Executives can find—and offer—authenticity on LinkedIn

You never know where your next deal or connection will come from.

As CEO of a modern commercial real estate company, I spend much of my day in two ways: (1) meeting with people in person, and (2) speaking with people online. 

After I meet people, we typically connect on LinkedIn. For many years, this was no more than a virtual rolodex, a place to turn when you needed a name or contact info. But over recent years, I’ve noticed that I’m popping in on the LinkedIn feed to see what people are up to and what they’re reading and sharing. It’s a resource to know what’s happening in people’s professional lives.

I started as only a consumer, but over time I began to post more there. I liked seeing the engagement and who was poking their head in on the discourse, which felt more valuable and more civil than what I’d grown accustomed to on other platforms. 

I realize now that I’ve pulled back almost entirely from other social networks. I still use Twitter on occasion to read the news, but there’s so much noise there that it becomes nearly impossible to find the signal. On LinkedIn, people are more focused, more attuned and more gracious.