This week’s article is primarily about you and the importance of maintaining authenticity in your social interactions. What you give, you get in return and LinkedIn is the perfect platform to demonstrate the art of reciprocity.
As the eldest grandchild on both sides of my family, there was always an expectation that I should set the example for the rest of the children that followed. Even though my Nan is no longer with us, I can still hear her voice inside my head reminding me “Now Jen, remember one good deed deserves another.” It starts with you! I have used this principle pretty much my entire life.
Provide your good deed with intention, not the expectation that it will be delivered back to you. Life has its own way giving back what you put in, but; but give of yourself first.
So as the walls of the business world come down and we deal everyday more and more on digital platforms and social environments, I considered how this life principle now translates in the new world. Attitude dictates behaviour and reciprocity is a behaviour whereby a positive action results in another positive action.
There are examples of this everywhere on digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, with the fundamentals of Like / Comment / Share as the basis for interaction. But it is the intention with which we approach this action that is the key.
Let’s focus on LinkedIn for the moment.
For those that have taken the time to inject themselves into their professional profiles and have developed a virtual version of themselves, the community automatically gravitates towards these people. Connections are made, endorsements and interactions occur and relationships are born.
Then there is the sharing of intelligence; knowledge that we have gained and that has been gifted to us should be once again shared to our professional community. Posting of images, curating other people’s content but most importantly, publishing our own content allows us to share experiences and knowledge that others may not have had the benefit of.
The moment a LinkedIn member Likes, Comments or Shares anything you have given to the community, you have gifted them an experience, and their intention is to now pass on that gift to someone else. The LinkedIn community provides a constant feedback loop to you on how you are perceived and the more you interact, the more you give and the more acts of kindness that come back to you. That’s reciprocity!
My tip to you:
Invest yourself in creating a uniquely ‘you’ LinkedIn profile and leverage who you are by sharing your knowledge, insight and experience with your LinkedIn world!
Reciprocity is a strong human behaviour and if you are anything like me, it has been ingrained in you from a very young age. Adapting this to the digital world we now live in has amplified the opportunities to provide these random acts of kindness. A word of caution though; if you are focused on the outcome – if it’s the profit to you that you are looking for then be aware a fraud is just as easy to spot in the digital world as they are in the real world. If you act through obligation or an ulterior motive of personal gain, you will receive ‘retaliation’ by simply being ignored.
So, yes, my Nan was right, one good deed deserves another and Social Media has given us all an unprecedented opportunity to do so. My good deed is to pass on the amazing experiences and knowledge that I have gained through the colleagues I work with and the many years I have worked as a Business Coach.