25 Ways CEOs Can Build Trust Faster Using LinkedIn

When you ask leaders about the most important skill they need to succeed in their role, the answers almost always include build trust. 

In his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek talks about how trust is a cornerstone of leadership. He says, 

“You can’t convince someone you have value, just as you can’t convince someone to trust you. You have to earn trust by communicating and demonstrating that you share the same values and beliefs. You have to talk about your WHY and prove it with WHAT you do.”

Trust is built over time and earned by actions, not words. It’s the common denominator that:

• Attracts people who want to do business with you. 
• Increases the speed of business transactions. 
• Keeps employees engaged and committed.
• Forms the foundation of every successful organization. 

But how can you know if you’re building trust? And what can you do to build it faster?

Social media has become one of the most important channels for leaders and CEOs to build trust with their network.

Social media provides a reputable channel for leaders to share updates about the company, demonstrate transparency, and connect with customers, investors, employees, and other shareholders.

But if it’s not done intentionally and consistently, social media can also damage a leader’s reputation and cause a loss of trust. 

Let’s explore how leaders can use social media to build trust over time — and how they can damage that trust accidentally.

LinkedIn gives you the ability to speed your progress towards trust.

In his book, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything, Stephen M. R. Covey says trust comes from the combination of competence and character. 

“Trust is equal parts character and competence. . . . [Y]ou can look at any leadership failure, and it’s always a failure of one or the other.”

Social media, and more specifically LinkedIn, provides an ideal place to demonstrate both character and competence. 

Your Profile: Your profile gives you a place to aggregate all the information that shows why people should trust you — your credentials, experience, track record, awards, and education. 

Your Network: People can see who you are connected to, and if you are connected to people they already trust, that alone builds trust.

Your Posts: Your posts are how you stay in touch with your network, share what you are working towards, and show momentum. You provide insights into how you think, which helps people feel they know who you are, and can therefore trust you.

Your Comments: Commenting is the perfect way to provide insights into your character and show how supportive you are to your team, your peers, and your network. Other people’s comments on your posts show how much they respect and value you.

All of those pieces come together to build trust proactively. 

Here are 25 specific steps you can take.

Demonstrate Competence

Before someone invests their time or money with you, they want to know that you know what you’re doing and that you’re good at it. As researchers say, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Use your LinkedIn profile to clearly demonstrate your expertise and success to date.

#1 Quantify accomplishments in each of your roles.

Go beyond broad statements and include dollar amounts and percentages and time periods. Talk about ROI, increased revenue, decreased costs, number of employees, etc.

#2 Link to podcasts in your Featured section.

Were you on a podcast that you really enjoyed or where you offered important insights? These links help people learn about you and your business.

#3 Link to articles about you.

Have you been included in a 30 Under 30 list, Top CEO list, Fastest Growing Companies list, or Best Places to Work list? Link to those in your Featured section.

#4 Use a cover photo of you giving a keynote or speaking on a panel.

A picture is worth a thousand words: these photos show how much others value your expertise.

#5 Include significant honors and awards.

Add the Honors & Awards section and carefully curate it to demonstrate relevant honors and awards that show the results of your work.

#6 Include board and advisory roles in your Experience section.

Board and advisory roles show how respected you are. If you want to promote the business or organization, you can include a brief explanation of what it does. But you can also leave these entries without a description to keep the focus on your primary role.

#7 Add author to your Experience section.

If you have written a book, add a position description for your work as an author, just as if it were a job. Drag and drop so it appears below your main role. Provide information about the book, so people see your expertise. Also include the book in your Publications and Featured sections. And you can further promote it by using a photo of your book in your cover photo, perhaps with a QR code that links to a website where people can purchase or download.

#8 Add speaker to your Experience section.

If you enjoy speaking and want to do more of it, add a Keynote Speaker role to your Experience section. As with an author or board role, drag and drop this role below your primary role. Explain what you typically talk about, and upload clips of you speaking so people can see you in action.

#9 List relevant certifications and licenses.

If you have certifications or professional licenses, consider adding the Certifications section to your profile to add credibility. You can also use this section to provide insight into your hobbies, such as including a pilot license or scuba diver certification. Competence in one area implies competence in other areas as well.

#10 Include patents.

If you have patents, use the Patents section to describe the patents. If you have dozens of patents, you can list the most important and then say you have X more patents. Or if the keywords will be useful, list them all.

#11 Connect with respected thought leaders in your industry.

Anyone who visits your profile can see what connections you have in common. When those connections are people they respect and trust, it becomes easier to trust you.

Show Character

Actions speak louder than words when it comes to demonstrating character. People need to see the history of someone who does the right thing, follows through on promises, and cares about issues other than money and personal success.

#12 Add volunteer work to show you give back to the community.

Add the Volunteering section to your profile to let people see that you care about your community and are working to make the world a better place.

#13 Include what you learned in each role in your Experience section.

Share what you overcame or learned in your prior jobs, in addition to your accomplishments. Be honest and positive but let people see that you’ve grown and changed over the years.

#14 Share committee and nonprofit leadership roles in the Organizations section.

Add these entries to your LinkedIn profile, so people know that you use your expertise and time to help others.

#15 Post consistently, ideally at the same time of day.

Be visible and predictable on LinkedIn. These habits demonstrate stability, reliability, and engagement.

#16 Say you are going to post something at a particular day/time, and then do it.

This offers one more way to show that you follow through on doing what you say you’ll do. Every time you deliver, you put another rung on the ladder of building trust.

Pro Tip: Schedule the post to ensure you deliver as promised.

#17 Ask for feedback and let people see you act on the recommendations.

This kind of post shows that you are listening, and when you act on the feedback you score again. The value of this kind of post and response cannot be overstated.

#18 Model the behavior you expect from your team.

Your employees are watching you, and what you do matters more than what you say. Use LinkedIn to show your team what you want them to do, by doing it yourself first.

#19 Allow people to see that you aren’t always right, and things don’t always go your way.

Let people see that you sometimes struggle or make mistakes. These posts make you real and relatable. They show you’re human and not afraid to try, fail, and learn from it.

#20 Be kind to everyone you interact with online.

Posting negatively or losing your cool can wreck your credibility and wipe out all the work you’ve done to build trust.

#21 Respond to meaningful comments.

When someone engages with one of your posts with a thoughtful comment, like their comment and respond, if appropriate. This shows you pay attention and respect the time and effort they put into reading your post and engaging, which reflects well on you. 

Make Your Intentions Visible

The history of your jobs and accomplishments help people see what you’ve done and how you’ve grown professionally.Your engagement and extracurricular activities help them see how you treat others and that you are human and reliable, likable and interesting. But neither of those things gets to the deeper level of what motivates you and what you truly value. You need to be open and obvious to reveal your intentions.

#22 Share your vision and your “why” in your About section.

Talk about your origin story and why you do what you do. Don’t be afraid to go deep and be real.

#23 Talk about your mission.

What are you trying to accomplish now and why is it important to you? How will you know when you’ve achieved success? Speak honestly and often, so people see your commitment and passion.

#24 Tell stories that illustrate your values.

People love stories that deliver a challenge, hardships, and finally a victory. Share stories that inspire you and that will inspire others.

#25 Like and comment on posts from others who share your mission and values.

Find your people and engage with them. People will see that you believe in and follow through on your mission and values.

How Is LinkedIn Working for You?

Your LinkedIn profile and activity offer a window into who you are as a leader and a human. They showcase your expertise, accomplishments, and the way you interact with others.

Your presence delivers a condensed history that allows people to gain insights into your character, competence, and motivations within minutes, instead of months or years.

When people trust you, they will give you their loyalty, time, and money. Leads and referrals become customers; recruits become hires, investors become champions, and influencers become partners.

By leveraging LinkedIn, you can expedite the trust-building process, opening doors to new opportunities and faster progress toward your goals.

Don’t have enough time to do it yourself? We can do it for you. Get a free consultation and we’ll talk about building trust in your specific situation.