On any given day, I spent as much time as possible on the playground when I was in elementary school. If I wasn’t there, I was usually at home with my family, including my 4 siblings.
These two environments meant that at some point during the day in my young life, I would demand, “who told you that?”
They may have had heard it on good authority, but I was always skeptical.
They may have heard it from Mom, but I needed to hear them say so.
“Who told you that” or simply, “Who said” was an important question for me to ask when I heard something that was unlikely to be true, unfamiliar, or something that I didn’t want to hear.
Back in the pre-cell phone era, it was very possible that what was said on the playground got misconstrued by a half dozen people before it made its way back to me.
I knew that.
And, I wanted to protect my good name.
I regularly asked, Who said.
Though it was more of a demand… I wanted to know on what authority this hazardous or scandalous thing was spoken.
Scandalous to me was being told that I wasn’t a fast runner or not good at kickball or when my delighted sibling told me that it was my turn to do the dishes after dinner.
We grow out of some habits and others stick around
Who said carried a lot of weight with me then and it still does.
When I’m on LinkedIn reading articles, or I see stats, or hear a story, I’m still asking, Who said?
Because
I don’t pay much attention if who said doesn’t have the earned or learned wisdom, in my opinion.
Yes, it’s my opinion. Who I think is a credible source may be different from your credible sources.
Maybe asking Who told you that, Who said or How do you know makes me skeptical person.
A cautiously optimistic skeptic.
Oxymoron? Maybe.
You may have these same tendencies when you read stuff on LinkedIn.
When I look back at my journey from LinkedIn lurker to consistent poster,
I’m often thinking about that question that goes all the way back to my days on the playground.
Wanna guess when the pesky question comes up the most?
Jussst before I post.
Because I still want to protect my good name.
Before launching my recruitment solutions firm, I had a cool title, worked at a big company, and led a large team. I pointed to all these as if they gave me the authority to answer that annoying little question, even though I didn’t use it. I could if I wanted to or so I told myself.
Truth is, I didn’t have an answer for my own pesky voice asking, who said?
I wonder if the reason only 16% of LinkedIn members post regularly is because people are asking themselves that same question.
Who said?
And, you want to protect your good name.
Some days, before I hit POST,
that pesky little voice in my head is asking, who said?
Who said you could post about that?
You don’t want to add to the noise the pesky voice counsels.
Who said you were enough of an “expert” to say that?
You don’t know everything about it.
Why are you asking other people to pay attention to what you have to say?
Then there’s the unknowable question:
How will people react?
If you are among my skeptical friends, you may be asking, Who said too.
Or in the case of LinkedIn:
Who told you that you could post that?
What if I told you that those who are willing to answer their own pesky voice asking, Who said with the simple, courageous answer, I did, that those people are a few clicks away from
building your own community (not reliant on your current position),
designing an authentic brand, and
finding a way to share their earned and learned knowledge with people in and outside your industry.
When you create a rhythm of sharing and posting that aligns with your values, knowledge and causes that are important to you, I call it the Social for Good method.
And, yes, you’ll still be able to protect your good name.
Get out there.
You’ve got this.
Sue
CEO, Spectacle Talent Partners, LLC
Published on ERE. net and SHRM. org
Featured guest on numerous business podcasts
Recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Recruiting Voice