Welcome to a very special episode of the Your Digital Reputation podcast. Towards the end of last year, Propel released the 2023 Digital Reputation Report, looking at how more than 100 of Australia’s most senior public servants use LinkedIn. It was a first of its kind report into the public sector, which rarely gets the spotlight on the ways its leaders use social media to connect and engage with key audiences. And it was a treasure trove of insights and examples with expert contributions from the likes of the Honorable Victor Dominello, Martin Stewart-Weeks, and deep research expertise from Jim McNamara and Emily Booth from the University of Technology, Sydney.
For leaders and advisors looking to get under the hood on the best approaches for LinkedIn, particularly for those in the public service, it’s genuinely bursting with golden nuggets. But if I can be both critical of myself and fair to listeners like you for a moment, that treasure trove is actually a bit of a problem for a lot of people. It takes time to get through. And I should know, it was six months in the making after all. So, this special episode is designed to knock that barrier to goodness on its head and to serve those golden nuggets up on a platter for you.
So, if you’ve been meaning to dive into the 2023 Digital Reputation Report Public Sector Leader Edition, but you simply haven’t had the time, this episode will hopefully save you the hassle. Think of it as your audio cheat sheet the report. So let’s let’s dive straight into this special 2023 Digital Reputation Report analysis episode.
FOREWORD: MARTIN STEWART-WEEKS
The 2023 Digital Reputation Report starts with a wonderful quote from the Honorable Victor Dominello that sets the scene beautifully for what’s to come. He says, “The truth is curating an effective digital reputation is now an inescapable part of good public leadership.”
What Victor is saying here is that there is no longer a question around whether leaders should or should not participate, but how. So if you’re still debating if not how in your organisation, I hope this episode provides plenty of fresh thinking that helps you take action.
Victor’s comment is followed by a concise, compelling, yet optimistic foreword by Martin Stewart-Weeks who recognises the new pressures and expectations on leaders to be more visible and more accessible to key audiences while still managing those major digital transformations that are happening in their own organisations.
In Martin’s words, in ways that for some can be challenging and uncomfortable and which ask deep questions about generations of good practice in government and public administration, leaders are coming to grips with a new imperative to match their professional persona with their humanity. And as I think, LinkedIn is that platform, the epicenter where this is all playing out.
So Martin continues around the benefits LinkedIn provides leaders today. He talks about authenticity, connection, performance. It’s a powerful leadership trifecta at a time when the public sector is looking for better ways to build trust and confidence in its work and contribution. The stakes, as he says, couldn’t be higher. You’ll find his full foreword on page 4 of the report.
INTRODUCTION: ROGER CHRISTIE
It’s at this point where I chime in and share my perspective on what a digital reputation is and why it is just so important for leaders today, public sector or otherwise. Because if Google is the owner of first impressions to that, and the information that appears in those first few search results greatly influences how key audiences react to any leader, it pays to both be aware of those results, and ideally, influencing them.
Any leader who opts out of social media leaves their narrative, their reputation in the hands of others. LinkedIn is often the very first search result on Google and the one asset every leader has the power to control. So if you want to leave a positive impression on staff, candidates, partners, peers, customers, more, it is well worth having a LinkedIn presence and one that you carefully curate.
Your LinkedIn presence matters, your digital reputation matters, and it may just be your most valuable and powerful professional asset today. It’s certainly the most visible when you consider that it is the starting point for all research and validation efforts today. Leaders across the public sector need to harness it to its full potential. If they want to win the war for trust and talent, you can catch my high-level thinking on that on page 5 of the report.
KEY STATISTICS
These sentiments provide a great entry point into the rest of the findings and key takeaways with a battle cry for leaders and advisors across the public service to seize the day and reassess the role LinkedIn can play in building trust and confidence in the public sector and most importantly, its people.
The report is broken down into four main sections, the scene setting elements that I’ve just gone through, the key statistics that show the numbers behind leaders’ efforts online today, the key findings, which delve deeper into five key takeaways from the data, and the opportunities that lie ahead for the sector. So let me start by sharing some of the key stats.
We analysed six months of LinkedIn data for 100 plus senior public servants between the 1st of March and 31st of August 2023. That’s around a thousand posts, 1500 plus comments and over 130,000 public engagements related to secretaries, CEOs and directors general from the Commonwealth, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and and Western Australian jurisdictions.
And of all 100 plus leaders analysed, 65% had a LinkedIn profile and therefore 35 did not. In analysing the 65 who do have a profile, 29% had a profile but were inactive or dormant. 15% had a profile but were rarely active. 8% had a profile and were moderately active. and 13% had a profile and were what we deemed very active. Of that 65% with a profile though, almost half, 45% were dormant. In fact, only 36% posted at least once in our six-month analysis window, only 36%.
On the contrary, 21% posted five times or more during that same analysis window. But here’s the number that jumped out at me. Remarkably, ~80% of all leaders analysed generated just 4% of all original posts. That means that less than 20% of that leadership cohort produced a staggering 96% of all original posts. That’s a lot of work for a small group of public sector leaders and a small group that is reaping much of the benefits today.
We also provide benchmarks for average public sector leaders versus active ones and a jurisdiction by jurisdiction breakdown comparison too. So it’s easy to compare leaders against their own efforts or their own efforts against their peers, I should say. And to that point, we have in fact benchmarking data for all 100 of those leaders analysed and provide detailed analysis for you or your leader.
I won’t go into too much detail here, but the one thing I did find interesting was just how active and effective the NSW and Queensland leader cohorts were compared to say their Commonwealth counterparts in particular. Page 11 is well worth a look.
And the next two elements of the 2023 Digital Reputation Report key statistics section were really interesting. The most common LinkedIn personas leaders adopt and the best performing posts for 2023. For the personas, there were six main types.
The first, ribbon cutters. who are known for commonly posting about events and other work-related activities and for using phrases like, great to attend XYZ more often than not.
The second persona, corporate conduits. They’re known for using their profile as a distribution channel for corporate news or reposting company page content.
The third persona, format followers. They’re characterized by a very formulaic approach to their posts, often in an effort to maximize post reach and harness the LinkedIn algorithm, but often at the expense of sharing their own authentic voice.
The fourth was conversation starters who are known for their high comment to post ratio. Now, these leaders appear to enjoy greater rapport, affinity and trust with their audiences based on the data we observed.
And the fifth persona was the true storytellers who have the most distinctive voices on LinkedIn and regularly draw on their own stories, experiences and passions to connect more deeply with audiences. This human approach generates the strongest levels of audience engagement.
And the last persona was the digital placeholders, leaders with an either incomplete or often dormant profile. which accounted for almost half of all leaders with a LinkedIn profile.
So having heard these six, it’s well worth considering which persona best reflects your approach and whether it’s best suited to the outcomes you’re after. Check out page 12 for more details.
In terms of the best performing posts during our analysis window, I was really encouraged to see some wonderfully powerful human stories from leaders. Kiersten Fishburn, Secretary at the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, and Susan Pearce, Secretary at NSW Health, both featured twice in the top five. In Kiersten’s case, a post about her personal experience with breast cancer was particularly personal and powerful.
While Susan Pearce shared a short but very impactful post with an image of her with Dr Kerry Chant marking the anniversary of the COVID vaccine rollout. Queensland Director-General Mike Kaiser rounded out the top five with a direct-to-camera reflection on the Robodebt fallout and a compelling reminder of the true role of the public service. All of these examples can be found on pages 13 and 14 in the report.
41. ROGER CHRISTIE | The 2023 Digital Reputation Report Public Sector Edition Review
KEY FINDING #1: RERAME RISK
Here is where the report really provides its value, our key findings. There are five key findings, each touching on a trend and opportunity for leaders and their teams, depending on their strategic priorities and where they are on their own LinkedIn journey.
So the first finding, it’s time to reframe risk. As I flag right up front, our data shows the majority of leaders still believe it is safer to be dormant than active online. An overwhelming majority, two thirds, either don’t have a LinkedIn profile or have one but failed to post during the analysis period. A further 15% were rarely active, posting less than once a month over six months. And that means roughly four out of five public sector leaders felt it better to say very little or nothing at all over a full six months. But given this idea of a leader’s digital reputation and the fact that it really doesn’t matter, what any individual thinks about LinkedIn themselves, particularly if candidates, partners, and more are all Googling their names to see what they stand for. That behavior is a well-worn path.
So it really doesn’t matter what my opinion on LinkedIn is, if my audiences are using it or influenced by it. The real question leaders and their teams must be asking is this, are we better to stay silent or influence what others say? In staying silent, leaders miss invaluable opportunities to connect and build rapport with audiences like staff and candidates, and to participate visibly in important discussions that show the sector is listening, contributing and evolving. And frankly, they lose relevance. and at a time when leaders are trying to attract and retain quality staff in their teams, knowing they can use platforms like LinkedIn to recognize that staff and team successes, particularly in the public and scalable world of social media, would only support this desired outcome.
Now, I fully appreciate the discomfort some leaders and their teams feel towards LinkedIn, but given the data, And given the industry ambitions, now is the perfect time to revisit the conversation about the role of LinkedIn for the sector. And our report has plenty of examples that show how it can be done purposefully and safely. For more on this finding, check out pages 17 and 18 in the report.
KEY FINDING #2: HUMAN, WORK, OR BOTH?
The second finding, which strategy works best, human, work, or both? This talks to the trend we saw where leaders were 13 times more likely to talk about work than human-focused stories on LinkedIn. 13 times, a staggering 80% of posts made by very active leaders focused on work matters, events, meetings, milestones, announcements, jobs, results, that sort of thing.
But today’s audiences want more than a media release. They want to see the human behind the title. Yet these types of human posts, they made up only 6% of all content. The sector’s human stories, like leaders’ values, experiences, and passions, 6%. That’s a significant difference. And given sources like Edelman tell us that government is in a state of distrust, and given platforms like LinkedIn reward, and even the sector’s key audiences, they actively seek out human stories.
This content strategy must change to win back trust. We must see a shift towards empowering the real people of the public sector. And to be really clear here, this isn’t about leaders sharing overly personal or sensitive information. That can absolutely be risky. This is about leaders simply being themselves, whether they’re in the office or on LinkedIn. The more we see of a leader’s human face, voice, and values, the more we are drawn to them. For more on this finding, check out pages 19 and 20 in the report.
KEY FINDING #3: GETTING WARMER?
Our third finding. Is the sector getting warmer? This is one of my favorite findings. Building on this idea of human faces, voices, and values, and trying to get beyond just sharing work updates as we’ve just covered, there is some really powerful psychology research that we can and should tap into, the stereotype content model. This fascinating piece of work conducted by Susan Fisk and her colleagues more than two decades ago, reveals the single most important opportunity for sector leaders and where LinkedIn simply must play a role. They demonstrate how trust is built with audiences, not by displays of competence, i.e. I’m really good at what I do, but by balancing those proof points with displays of warmth. warmth, and competence.
Think about it in your own world. When someone tells you how great they are, repeatedly, all their wonderful achievements, how many industry accolades they’ve received, you might be impressed, but it doesn’t make you like them, trust them, or hypothetically, want to work for them. These are just credibility markers. Instead, when someone listens to you, when they reveal part of their own story, or empathise with you, or even recognise you or others for their achievements, what happens? They display warmth, and that warmth strengthens connection, and that connection drives trust. Here’s the correlating data from the report.
Even though purely human posts make up just 2% of all the content we analysed, they average a remarkable 900 plus public engagements per post. That is seven and a half times more effective than posts classified as work posts. Warmth trumps competence on LinkedIn every single time. The public sector has spent decades trying to convince its audiences that it is good at what it does and should be trusted with public funding and to deliver public services. But using LinkedIn or any channel to only focus on competence actually prevents the sector from reaching the very trust and credibility outcomes it is after. Let’s be really clear here.
No one becomes a secretary or CEO by chance. Competence comes with the title, but warmth, warmth is revealed at scale through every small yet positive interaction a leader manages online. It helps attract the best and brightest talent to their teams, people the sector needs to solve complex challenges that lie ahead. And it also helps when times are tough and competence is questioned. Think robodebt, for example, and other reputational threats emerge. And this reveals one important final proof point to consider in this particular finding. If you think warmth is just too warm and fuzzy for you, well, consider the risk mitigation benefits.
The more we see the human behind the title, the more we can connect with them and their story. Leaders who are willing to be warm benefit in more ways than one. They amplify positive culture, yes, but they also protect against the dark side of generative AI. That’s right, visible leaders counter misinformation. Misinformation, disinformation, deep fakes, fake accounts, these are some of the main worries leaders and their teams have about social media when it’s exploited by bad actors.
At a time when damaging content that can be created with literally the click of a button, how can the sector protect its trust ambitions from this very real threat? Through warmth, familiar human faces, voices and values, in posts and comments. Fake accounts can easily be countered when leaders have established profiles, voices and networks online. It is those without a presence who invite the greater risk. For more on this finding, check out pages 21 and 22 in the report.
KEY FINDING #4: VISIBILITY MATTERS
Our fourth finding flows beautifully from this idea of warmth and the example leaders set. Visibility matters. From our research, it’s clear to see those leaders who have fostered a culture of empowerment, idea sharing, and constructive discussion through their own actions on LinkedIn. These leaders display public service, the verb, by taking the time to listen, learn, and respond.
Our data actually shows that the top 10 leaders with the highest comment to post ratios, of those, four also feature in the top five who generate the most public engagements per post. When leaders contribute to their online communities, their communities respond and feel empowered to speak up themselves. And this has an important ripple effect.
As the sector aims to attract and retain diverse talent, talent that reflects our diverse communities, One voice is never going to be enough. Representation matters. I referenced some Monash University research in the report that highlights the role of what they call trusted messengers who are best placed to engage and influence their communities, often at a micro or niche level. This isn’t the CEO or secretary. This is the grad. It’s the biosecurity expert. It’s the people and culture manager. It’s the community liaison out in far north Queensland.
To be really clear here, leaders cannot and should not be everything to everyone online, but their actions and influence set the example for others to follow and feel empowered to speak up themselves. And that’s where visibility and representation starts to happen. For more on this finding, check out pages 23 and 24 in the report.
KEY FINDING #5: PURPOSE & STRATEGY
Now, for our final finding. And not a lot needs to be said about this purpose and strategy. Our research shows the majority of leaders are yet to settle on a defined role and purpose for LinkedIn as part of their comms channel mix. And this is reflected in the adoption stats that I’ve shared and the reality that nearly 80% of public sector leaders said very little or nothing at all during the six month analysis window.
Our research also shows that leaders with a clear purpose for LinkedIn are those who enjoy stronger engagement and limit some of the risks that we’ve talked about today. LinkedIn is a unique environment and does require its own strategy. It’s not simply a case of copying and pasting from other comms channels, but there is a wonderful and immediately accessible opportunity for every single leader still trying to crack their purpose for LinkedIn.
The APS Secretary’s Charter of Leadership Behaviors provides a helpful reference point. The Charter sets out the expectations secretaries have of themselves and want to see at all levels of leadership. It refers to diversity and inclusion, integrity and accountability, listening and relationship building, empowerment and trust. All wonderful traits of leadership that, when portrayed, provide tangible reminders of the value the public service brings to the table.
Imagine the impact if 14 plus million Australian LinkedIn users were exposed to that kind of leadership online every single day. Imagine if the 80% who are currently quiet instead used LinkedIn to share stories of their people and their successes that reinforce these attributes. The opportunity for LinkedIn is, and always has been, the sector’s greatest resource. It’s people. It’s now simply a matter of sector leaders stepping up to the digital plate. For more on this finding, check out pages 25 and 26 in the report.
THE NEW RULEBOOK. THE OPPORTUNITY. THE WAY FOREWARD
Now this now leads us to the final section of the report, the opportunities that lie ahead. On page 27, I talk about the new rulebook and how the LinkedIn algorithm actually works. And why, for example, relying on your organisation’s LinkedIn company page versus leaders’ profiles means you’re competing with every other company page on LinkedIn for just 3% of your target audience’s feed. 3%! That alone is enough to review the role of leaders.
On page 28, I summarise the opportunities for sector leaders and reference the vital role policies and guidelines like the APS social media guidance has on the choices public servants make online. And that guidance states, social media is now a fundamental part of how we connect and engage with one another. Verbatim, all leaders must be part of that connection and engagement on LinkedIn if the sector is to meet its trust and talent ambitions. Any other strategy is frankly subpar. And I also provide five practical steps leaders and their teams can take to access greater value from LinkedIn and bake it into their broader comms planning on page 29.
But the final thought I’ll leave you with, And the final contribution in the report itself on page 30 goes to the Honorable Victor Dominello, who we recently spoke with on this very podcast. His view about LinkedIn being an inescapable part of good public leadership that I shared at the start, that echoes through his words captured at the end as well, as a powerful call to arms for all leaders. So let me just read a snippet. He says, the report findings are encouraging and troubling at the same time. There’s clearly social media activity and engagement across the leadership cohort. but it isn’t as consistent and creative as it needs to become.
Hopefully, we’re on that path. We’re only just beginning to discover the power and potential of social media, including LinkedIn, as part of the way leaders can forge intimacy at scale. Being prepared to show that human personal dimension has to be part of the magic. The platform also gave me an opportunity to publish some thought leadership pieces to a highly informed and engaged audience. I never would have had the opportunity to publish 2,000 words in mainstream media. That’s an asset any effective public leader needs to understand and engage. Very well said, Victor.
So that’s a wrap on the very best bits of our 2023 Digital Reputation Report, Public Sector Leader Edition. I hope it’s given you plenty of food for thought and plenty of guidance for your own activities, or if you’re looking to shape a new narrative around the role of LinkedIn with your own leaders in the months ahead. And remember, if any of the report sections jumped out as being particularly relevant to you and your circumstances, you can absolutely download the full report for more detail and examples. Or please do drop me a note via LinkedIn and I can easily shoot you a copy.
41. ROGER CHRISTIE | The 2023 Digital Reputation Report Public Sector Edition Review
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