I ran across this hilarious (and sadly true) visual the other day:
As I scroll through Linked In, there are more and more profiles like the one on the right. Look, self-promotion is a necessary evil in today’s congested, noisy and competitive world. Trying to stand apart from the crowd is an important career requirement.
That being said, I (as should you) cast a skeptical eye towards those profiles that seem to go overboard. Those that boast about “30,000+ connections” (seriously?! I don’t think I could even NAME 30,000 people, let alone connect with 30,000), “influencer” and like this cartoon, the omni-present “visionary.”
What The $#^& Is A Thought Leader
One of the more popular titles I’m seeing on Linked In is “thought leader.” I don’t even know what the hell a “thought leader” is much less if I should be impressed by thought leaders.
I once worked at an organization that was dipping its toes into a new line of business (for them). This line of business included being heavily involved in social marketing and I was told to “position the team as thought-leaders” while the head of marketing was asking me “what does ‘hashtag’ mean?”
True story. Here’s the thing about thought-leadership…people either believe you are a thought-leader or you’re not. Doesn’t matter if you include it in your profile. You, dear profile-maker, do not get to decide if you’re a thought-leader. Others do that for you. Stating that you are does not make it so. You can't "throw it into the universe" and *poof* become a thought leader.
Ninjas, Hackers and Rock Stars Oh My!
While I’m on a rant about dumb titles, can we please acknowledge how ridiculous it is for grown-ass adults to professionally state that they are “ninjas” or “hackers” or “rock stars” (unless you’re Mick Jagger, then by all means…rock on!).
Look, I don’t think work should be boring. I think we should have some fun and not be so stuffy. However, seeing middle aged men and women put “ninja” in their Linked In profiles creates the same ick factor that wearing a fanny pack does.
If you can’t sell yourself without outlandish jargon then you definitely aren’t a visionary ninja thought-leader.
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