My most recent guests on the Your Digital Reputation podcast were Amanda Yeates and Rebecca Boon – two former colleagues from the Department of Transport and Main Roads in the Queensland Government. And it was their former partnership that was the focus of our conversation, as they came together back at the start of COVID to begin building Amanda’s social media presence. Amanda as Deputy-Director General of the Department, and Rebecca as her trusted communications and social media adviser.
The question we covered? How to build a social CEO.
It’s episode number 34 in the Your Digital Reputation catalogue, so please go back and have a listen to their shared story before you dive into this short practical reflection. It’s a wonderful insight into the two sides of a successful online partnership between leadership and communications.
It’s the source of so many conversations I have with clients offline, and has also been a focus with previous guests on this show. Leaders I speak with often wonder how their industry peers find the time. They want to know what is ok to outsource and what’s risky. They want to know what skills or attributes to look for when finding and engaging a trusted comms adviser to help them.
Those advisers on the other hand have different questions. They want to know how they can best support their leaders to take some of the load off them. Whether they can ghostwrite or act as a proxy in private messages. And, even before that, how they can show their leader LinkedIn is well worth more of their time, than simply having an empty profile they give to others to speak on their behalf. Which, as we know, is fraught with danger.
So, in this episode I want to provide a best practice guide for setting up a successful partnership online. Specifically, I want to share advice from both sides of the equation, so leaders know what they should do or ask to get the best results, and so comms advisers know where they too can have greatest impact. So, here you go!
LEADERS: 5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LEADER & ADVISOR LINKEDIN PARTNERSHIP
LEADERS: KNOW YOUR OWN RYTHYMS.
This sounds so basic yet it’s so important. I can’t tell you how many times I hear of leader’s LinkedIn programs falling over because they couldn’t find the time. It’s not about time – it’s about rhythms. If you’re a calendar person, set 15 minute blocks when suits during your week. If you want to use your commute time for engagement, do that. If you prefer a content and objectives briefing chat to start or end your week, ask for that. With the exception of crafting an important message, no leader needs to spend more than 90 mins on LinkedIn every week. We can all find 15 mins a day in our diaries.
LEADERS: GET CLEAR ON YOUR PURPOSE & HOW 'PERSONAL' YOU'D LIKE TO BE.
My Purpose Pyramid Framework is the single most important planning tool you can use to get clear on why you’re using LinkedIn. It helps you define your goals, the people who matter most to you – and what matters most to them – and your personal passions – the things that fire you up. And it’s this last point that only you – the leader – can answer.
We all know LinkedIn users – your key audiences – want to hear more than the corporate script. And we all know LinkedIn’s algorithm wants to hear more personal stories than dry corporate jargon. But it is up to you – the leader – to define just how personal you intend to be. I have some great examples of different kinds of ‘personal’ on LinkedIn – from one extreme to the other – so please do reach out if you need a benchmark. And as promised, below is a copy of our Purpose Pyramid template. I encourage you to make time to do it this week.
LEADERS: KNOW WHERE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE VS VUNERABLE.
My advice to leaders is to always play to your strengths first. If you’re a great listener and supporter, don’t try to write a compelling and engaging narrative style post straight off the bat. Start with commenting and build up to it. Knowing and playing to your strengths – and being honest about where you feel least comfortable – is incredibly helpful guidance for your adviser who is looking to provide the support you need, not get in the way or double-handle.
Deb Jenkins – COO @ DEWR is a great example of this. She’s a gifted listener and relational leader and that very much shows through her online presence. Take a listen to the conversation with Deb if you’re yet to tune in to this episode.
LEADERS: TRUST YOUR TRUSTED ADVISOR.
Once you know the different roles you’re playing, you must trust your adviser. If you don’t, the partnership will break down. If there’s something concerning you, talk about it. Only two results can come from a lack of trust in this relationship – either nothing at all gets done, or you – the leader – take on everything and cracks start to emerge. Cracks you can’t afford when we’re talking about your reputation. Amanda Yeates said in our conversation, “Beck’s most valuable quality was understanding her and that created a sense of trust.” Find this, bottle it, leverage it every day.
LEADERS: COMMIT TO YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES.
Like rhythms, this is a really simple one. We all get busy and nothing ever goes to plan. But even if you’re a few hours or a few days late, always come back to what you said you’d do and tick those items off. If you’re not getting value from LinkedIn that’s a different question and again, please do reach out. But otherwise, committing to your responsibilities is important to enable your adviser to do what they need to do.
ADVISORS: 5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LEADER & ADVISOR LINKEDIN PARTNERSHIP
ADVISORS: DO YOUR RESEARCH (AND KEEP DOING IT!).
Whether a leader is familiar and comfortable online, or just taking their first steps, context is incredibly valuable to ensure any next steps are safe and worthwhile. Context is key! And one of the most important roles an adviser can play is providing that context, early and often.
In the case of LinkedIn, that means: sharing examples of posts or comments from key audiences or industry influencers; looking at how other industry leaders approach relevant issues and discussing the best examples with your leader; or sharing public commentary or feedback about initiatives your leader is either driving or interested in to inform future messaging. All this is incredibly helpful and will set strong foundations for your partnership.
ADVISORS: KNOW YOUR LEADER.
I flagged this before in the context of trust. It’s vital that leaders trust their advisers, but advisers – likewise – need to earn that trust. That comes from knowing your leader and what matters to them. Take time to learn about them as a person, not just what they want to post on LinkedIn. Doing our Purpose Pyramid exercise together is a great way to fast-track this process if need be. Just remember that Amanda said this was the most valuable thing about Rebecca, and informed any of the technical guidance she gave – Rebecca got Amanda more than she got the platform.
ADVISORS: KNOW YOUR PLATFORM.
It follows that once you know your leader and what matters to them, you have a responsibility to ensure that knowledge informs any advice you give on how they show up on LinkedIn. When you feel comfortable and confident on LinkedIn, you can spend more time focusing on your leaders objectives and less time on the technical nitty gritty – you’ll intuitively know what button to press when you need to. So whether it’s optimising your leader’s profile, configuring their back end settings or making the most of the algorithm to get the result they’re after – take time to upskill on LinkedIn yourself so you’re best placed to help them.
ADVISORS: STRESS TEST THE STUFF THAT MATTERS.
As Rebecca and Amanda shared, if you know your leader well, you’ll know what matters to them and what doesn’t. This should inform where you spend your time so you don’t sweat the small stuff, know how to cover any potential gaps, or know when to step back and let your leader shine. In Amanda’s case, she openly acknowledged grammar wasn’t her strong suit.
So, without being militant on grammar, Rebecca could keep this on her radar, while also letting Amanda tap into her wonderful storytelling ability. But please don’t become a micro manager or red pen merchant. No one, including your leader, will remember a small typo. Many more people will remember – and criticise – when they know a post was written without that leader’s input!
ADVISORS: PROTECT - AND PROGRESS - YOUR LEADER.
Ultimately, if you’re advising your leader on LinkedIn, you have a responsibility to ensure they make good choices and make good progress as well. Set appropriate governance guardrails based on your leader’s needs, whether that’s regular planning meetings, content review sessions, or even keeping a tab of how much time and effort they’re spending on LinkedIn.
I see a lot of leaders feeling burdened by internal requests for them to share stories via their own LinkedIn profile. As the adviser, you can manage access here and protect your leader from burn out. At the same time, keep an eye on the work you’re doing together and look for ways to improve the efficiency of effectiveness of your leader’s efforts.
BONUS 3 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY 'SOCIAL CEO' LEADER & ADVISOR PARTNERSHIP
LEADERS & ADVISORS: SET AND REGULARLY REVIEW RESPONSIBILITIES.
I flagged committing to responsibilities as a key element for leaders. It’s vital leaders and advisers keep an open dialogue – even quarterly reviews if nothing else – on what’s working well and what’s not. I had one CEO who originally was really worried about commenting and the time it would take. A few months later, it was the task he enjoyed most, as he learned so much from others.
LEADERS & ADVISORS: SET AND REGULARLY REVIEW RESULTS.
Much like your working rhythms, you must also regularly review performance. But please ignore vanity metrics like reactions and impressions – they’re a helpful guide at best. Instead, stay focused on the objectives or desired outcomes you jotted down in your Purpose Pyramid. Keep your LinkedIn efforts pointed towards these. And it’s vital both leader and adviser are honest with these results – and feel empowered to say when a change in strategy is required.
LEADERS & ADVISORS: REVIEW INDUSTRY EXAMPLES.
Finally, while I’d say it’s the adviser’s responsibility to keep a closer eye on relevant industry examples and best practices across LinkedIn, both adviser and leader should discuss these examples together, what they like, dislike or would be keen to adopt themselves. Use others as inspiration to try new things while remaining true to your leader’s style and voice.
I hope this reflection on authenticity has changed your perspective on the concept altogether. Despite its cringey connotations, the very essence of authenticity is to just be yourself – hopefully you now see that as a wonderful asset and opportunity online. Drop me an email or find me on LinkedIn.
And remember, if you’re looking for a ‘LinkedIn for Leaders’ program and want to take more control of your digital reputation, our Your Digital Reputation program has been designed exactly for leaders like you. It’s everything you need to get up and running on LinkedIn in a safe, sustainable and effective way. AND – it’s all done within one month, for those leaders who want to get real results fast. Drop me a note for more information.
