Execs - Is Your LinkedIn Profile Building Your Business?

LinkedIn profiles have a lot of components, not the least of which is the "Summary" section, where you can write essentially anything you want.  As I look through the profiles of my many connections, and after a conversation with a friend the other day, I've realized that the Summary section is, in many cases, wasted typing.  Let me explain.

If you are looking for a job, and your Summary section is a recitation of all the best things about you as a business person, then by all means keep up the good work.  Your LinkedIn profile should position you to potential employers, and you are doing the right thing.  This post is not for you. 

If you are not looking for a job, keep reading.

Most Summary sections I have reviewed are either

• All about the individual - sounding for all the word like he or she is looking for a job, or
• All about the company for which the individual works, sounding more like a copy/paste from the organization's marketing materials

If you aren't looking for a job, and you aren't a solo practitioner, then your Summary section could be leveraged much more effectively.  Move your corporate marketing materials into your company's LinkedIn page, and resolve to use your personal LinkedIn profile to create opportunity for your company.  Then start re-writing your summary section to be all about you in relationship to your company. 

Consider something along these lines:

I have the honor of leading a team of truly accomplished individuals who take tremendous pride in their work.  In the past five years, we have grown by more than 50%, thanks in a large part to our fantastic clients who trust us to handle their technology projects, and that is thanks to the expertise and reliability of our team.  Since starting our in-house project management office, we have socialized an on-time, on-budget mentality, allowing our clients to achieve their goals while managing their budgets effectively.  I, along with my fellow management team members, have created a work environment that has earned a Best Places to Work award for the past two years.  Open Book Management, a program I've driven with my two former employers as well, has given our team members a sense of ownership and accountability.  My previous experience in Human Resources provided us with the insights to reduce voluntary turnover to less than 10%. 

You can advertise your organization's accomplishments with every sentence you write about yourself, as long as you connect the two. 

Will you consider rewriting your profile using these tips?