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How to Get People to Chase You, Instead of You Chasing People

How to Get People to Chase You, Instead of You Chasing People

The biggest regret of my professional life

Howie Chan
April 28, 2024

I was naive.

I never thought I was going to be laid-off until it happened to me. I was doing great work and feedback was always positive at my previous agency. I was promoted 4 times in 8.5 years and was the Managing Director of Brand Strategy.

It was all great until March of 2020, when I got the news that I, along with 60 others were being let go.

Ouch.

It was almost serendipitous as I started to post more on LinkedIn in January that year, but looking back, I did it all wrong.

I should have started earlier. Way earlier.

Also…

I didn’t need a logo
I didn’t need a website
I didn’t need fancy graphics

In fact, I missed the most important step of all as an employee of a company. An employee who wanted to develop a reputation, grow a following and get more people to see the value I bring.

“Start thinking about how you can show up and share some of your leadership lessons, your expertise, advice you have for people entering your career.”

Mita Mallick, Chief Diversity Officer, Carta

As I started to write on LinkedIn, it actually caused my colleagues to be nervous.

“Howie are you leaving?”

“Howie are you looking for a job?”

Questions like these were common in the first month of me being active on LinkedIn. I couldn’t help but wonder if that had anything to do with my termination…

One thing for sure, is that everything I know says I should have started putting myself out there sooner on LinkedIn - it’s still the most professional social media platform and people are generally kind and very supportive. It’s the place to be if you want to grow your professional network.

Before:

I had to apply and chase down jobs.
I had to network like crazy during job hunting season.
I had to put all my chips in the resume and interview.

After:

I get people wanting to hire me.
I get people wanting to sponsor my content.
I get people reaching out to connect with me.

You can too.

So the most important thing I missed? It’s to let my employer know my intentions of putting content out there. In the end, you are a representative of the company and if they know what you intend to do, there will be less tension and misunderstanding.

BASE PRINCIPLE

Explicit intentions set clear expectations.

WHAT IF?

What if instead of chasing opportunities, they came to you? What if instead of betting the farm on your interview, your employer already wants to hire you before the interview ever happened?

I know what you are thinking:

“Howie I don’t have time.”
“Howie I can’t write well.”
“Howie I don’t know if people care about what I have to say.”

There are a thousand reasons not to start something but every journey begins with a single step. If you don’t want to be the best kept secret and get to a place where people are chasing you instead of you chasing people, START.

If this is important to you, you’ll make time.
Keep writing and you’ll write better over time.
If you have something to say, you’ll attract those who care. If you don’t say anything, no one will care.

Here are three folks on LinkedIn putting content out there and building their reputation and brand as employees. If you haven’t already, follow them! Tell them I sent you 🤘🏽.

Omar Halabeih - Amazon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarhalabieh/

“Favor consistency over perfection - commit to a focus on inputs (eg. write 2 posts a week, and engage with 10 people). Build up as this becomes easy for you to manage.”

Omar Halabeih, Tech Director, Amazon

Marcus Frick - Mayo Clinic

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-frick/

“Don’t worry what your employer might think. Hire a coach, get someone to help you flatten the learning curve, it’s more valuable than any promotion you’ll ever receive!”

Marcus Frick, Mayo Clinic

Mita Mallick - Carta

www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822

I had an in-depth chat with Mita a few months ago about this exact topic and here are the 5 tips she had:

1/ Be a positive ambassador for your company

Either you speak positively about where you’re at and the industry you’re in, or you should find a different job. Nobody likes negativity anyway.

“Don’t indict your industry or your current company. For example - I can't believe they're making me go back to the office five days a week. Well, you should find another job if that's what you wanna post about."

Mita

2/ Be intentional about how you want to show up

“What do you want to be known for?” That should be the core question you ask yourself as you put out content.

“I like to think of myself as a teacher who is also learning. No knock to anyone posting a lot of pictures of themselves, but that’s not how I’m showing up. What is your intent?"

Mita

3/ Don’t pick a fight and comment kindly

Nobody likes an asshole. If you have positive intentions and be respectful and kind, everything comes back tenfold. Karma happens on LinkedIn too 😉

“If you are on social media and your title of your company is there, you are an ambassador for your company. So maybe I don't wanna pick a fight with Howie online and go at it with him. Maybe I wanna be careful about what I comment on in a way that can be perceived as harmful and hurtful"

Mita

4/ Post when you have something of value to say

Think of your content as entertaining or educating or both. At beginning, it’s best to see the types of content you resonate with and use those to inspire yours. Overtime, you will find your own voice and style. This is a process and a journey, not a one time task.

“There is so much content. I just think about quality over quantity. I’m posting five to seven times a week on LinkedIn and Instagram only if I have something to say. I’m not doing it to do it”

Mita

5/ Just start - your employer wants you to shine

When you shine, your employer does too. If they don’t want you to be successful, maybe you need to consider if you are working in the right place. They just need to know that your work is still top priority.

“I used to run employer brand. I was excited when employees were on social media talking about their work, talking about their expertise...that was awesome. We want that. It's the the things that you shouldn't do, which I think are very clear, that's when people fall into a trap.”

Mita

Again, I think if you are clear about your intentions and what you WILL and WILL NOT do (follow the tips here), your employer will understand what you are trying to do and there won’t be any misaligned expectations.

Good luck on your journey!

As always, if you need additional help, I’m here for ya.

P.S. There are still a few FREE Legend Blueprint Workbooks available, so grab them before they’re all gone! (Again, all I ask for is a testimonial it deserves!)

Use the code: LIVEYOURLEGEND2024

See you next Sunday.

Live your legend 🤘🏽,