‘Well-intentioned misinformation’

I recently heard this wonderful phrase from an accountant who has spent the last few weeks deep-diving into the governments’ support packages as they are announced, in order to guide his clients in a timely way. He expressed frustration at the plentiful ‘well-intentioned misinformation’ that is circulating, where people are eager to help but where their advice may be premature or flawed.

It’s certainly tricky navigating the fast pace of change and the nuances of developments as they unfold and sometimes course-correct, but those in advisory roles or those seen as advisors to their audience need to be extra careful with what they are putting out there right now – not just because of the potential damage to their own reputation, but more importantly – because someone might be taking that advice.

In a recent video I described my own frustration at the irrelevance of some content where podcasters are continuing ‘business as usual’ and not giving sufficient thought to how advice about growing your business or making money etc. may be received right now. It’s not that this subject matter is no longer relevant; it’s that it can’t be treated in the same way as it was even a few weeks ago. As I mention in the video – this is resulting in hitting ‘unsubscribe’ as respect is lost.

Practical LinkedIn Tip on CONFUSION: Careful with what you endorse through ‘likes’

I have seen examples of very well-informed and skilful professionals writing posts with great information for their audience on LinkedIn… and then ‘liking’ every comment made on their post, whether the comment is helpful/well-informed or not.

Be aware that when you ‘like’ a comment someone has left on your post, it is not merely a ‘thank you’ for engaging with your material; it can be seen as an endorsement of what they are saying. So if what they are saying is factually incorrect, ensure you are not aligning with the actual comment by ‘liking it’. You can counter with the correct information, or you can ignore it, or you can remove the comment. Just don’t ‘like’ it automatically.

Video: My Number 1 Personal Brand Tip for right now

Who is the bigger person?

It’s perfectly acceptable to correct someone who provides information you know to be misguided. Or to defend your position if you know you are right and someone is criticising you. But how you choose to do this is what really matters.

As someone who shares content almost daily, I know how frustrating it is to be criticised publicly by someone who is saying something untrue or even ridiculous… or who hasn’t bothered to read your post properly before pointing out something they think you haven’t considered!

But that will only make you look bad if you descend to that level of exchange. As counterintuitive as it feels, try thanking them for the comment before continuing with a measured response.

I cannot believe the amount of comments I see on LinkedIn – what is meant to be a professional platform – that reveal their authors to be less than professional. Heated comments that are overly defensive or personally insulting (even if in a ‘subtle’ passive-aggressive way) achieve nothing more than a demonstration of someone’s deeper feelings of inferiority and lack of professional judgement in the moment.

I’m not saying emotion has no place in business – showing emotion is good when it is constructive, supportive, inspirational or serves to connect people. But acting out because you don’t like what someone is saying has no place in professional conversations.

Practical LinkedIn Tip on EMOTION: If you wouldn’t say it to their face, don’t say it online

The truth is most people wouldn’t say those things, in that tone, to someone’s face, particularly someone they have just met or barely know. So why would you do it online… where everyone can see your heated reaction?

The difference between those who get emotional and those who choose to be the bigger person gives us the best example of the gap in people’s personal brands. While some don’t even see what they are communicating about themselves… others are building deep trust through their everyday reactions and interactions online.

Hope this is helpful! If you have a topic you would like me to address in the ‘Online Personal Brand Tips for Crisis Mode’ series, please let me know!

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Confidence and effectiveness on LinkedIn are about knowing the rules, having a clear personal brand, and making sure your communications fall within these boundaries. It’s also about having a clear reason and strategy for using LinkedIn, and letting that direct your efforts. Let’s go through each of these.

Confidence Booster #1: Understanding LinkedIn etiquette

Now opinions will vary here, but my personal opinion is that LinkedIn should be a professional space, and as such, wishing everyone you’re connected to a happy birthday, posting sexy selfies, or making offensive comments or jokes are not acceptable behaviours. You WILL see this type of thing, but it’s usually shot down pretty quickly (and does nothing for your professional image to be seen to be engaged with this). But this stuff is pretty obvious.

As a professional you will also want to keep your comments positive or constructive, backed by personal experience and knowledge, and more or less on topic (i.e. your area of expertise or your business interests). You may wish to stay away from politics, religion, or anything else that may polarise people when it has nothing to do with your professional space. You’ll want to use professional language or at least good grammar and you’ll want to double-check your spelling before hitting ‘Post’.

LinkedIn IS a space to promote your skills and the value you bring to your clients and stakeholders, and you should learn how to confidently communicate that. However, there is a difference between interspersing great content that is helpful with the odd promotion of a service or event, and blasting people with unsolicited advertising direct to their inbox.

The more you read the more ideas you’ll have.

In terms of what kinds of things to post, the more you read the more ideas you’ll have. Share some links to great blogs or articles, with your comments on the value readers will find there. Join quality LinkedIn groups if possible (there aren’t many left) or check up on your favourite organisations’ LinkedIn pages. Get in the habit of noting when you come across something interesting, and you’ll never be short of ideas.

Confidence Booster #2: To work your personal brand, work to your personal brand

To really work that professional image, you need to ensure all your communications work for and not against it. So whenever you are writing a post or an article, uploading a video or photo, or even just commenting on or liking someone else’s post, ask yourself: Does this support my personal professional image? If the answer is yes, go for it. If in doubt, leave it out.

Confidence Booster #3: Have a reason for being on LinkedIn, and a strategy to match

If you are on LinkedIn to find more clients, build a business, win more contracts, or attract a new role, your strategy should be about building a profile that communicates what you offer, building a network that will help you achieve your goal, and building interest by contributing relevant and valuable content. This is what’s known as a ‘pull’ or inbound marketing strategy, because it attracts people rather than slapping them in the face with your promotions, ‘pushing’ them to buy. Your content might be articles on topics relating to your expertise, posts sharing videos or webinars, or simply your comments and shares of other material you come across on LinkedIn.

If you remind yourself of your purpose for being on LinkedIn, and remember that it is a space to be professional, you should find yourself a confidently active member of this powerful online community. If in doubt, model someone on LinkedIn you really, really admire, that represents the type of professional you wish to be seen as.

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