The LinkedIn Arms Race

Warning: Content may be offensive to some readers. Scenes of mockery, disingenuity, and self-loathing. Not for the easily offended. 

All of this started with a joke. Not our joke. This one…

And it struck a nerve. 

Many of us (can / already) benefit from having an extensive network. It enables us to connect with people we can collaborate with — new team members, customers, partners, investors, advisors, and more.

It is, therefore, useful, to be visible — so that we can connect to as many people as possible. And LinkedIn is purpose-built for us to meet other professionals.

But if you laughed out loud at, that ‘Reality vs. LinkedIn’ status update above, you’ll feel what I’m feeling — that sometimes, we can go too far in promoting ourselves (or our businesses) on LinkedIn. In fact, some posts can be downright cringe-worthy. 

But here’s the problem…

Damn if you do. Damn if you don’t. 

I’m on a mission. We’re all on a mission — right?  We have a company to build, we have a career to nurture — so that we can maximize economic value for our teams and families.

And if we don’t tell the world about what we do, and about what we can do — who’s going to tell it? Do we even exist?

And, with so much content out there, if we don’t amplify things, and appear ‘larger-than-life’ — then, how are we going to get noticed?

And so we go down the rabbit hole of…

The LinkedIn Beauty Pageant 

After seeing the ‘Reality vs. LinkedIn’ Driving Licence announcement — I thought it was worth starting a conversation with my friend who posted that meme.

We got onto Clubhouse late last night — started a room called “The LinkedIn Beauty Pageant”, and - while chuckling over super-inflated LinkedIn profiles - also discussed the dilemma: How do we give ourselves the best shot at getting noticed, without leaving a trail of cringe-worthy posts?

And boy did we have a lot of examples of those posts…

Cringe-worthy Posts

Now the LinkedIn mockery begins… and well, some degree of self-mockery.

Exhibit #1 — Wefie-dropping

(I think I kinda invented that phrase!)

You know the act of name-dropping? Useful on some occasions — when relational-context is actually needed to get things done:

“Hey, one of my investors is X, and he’s a genius on the subject of Y. That means when we work together on Z, I can go to him for help. You don’t have to worry about who’s gonna do Y.”

But I’ve noticed quite a fair bit of Wefie-dropping. “Hey look! This is a picture of me and the President of X having tea together!”

Guilty as charged. Several years ago, I moderated a panel discussion with the famous VC, Tim Draper. I had never imagined I’d get to do something like that — so I captured my fan-boy moment, and shared it on Facebook. I Wefie-dropped (on Facebook).

And karma is real — I now see on LinkedIn, a constant stream of Wefies — of people with famous people… all but missing the caption: “Birds of a feather, flock together”.

Ok, Melvin, be fair... I actually do, completely, get it. There are moments in life — when we’re surrounded by amazing people, and we can’t help but experience a “shout it from the mountaintops” moment. It’s ok to Wefie-drop. 

But as a reader, I’d love to hear the story behind the photo. I’d love to hear the emotions, to learn about the significance of the moment. I’d love to know how you’ve succeeded. Not just the fact that you succeeded.

Exhibit #2 — The Hero’s Journey

First — let’s get the self-mockery out of the way… In about 2 weeks, I’m going to post a story — in which I, am the hero, in the story of my own life.

I’ve built a start-up (work, still in progress) — and I’ve done a ton of shit to make things work… I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve had some wins. It’s going to be a cathartic moment — after a year of angst. It’s going to be a massive cathartic moment.

Some of what I’m going to share — is going to help some friends know that, they are not the only ones who undergo difficulty in building a company. 

And I want to end that story with a high. Because that’s what it’s all about — start > pain > reward.

But I hope to write a story that doesn’t cause anyone to cringe. Because I’ve come across a bunch of stories that are simply, carriers of self-congratulatory messages.

You know how — in some combat movies, you see the victor on the floor — all bloodied and bruised from having really battled with a tough component. And he ekes out a marginal victory? I like that.

But some stories on LinkedIn, are akin to oriental fantasy martial arts movies — where the protagonists, with porcelain skin and long flowy hair, seem to outwit their opponents with every move. And at the end of the battle, they stand perched on a mountain top, for 15 whole seconds, as the wind carry their hair and their capes like victory flags.

Exhibit #3 — The New Table-stakes: “Mentor, Advisor, Angel Investor, Board Member”... all in one title.

I’ve written a lot already. So I’m going to wrap it up soon. This one is pretty easy to understand…

You know how today — everyone can start a company? (Yay! My startup is all about helping founders set up, and run their companies. — Plug!)

Well, because of that, there are more opportunities to be a mentor and an advisor to founders.

But I can’t help but shake the feeling, that - while there are indeed a bunch of ‘legit’ advisors and mentors - there are a ton of people who don’t quite have the impact that they make themselves out to have.

More importantly — I appreciate it when such a position is listed under ‘Experience’, rather than ‘Title’.

For Starboard, I have three incredible individuals who are on our Advisory Board. They have made an impact. They have made a defined commitment to make an effort, and they fulfill it. They have equity in the company. And I think these are great qualifiers for what is an ‘Advisor’.

Again — as I write this, I know that someday soon, I’m going to be judged. I am very interested in Web3, and I have accepted an Advisory role in a Web3 start-up. I am definitely going to associate with this startup (under the ‘Experience’ section of my LinkedIn Profile) — because I’d like people to know that I have hands-on experience in ‘Web3’ strategy. But I sure am not going to add ‘Advisor’ to my bio or title.

Also — as my friend Jay said “putting $500 in a friend’s startup does not make one an angel investor.”

LinkedIn OG’s, do you miss the simpler days?

I missed the early days of LinkedIn… when it was simply about where you work, and changes to your company and functional responsibilities. It made it very easy for us to follow our friends’ careers, and to get connected with potential collaborators.

But by comparison, participation on LinkedIn feels like an arms race today. And LinkedIn is not helping… by prompting us to make a certificate out of every post, with emojis and unicorns.

The Real Problem (and Solution)

Back to the problem — Damn if you do. Damn if you don’t.

There will be moments worth celebrating. I wish many of those moments upon my friends, and I wish them upon myself.

And sometimes those moments are going to be so big, and meaningful to us — that we won’t be able to contain it… we’ll have to share it. That means we’re going to see a new story on LinkedIn.

I want people to know what I’m working on, and I want people to know what my team and I are capable of — so we can grow. That’s why I’m going to toss my hat in the ring. I only pray I do it well! 🤣

If not… then the laugh’s on me.

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