You have to read the title back to yourself in your best, low, Darth Vader voice to get the full effect! You remember the scene right? Luke is is trapped with Darth Vader and The Emperor as they urge him to ‘join the power of the dark side’ and fulfill his destiny. Then the supposedly incomplete Death Star comes to life to demonstrate it’s might against the rebel alliance.
Have you had a moment like this in your life: when you are racing to get caught up: when you are short handed: when your team is going through a learning curve? Then suddenly all of your hard work and investment seems to pull together all at once and you are ‘fully operational’!
my MOMENT
I can share that I have had moments like this myself. In my grocery days when we were hit by a sudden rush of a snow scare. The shelves would quickly empty, lines would start to back up, and it would take a few minutes to reroute the team to the appropriate jobs to get customers taken care of. Then suddenly I would look around to see the team coming together, shelves getting filled, customers helped out the door, lines getting shorter. This was the moment: I had to hold myself back from picking up the intercom to say ‘Now witness the power of a fully armed and operational grocery store!’ But the thought ran through my head. I grew up in the Star Wars era after all.
This year I have experienced this again with my LinkedIn network. This is the year I started really utilizing LinkedIn and getting to know and interact with my network. For myself, this means posting more: sharing and commenting on posts of my colleagues: connecting with a wider range of individuals for various reasons. At first, this felt awkward, trying to decide what to say, who to reach out to and when to post without overdoing it. But then, there were days where I needed help, a resource, an idea, and even a job. And as in my grocery days, there came a point where everything was just clicking. Things seemed natural and people were willing to help, to share ideas, to be a resource. This was my ‘fully operational’ moment! LinkedIn was no longer merely a collection of online contacts.
Here a few steps to put your network to good use for you so that you too can have your ‘fully operational’ moment.
first: CLEAN HOUSE
The first thing to do is make sure that you have at least the basics of your profile down and presenting to the world in the way that is best for you. In order to get the most out of your experience you have to put at least a little effort in at the beginning. That said, there are just a few easy things you can do to make sure your profile is working for you and not against you, to check out some ideas click here. Or if you would rather see what not to do you can click here. However you get there, be sure you have your bases covered on the essential three:
- Profile Photo: be sure you understand what your photo says about you. For some ideas click here.
- Summary: tell who you are and why you do what you do!
- Experience: share everything that brought you here, this is what makes up the sum of you!
second: BUILD YOUR NETWORK
Now that you have yourself looking good, start reaching out. There are those who connect with everyone, and then there are those who are very select. I fall somewhere in the middle. You have to do what is right for you, however if your connections are not applicable to your goals or interests then you may not value what they share and they may feel the same about you. Whatever number you are connecting with, I would steer towards quality over quantity. For some quick tips on a step by step plan to grow a quality network click here.
third: GIVE SOMETHING
So by now, you look good, your network is growing, and now what? It is time for you to give. ‘Give what?’ you may ask. Give endorsements: give recommendations: give feedback. Give the world a taste of you!
- Endorsements are the easiest because LinkedIn suggests them each time you are endorsed as well as when you click on your connections’ profiles.
- Recommendations will take a little more time and effort and need to be well thought out as you are asking these to posted on your connections profiles.
- Feedback is simple, though it can take some practice to get your style down. Likes are easy to give, shares make a bigger statement, and comments show a bit more of your insight.
fourth: THE NEXT LEVEL
Once you are comfortable with the basic interactions of giving, you can start to share a bit more. There are two basic ways to step up to the next level: posts and group activity.
- Long Form Posts: These require a bit more thought and preparation. Once shared, your point of view or expertise is sent directly to your network. for them to share, like and comment as well. This opens up your exposure throughout the system.
- Group Activity: Taking part in groups allows you to meet and interact with other like minded professionals you may not have found otherwise. Through groups, you can get new ideas and insights as well as stay up to date with the latest trends in your industry.
five: WITNESS THE POWER
If you have walked through each of these steps, you will start to see good things happening. You will in a sense ‘feel the force’ working for you.
- New connections will develop into reliable resources.
- Ideas and insights will flourish through your group interactions.
- Others will seek you out through your stunning profile.
Your network will take on a life of its own and will start to click for you. To sum it up you will be able to sit back and… ‘witness the power of a fully armed and operational network!‘
Thank you for battling through this journey with me. I am very grateful for any of you who share the force with your network through any likes and shares you are willing to give. I look forward to interacting with you in the comments section below.
Andy Vargo is a motivational speaker, life coach and comedian who challenges you to ‘Own Your Awkward’. He is the author of the Awkward Journal series, host of the podcast, Own Your Awkward, and shares thoughts and ideas in his blog and video series available at awkwardcareer.com.
Originally published on LinkedIn