9 Ways To Be A Team Player On LinkedIn

As a wee one, my short-lived stint in gymnastics came to a screeching halt when my fear of the trampoline paralyzed me from becoming the next Shannon Miller or Dominique Dawes. I then transitioned into softball, which ultimately was not fast enough for me. Alas, I finally landed my feet in the team sport of soccer, starting at the older-than-usual age of ten. Rec league only lasted one season as I quickly found myself playing competitively year-round for traveling club teams through high school graduation.

While countless one v. one battles occur on the field, it is the collective effort of the entire team that brings home the win. Playing on many teams throughout my adolescence, gave me a deep appreciation for the importance of connection and building others up.

Even if you did not grow up playing sports, since you were young you have been told to play nice with others. This life lesson is something we learn growing up so that it comes second nature to us when we get out into the real world as adults and build our careers.

Have you ever thought about how you intentionally do this in business with your colleagues and with your network?

It can be easy to keep our heads down, blinders on and plough through our work in the daily grind, no doubt. When we neglect to come up for air though, we realize that not only have we missed countless opportunities to develop relationships with our peers, but we are also far behind in how to actually do this in today’s digital world.

Start thinking of LinkedIn as a team sport. On LinkedIn, there are a myriad of ways to support your colleagues and your network.

Here is a list of nine ways to build rapport, be a valuable resource and be a great comrade to your professional acquaintances on LinkedIn:

1. Help them build their network.

As a good networker, you aren’t just in it for yourself. When you come across a profile that could be beneficial to a friend of yours, don’t keep this potential connection a secret! Send it over to your friend so they can take action.

When you put others first and show this kind of value, they will keep you top-of-mind as well and likely return the favor.

2. Engage with their content.

Choosing what content to post and what to say about it on LinkedIn takes thoughtful time. Reward that effort by liking and commenting on your network’s posts. . An added benefit is that this activity will not only spread viewership of their content, but it will also boost your profile visibility too. It’s a win-win!

3. Offer help.

From career coaching, to referrals, to resume reviews, LinkedIn is testing a newer feature called #OfferingHelp that lets your network know you are available to lend a hand. When used in a post, not only will you position yourself as a go-giver, but the hashtag can also be searched by people who see your post to find other people who are offering to help too. This feature can create the ultimate ripple effect.

4. Celebrate someone.

Giving kudos is a unique feature that allows you to stand out amongst the noise that can often be found on your LinkedIn home page. The person who received your kudos will be delightfully surprised when they receive the notification of your kind action.

5. Introduce people.

Thinking of LinkedIn like an online networking event always helps drum up people’s names who you need to meet. However, just as important as building your own network is, you should also consider people you need to introduce to each other.

If you work for a large organization, you can easily do this by connecting your team members to each other. Outside of your company, you should also introduce people within your network who could mutually benefit from knowing each other. Examples can include: Clients to prospective clients, job seekers with those who have hiring authority, people who influence hiring decisions to potential candidates and general networking opportunities.

6. Publicly recognize them.

LinkedIn takes the work out of keeping track of all of your relationships every day by sharing real-time updates happening in your network’s world. From promotions, to work anniversaries and new jobs—sending a private message and publicly acknowledging a milestone are both equally important.

This seemingly small can have a ripple effect when you comment publicly since others will see this activity.

Note: While LinkedIn gives you shortcut templates to use, be different and come up with your own unique comment. It will stand out and look more genuine to the recipient.

7. Share company news.

Did your colleague get a promotion or a new member join your team? If they were featured on your company page, share the exciting news with your network. Not only will they feel appreciated and welcomed (if they’re new), but you may be creating new potential conversations for them in the process.

8. Mention them.

Whether you’re sharing a press release or reading something interesting that they would find valuable, mentioning people in your network loops them into the conversation and gives your content an opportunity to get in front of more eyeballs.

9. Collaborate by elevating each other's brand.

Have you ever considered that your work colleagues might be hurting your opportunity to get in the door with a new prospect? Or that your colleagues may be the reason talented candidates are not responding to you? When you reach out to prospective clients and candidates, your recipients are not just checking you out; they are vetting your entire team. Collectively, your success on LinkedIn doesn’t just ride on your profile, but also that of your coworkers.

If you aren’t in a position to hire a professional trainer like me who can teach you in a workshop how to elevate your LinkedIn profiles as a team, then the next best solution is to schedule an internal workshop to work on your profiles together. Collaborating with your peers will not only elevate your digital footprint, but it will also improve the overall brand quality and visibility of your organization, and thus, it will give you more times at bat.

These tactics will guarantee you are seen as a supportive, inclusive and collaborative team player to your network and your peers on LinkedIn.

What will you commit to taking on action on today? Get in a rhythm and challenge yourself to implement one of these tactics daily.