My most recent guest on the show was Brendan Maher – CEO of St John Ambulance Australia and the former CEO of well-known non-profit suicide prevention organisation RUOK? And it was the transition from Brendan’s previous role at RUOK? – a 14-year-old organisation, still very much in a growth phase – to his new role at St John Ambulance Australia – an organisation with 140 years of history – that was the focus of our chat. It’s episode number 32 in the YDR catalogue, so please go back and have a listen to Brendan’s story before you dive into this short practical reflection.

The question we covered? CEO Transition: How should CEOs navigate social media from one role to the next?

It’s an incredibly rich and real-time exploration of the way any leader can and should use platforms like LinkedIn when transitioning into a new role – for me, largely because as Brendan explains in our chat: “If your listeners are looking for a playbook on how to do it, they’re not going to get it today.” And it’s that rawness and authenticity as Brendan shares his goals, aspirations and challenges that makes this episode so special.

In all he shared, there was one particular challenge that I want to focus in on today, and it’s all about Network – your LinkedIn Connections as the platform refers to them. In all my years working with leaders in this space, I can confidently say Network – of our Propel’s Five Drivers of Digital Reputation – is the most underappreciated and underutilised component of their online presence.

Why does that matter? Because, much like the offline world, your Network is the source of new ideas, opportunities, introductions and even protection when the going gets tough. For someone like Brendan, a CEO transitioning from one organisation to another, Network plays an even more important role as you’ll discover today. So, let’s dive in.

One of my favourite phrases at the moment is “You are what you eat on LinkedIn.” What on earth do our diets and LinkedIn use have in common, you might be thinking? Well, the parallels between them are actually surprisingly strong.  

In both settings, what we ‘put into our mouths’ greatly influences our performance. And, in both scenarios, what we consume is often a product of choices we’ve already made (i.e. what’s in the fridge). In the case of LinkedIn, it all starts with your LinkedIn Connections – your Network. The focus of today’s practical conversation.

So let’s quickly revisit Brendan’s scenario and then package up a few practical steps you can then action yourself straight after listening today.

Like many CEOs, Brendan had built a valuable and relevant network of key audiences during his time at RUOK?. He recognised the importance of staying close to these key audiences as a way to both understand their key pain points or issues, and where he could add value, and he also knew staying close would be valuable when he had an important message to share himself. 

LinkedIn played a vital, strategic role for both of these. Whether he met someone at a partner event, a referral, a potential hire or industry allies – all these connections could be digitally filed away on LinkedIn. So no matter where they went or what role they moved into, Brendan still had access to them via his network and in his LinkedIn feed. Certainly more effective than the old drawer full of business cards…

That’s great and valuable for Brendan to keep in touch whenever THEY moved roles – his key audiences – but what about when HE moved himself?

As Brendan stepped into the top job at St John Ambulance Australia, suddenly his 9,000+ followers on LinkedIn weren’t as perfectly relevant and aligned to his new role and remit as they were when he was at RUOK?. What’s the impact of this?

Three things. 

Firstly, whenever Brendan logged onto LinkedIn, he would see news and updates from people who were no longer as relevant in his world. His ability to instantly get value from his network was greatly reduced and LinkedIn was – as I’m sure many of you have felt at times – too ‘noisy’ to get value. His everyday industry intelligence tool was cut off.

Secondly, Brendan’s engagement efforts therefore became less valuable, too. As his Network had been filled with audiences linked to his last role, he would see updates that perhaps made sense to someone leading RUOK? but not someone leading St John Ambulance Australia. He couldn’t engage with key audiences, and build relationships and trust as quickly. In fact, engaging with the ‘old world’ if we can call it that presented risks as, even though there was history there in those relationships, there may not have been a future. Brendan’s LinkedIn feed and connections risked becoming a distraction for future business success.

Finally, and most importantly for many CEOs, whenever Brendan had something to say, it risked falling on deaf ears. And this is the KEY risk for leaders. Your Network greatly influences how well your content performs and how far it travels. So if your LinkedIn Network is filled with large numbers of people who are less interested in what you have to say, you not only risk limited engagement and reach on your immediate post – the disconnect between your posts and your audience’s interests will continue to erode the performance of all future posts until you fix things. That means crucial CEO messages are often not heard.

Now, this isn’t to say that every one of Brendan’s 9,000-odd connections are no longer relevant, and nor am I saying that’s the case for you too. This isn’t about wiping the slate clean and starting again. But if your LinkedIn Network is filled with people from past pursuits, you risk wasting your time and effort as a leader online. So, if you find yourself in a similar position to a CEO like Brendan, how can you fix it? Here are three important steps you can take straight away.