, LinkedIn.

Too often when I look up people on LinkedIn, I see that all or almost all of their activity is liking content. There are no posts made by those individuals. Or content is shared without comment. Often this behaviour is driven by a belief that keeping our insights and perspectives to ourselves is the safest game to play.

The problem with this approach today is that our LinkedIn profiles tell our professional story in a visible way and we live in visible, connected world.

People are looking us up and forming an opinion about us based on what they find online, whether we like it or not.

Further, the pandemic has put a spotlight on online engagement as traditional means of connecting and networking were curtailed.

After years of observing and coaching executives on building their social media capability, I believe hitting the ‘like’ button in LinkedIn is just not enough today, when your online presence is being examined like never before.

Here are my thoughts on why it makes sense for professionals to step up and go beyond the ‘like’ and start sharing interesting content, insights and perspectives.

1.Tells people what you care about. Whether it’s personal or professional, sharing content that’s aligned to the things you care about will highlight shared interests and provide a reason for someone to connect with you or follow you. It’s your value proposition or ‘shop front’ on display.

2. Demonstrates how you think. Posting content with a caption expressing your perspective provides a window into how you think. When you share your perspective and experiences over time, you’ll build a strong digital footprint that demonstrates your expertise and how you go about your business.

3. It’s generous. Sharing what you know is a generous thing you can do for another human being who knows less about a topic than you do. I’m not advocating that you share sensitive or confidential information. What I am saying is that generally, sharing information rather than hoarding it, is what can help build your impact and influence.

4. Being social is about engagement. Your connections, followers–and even organisations–will appreciate it if you engage in or share their content. If it’s compelling, jump into the conversation by commenting and if you think your network of connections and followers will find it interesting, then amplify it with a share.

5. Gets your thinking ‘out there’. When you share, you’ll create an opportunity for your insights and perspectives to go beyond your network of usual suspects and be discovered by people that you don’t know, but who are interested in the way you think. Add hashtags, and you may create the chance for serendipitous knowledge accidents to happen.

When you share, you’ll create an opportunity for your insights and perspectives to go beyond your network of usual suspects.

6. Expand your network. When you participate in social media, over time you’ll make connections you otherwise wouldn’t if you were just dealing in the ‘real world’. Some of my early interactions in social media led to me forming strong friendships with people all over the world who share the same interests and are happy to help each other out.

7. Tells me who you are. When I look you up, I want to get a sense of who you are, what you stand for and how you think about your work. If I find nothing but a stream of ‘likes’ in your social media activity feed, I just won’t get a sense of what you’re all about and what it might be like to engage with you or work with you.

8. Can help you manage your reputation. If the train should crash for you one day, your reputation may remain intact if you have a sensible social media presence in your wake. The reverse is also true. A considered digital footprint could lead to that next speaking gig, opinion piece, book deal, or other interesting opportunity you otherwise may never have been considered for.

9. The future of work is online. The pandemic has permanently altered the way we behave. The future of work is one where we'll mobilise in online communities to collaborate, solve problems and get work done. Then we’ll disband, and come together in another community to do it all again another day.

Building a habit of working in a more social and visible way is now an essential life skill and not simply a ‘nice to do’.

10. Being social is fun. Like being at an awesome dinner party or other cool social event (remember those?), engaging with those around us, being genuinely interested in other people, who they are and what they have to say is a fun thing to do. Importantly, while opportunities to engage with others in person have dried up for many of us right now, being socially engaged and creating connections online may help keep your sense of belonging and wellbeing intact.

If you’re a serial ‘liker’ in social media or just plain quiet, then I hope you’ll find some inspiration here to motivate you to do more. Go and engage in interesting content. Share content you love and that will provide value to your network. Share some career lessons. I guarantee that over time, you’ll find your social media experience much more interesting and rewarding. And it’s in alignment to where the future of work is taking us – a large whack of our time spent online.

Can we turn kids into grown-ups in just two months?

Yesterday my 14-year-old son missed a meeting with a teacher about some work he was having trouble with. I know this, because the teacher sent him an email expressing her disappointment that he was a no-show and she copied me. It’s not the first time this has happened. And my youngest son is no angel on this front either.

“Google Classroom is not the only thing to stay on top of,” I say to my boys. “You have to check your email regularly. Multiple times a day, otherwise you might miss something.”

As an advocate for a more social way of working, instructing my kids to pay more attention to their email is a bitter pill to swallow. And my kids look at me as if I’m crazy.

Two years of digital transformation in two months

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report that the company had experienced “two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.” Many of us working from home would agree. We’ve shifted our office desk to home and we’re trying to get on with work in a different way in the middle of a pandemic. It’s not easy.

Knowing the business rules

Even though our kids are digital natives, after watching mine ‘work from home’ for 30 days or so, I know they’re struggling too. We’re watching them try to adhere to all sorts of business rules and we’re disappointed when they can’t.

Truth be told, we’re asking our kids to operate like grown-ups who have been in the workforce for years, when the reality is, we can’t do a Microsoft and transform them in just two months.

We're asking our kids to operate like grown-ups who have been in the workforce for years.

Here are the capabilities and habits kids need to work on if they are to succeed in today’s distributed world of school. Parents, feel free to add to this list.

Kids, sort out these things:

1. Time management. There are no school bells to tell you when recess is over and Math class is about to begin. Learn to watch the clock and set alarms if necessary.

2. Outcomes. Learn to swallow the frog and focus on the ‘right’ work. Putting off challenging school work will inevitably lead to no meaningful outcomes. That’s bad news for your end of term report.

3. Deadlines. Make a note of what assignments and projects are due and when. Hand in work on time. Check in to see if any deadlines have shifted for whatever reason.

4. Dress. This is a tricky one right now, as I’m in gym gear almost 24/7. But kids, at least get out of your pyjamas, brush your hair and look presentable for that early morning Google Classroom session.

5. Dealing with others. When in meetings, look engaged. Your teachers and fellow students won’t love it if you look bored and they’ve love it even less if you fall asleep at your desk. Pay attention, look interested and get involved.

6. Playground politics. When I coach adults in building their digital capability, I say don’t ‘Twitter when you’re bitter’. Same rules apply here. If your little friends are driving you crazy in the virtual playground, don’t feed the trolls. Put your devices down and go do something else.

7. Work-life balance. If you can get your school work done during ‘office hours’ that’s less you have to do after hours to catch up. When it’s finished, switch off and go have fun. Engage in physical activity, since team sport is still out of bounds.

Educators are super heroes

In highlighting these areas for improvement, I’m not targeting schools. My husband and I have only got two kids to manage. Just as the world of work has changed, education has had to transform overnight. Class teachers are herding 25 kids or more every single day from their laptops. They are super heroes as far as I’m concerned, doing a fantastic job.

There is good news

It’s not all hopeless, though. As a fan of working in a more open and social way, here’s where I think many of our kids have the edge on us working adults.

Adults, learn this stuff from your kids:

1. Share your work. Whether it’s presenting to the class or posting a project in progress in the school enterprise social network, our kids are building a habit of working visibly and getting input from others along the way. It’s not weird to them. It’s a natural way of working.

2. Be curious. When all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail. We do things the same way, even if it’s dysfunctional at times, because we’re too busy to re-engineer a process. Kids aren’t wired that way. I marvel (sometimes) at the ingenuity of my two boys who see the world as a place where you can be curious and experiment over and over again.

3. Be honest. How many times have you sat in a meeting, disagreeing with something being discussed, but not speaking up? Kids aren’t afraid of telling it like it is. Sure, we’d like our kids to apply some filters at times, but it’s refreshing to engage in conversations where we feel safe to be ourselves.

4. Be vulnerable. Too many adults think they need to have all the answers at work. We’re already bearing our souls by letting our colleagues peer into our messy living rooms and look at our isolation dress, hair and beards. It’s OK to be imperfect. Keeping things real at work engenders more trust than trying to maintain high production values.

It’s OK to be imperfect. Keeping things real at work engenders more trust than trying to maintain high production values.

Taking good habits into the future of work

As we continue to work shoulder to shoulder with our kids, let’s remember that changing behaviour and habits won’t come about in two months. Your kids are still learning how to navigate this and it will take a while.

At the same time, let’s look to our children for lessons in how we can be more effective in our work. Our kids are going to be the leaders of tomorrow and they will bring into the workplace more open and visible ways of collaborating and doing things. In the meantime, they can teach us a great deal about sharing what we know, asking for help, being curious and telling it like it is. 

When you share what you know

It’s International Working Out Loud Week (18-24 November 2019) and a good time to reflect on the things that can happen when you open up and share the things you know.

I should know! Just a little over two years ago, I got out of the corporate world and began my own communication and social media practice. Back then, I spent time travelling and deepening my connections with people who were interested in the same things as me.

Today, I’m still a big believer in ‘working out loud’ and sharing what you know. In fact, I get a little anxious when I don’t feel like I’m lifting my weight here, which can happen when things get busy.  Here’s why I’m a big fan of working in a visible way and why I think you might benefit too.

When you share what you know, you will:

1. Expand your connections – Powered by social media, sharing what I know has enabled me to make connections and meet people I might otherwise have not had the opportunity to meet. The icing on the cake is I’ve been able to connect with many of these amazing people ‘in real life’ too.

2. Add value to your network – Something that’s common-sense to you could be a revelation for someone else. Digital workplace futurist Dion Hinchliffe once told me: “As far as we think we’ve come in the digital age, there’s always someone who’s cave painting.” Don’t discount sharing the simplest of your lessons.

3. Build your credibility – Another great advocate of sharing what you know, Euan Semple, wrote in his book Organisations Don’t Tweet, People Do that “sharing what you know doesn’t diminish its worth but instead increases its value”. The more you share, the better your chances of building your impact and influence.

4. Get asked to do things – When you take the time to share what you know and care about and reflect that in your ‘digital footprint’, people get to know what you can offer and ask you to contribute to all sorts of interesting projects. One opportunity begets another and another and so it goes. There’s no better fun than that.

5. Help solve problems – A problem shared is a problem halved. Whether you’re contributing knowledge to help someone else, or you’re seeking answers, sharing what you know in a visible way helps people and communities get answers faster than they could trying to do the job via email or asking the usual suspects.

6. Get back as much as you give – You may believe it’s safer to keep your insights and opinions to yourself. That way no one gets hurt. The reality is, when you share what you know on a regular basis and are genuinely helpful, over time the benefit tends to come back to you in spades. Don’t be afraid to give.

“If you don’t share what you know, how does anyone know that you know it?”

I coach executives on why it pays to be socially engaged. I find myself saying to many of them: “If you don’t share what you know, how does anyone know that you know it?” It causes many of them to stop and think about whether they are investing enough time in building mutually beneficial networks and relationships for the long term. I am particularly passionate about women finding their voice via social too – many of us still listen to the voice in our head that says we don’t have anything valuable to share. Stop it, ladies!

Sharing what you know need not be impolite when it comes from a good place. So this week, during Working Out Loud Week, let go. Be a little vulnerable. Ask the Twittersphere a question. Offer advice to stop someone else’s train from crashing. Share some work in progress and ask how it could be improved. You may be surprised at the response you get.

International Working Out Loud Week promotes the practice of working out loud. The goal of a week dedicated to working out loud is to create the circumstances where individuals and organisations are prepared to experiment with working out loud. This is achieved by celebrating working out loud and creating opportunities to connect individuals and organisations with others practicing and learning ways to work out loud.