The Surprising Thing About LinkedIn
Lawrence Chong
#300k+ following Changemaker, Two-Time TEDx, Creative Change Author and Keynote Speaker. Becoming a Changemaker and Seeing the Heart of Lasting Change. Join 30,000 subscribers to the Creative Change Newsletter!
Like many of you, the initial thought of using LinkedIn was for the sake of having a profile online for personal branding or to get more business.
Slowly I started to bother filling up my profile just to see if the site is of any use. And as I began to share posts and updates about innovation, experiences in transforming Asian companies, the conversations started to get more enriching.
I soon realize that a lot of friends on LinkedIn take the posts seriously. They care deeply about the issues, whether it is about leadership, career choices or technology trends. Some are even open to sharing something more personal like family or faith. Quite a few make an effort to articulate their thoughts and present enlightening comments which for me has been a joy to read. I am on Facebook and Twitter, but I have not had such enriching exchanges as the ones here.
The turning point for me was when LinkedIn launched the publish feature in 2014. I was writing regularly for print publications out there, but I was eager to test out the response online and on a global platform like LinkedIn. Plus I had just started writing the book about our work at Consulus, so the timing was perfect!
The response has been fantastic thus far! Thousands of people have read the articles, and I am thrilled that some were featured on LinkedIn Pulse. The views and the comments have been a most reliable feedback process! I am deeply grateful to the many friends who have bothered to pen their comments thus shaping my approach for the book. By the way, look out for it next year.
However, that is not all. What has been most surprising has been the level of friendship with the people I have come to know through LinkedIn. I have received encouraging messages from people whom I have not met. Whenever I celebrate a milestone, friends here have been most supportive, posting comments or have sent personal messages of support.
Some exchanges have led to phone calls or meetings over coffee.
These conversations have been most extraordinary. I have heard deep personal sharing about struggles with business, career choices or even family. Learned from seniors who shared words of wisdom from long careers in corporate life or to be inspired again by young entrepreneurs who are about to brave it all and start new ventures.
These and many deeply personal encounters and conversations have changed my view about LinkedIn. For sure it has been a boost to my business and personal brand. However, beyond that, I can say that I have been surprised to find an extended family here.
People on LinkedIn care and like to see each other succeed, so it feels like having a global cheerleading team. If you notice, the posts on LinkedIn that receive the most likes and comments are those that feature people who have achieved a significant milestone in life or those who have overcome great odds to find success.
I am grateful that what I experience at Consulus is also happening here. In our firm, we call the concept where we win collectively by being interested in each other's growth: co-interest. We have a practice every Friday called Consulus Circle where we share our reflections on the week to reinforce co-interest. By knowing how each one is doing and how each one feels, we can collaborate better. The sharing of posts and comments about how one feels about an issue or someone succeeding on LinkedIn has the same effect.
The enriching and supportive conversations on LinkedIn have helped me appreciate this platform in a new way. In a world that seems to be looking inwards, almost to the point of rejecting dialogue and friendships, LinkedIn is a global network of friends that suggests a united world is still possible. We are all interconnected in some ways, and by being informed, cheering each other on, we can help one another succeed in our personal journeys.
Dear friends, I am grateful to each one of you, especially to those who are in my LinkedIn Circle. Today this circle has grown to more than 100,000 and I am grateful for your posts, encouragement, cheers, and comments. Thank you for your trust in sharing with me your personal hopes and struggles. I hope that my posts have helped you in some way as you seek to transform yourself and shape a better world through work.
Thanks to the team at LinkedIn for your work in bringing us closer. This is a much-needed platform in a time of division. Let us continue to learn more about each other so as to shape a more collaborative future.
Are you in?
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About Lawrence Chong
Lawrence regularly shares about the experiences of helping companies transform to enable innovation through purpose and unity. His passion is in shaping purpose-driven companies that will contribute to shaping a better world.
He is the Co-founder and CEO of Consulus, an innovation consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary design capabilities. Lawrence is a featured speaker at global events such as World Marketing Summit and World Brand Congress. He served as the Immediate Past President of Design Business Chamber Singapore. His thoughts on innovation and creativity appear in regional media such as Business Insider, Business Times, Marketing Magazine, Newsbase, TheEdge , Prestige Magazine, VTC10. In his personal capacity, he is a member of the Focolare, a movement in favor of building a united world through dialogue, economics, and politics.