A few weeks ago, I opened up an old would and showed it tothe world. In the process, I was reminded of an important lesson about Personal Branding. 

In a LinkedIn post, Ishared the story of being fired from my job exactly seven years ago that day. It was a debilitating, humiliating day, filled with uncertainty and dread for the future. 

But it was also liberating and hopeful, because it markedthe beginning of a new adventure. 

The post had a huge reach and generated a lot of engagement,including encouraging comments from friends, colleagues and even strangers. My point in bringing this up again is not to garner more affirmation (though that would be nice), but to remind you about a powerful approach to building your Personal Brand on LinkedIn, or any platform. 

Don’t be afraid to show your flaws, failures and mistakes. 

Being Vulnerable Attracts Company 

Look through most people’s social media feeds, no matter theplatform, and you get the idea that everything is sunshine and roses for them. It breeds a sense of jealousy that is actually unhealthy. 

Occasionally, you’ll run across someone baring their soul,or at least admitting their imperfections. I am not the first person to do this. Far from it. 

What you might notice is that these posts tend to performreally, really well. They get a lot of comments, interactions, and shares. 

Why? Probably a lot of reasons, but I think there are threemain reasons. 

They’re Different 

In an endless feed of bragging, self-promotional, orborderline narcissistic (or even over the border) posts, a single post that bucks that trend will naturally attract attention. 

They’re Inspiring 

When you admit your flaws, you are showing people that it’sokay to make mistakes, even if you do nothing more than admit those flaws. If you show what you’ve learned or how you’ve grown, that’s even more inspiring. 

People crave inspiration and will gravitate to content thatprovides it. 

They’re Just Real 

There’s a distinct lack of authenticity on social mediathese days. When people see content that’s unmistakably genuine, it captures their attention. 

Don’t Be Afraid 

I did not want to share that post about being fired. Ithought about canceling it several times before I published it. I’m still not crazy about it. 

But it clearly made an impact on people, and that’s thepoint. I’m not saying you should be vulnerable all thetime and turn your feed into a never-endling list of ways you messed up. But if you want to get attention, win people’s trust, and even inspire others, the occasional vulnerable post is not a bad idea.