If managing your business takes grit and determination, how can CEOs harness these in order to build quality connections on the LinkedIn platform?

Well, let me take you through a quick exercise.

• Recall those times when you were just starting out — those steps (and missteps) you took to convince anyone (yourself, included) on the value of your idea.
• Did you actively seek out new approaches or concepts which challenged your perceptions?
• How many difficult decisions do you continue to make about your product/service/earning model/personnel which other people can learn from or resonate with?

See, these circumstances form part and parcel of running the businesses, but if we are able to navigate through those tough times and grow nuggets of realization, then we have something worth sharing.

Because honestly, LinkedIn is *NOT* a marketplace where you can simply hawk your goods and services to anyone and everyone.

In order to build meaningful and purposeful connections, you have to attract them to you by the way of expressing your ideas and authentically add value to the conversation.

Being fearless is when you are unafraid to show original thought, add that wicked sense of humor on your post while you’re at it, but at the same time, being able to gallantly open your mind to differing views you receive.

But fearless shouldn’t lead to reckless commenting. I cannot stress enough on how we should steer away from posting misleading or inflammatory statements. Doing shameless self-promotion on someone else’s comments section, e.g. posting links to your website without any context or anyone asking for it, is an annoying trait that can backfire on you.

To get you started, here’s Five Fearless Ways you can try doing:

1. Identify 3-5 topics/niches where you can excel and stand out.
2. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile speaks of your interest or expertise in these topics.
3. Regularly check out hashtags, LinkedIn groups and top news section related to your topic/niche. If you know of thought leaders on those topics, ‘follow’ them on the platform so you can have a steady flow of posts where you can learn from and engage in.
4. Before posting a short comment, read the article and review earlier comments to have an idea on what perspectives to add. You can also pose a question to clarify the author’s views.
5. Take your engagement a notch higher by sending a customized invitation to connect to the post’s author, and mention that you’ve read their article and thank them for engaging.

But what if there’s not much content on my area of expertise?

Then it is an opportune time for you to get out of your shell, start writing your articles and build authority on those topics.

Instead of thinking about how you can sell, consider how you can be of help.

Let me know how it goes.

xx

About Liselle

I assist solopreneurs, business owners, CEOs, book authors, magazine publishers, vloggers and trainors with done-for-you content solutions and help them authentically connect and engage with their target markets through LinkedIn Prospecting and Lead Generation.