How Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone Can Pay Off

Hello Team!

Honestly, some of my biggest posts have been total accidents.

My core pillars – the topics I care about and believe I have value to add by addressing - are leadership and business transformation. So most of the time that’s what I post about.

The ideas come naturally and because I’m focused on those topics, things I read or see in the news will regularly prompt me.

Knowing what I want to post about and what my audience respond consistently well to, makes my LinkedIn content easier for me to produce and – I hope - more authentic for others to read.

But curiously enough, the posts that have always rated highest in terms of impressions and responses has been content that often sits quite far away from my core obsessions. Watch this video – co-hosted with Patrick Shea-Stamford – for more insight:

 So what have they been and why?

• A post about me killing off my Twitter profile in protest about the increasingly toxic ecosystem there. It probably didn’t frighten Elon Musk much but it was my most-surfaced post of 2024. I still get comments and reactions to it now!
• A 30 second video of cuts of me flying from London to Edinburgh for a Board meeting at Scottish Rugby went viral. Millions of impressions.
• And a recent post about realising I still had my gardening trainers on midway through a presentation on stage at London Tech Week got hundreds of hilarious responses.

In every instance, I wasn’t cynically chasing attention. I was just posting something because I had something to get off my chest, or because it was fun to do, or because it was the best way to get over my embarrassment!

 So this newsletter – and the video – are really a way to say two things:

1.  Be purposeful and consistent. Ultimately LinkedIn is the most powerful way there is to build your professional profile. You’re in charge of what people think about you and know about you so use it wisely, honestly and relentlessly. It will take time but it will become one of the biggest assets in your career. Stay focused on what you’re all about.
2. But! And there is a but: on top of that, people love to see spontaneity. It makes you human, and in a world dominated by AI where people start to wonder if they’re following a machine rather than a person, that is really important. Occasionally stepping out of the parameters in which you define yourself is good.

 A quick checklist: What makes a “surprising” post work?

✅ It’s true – not overpolished

✅ It taps into an emotion: joy, frustration, pride, embarrassment

✅ It’s short and self-contained

✅ It feels spontaneous

✅ It still teaches, reassures or entertains your audience

Your challenge this week

Post something that doesn’t quite fit your usual themes. A moment of silliness, a sharp opinion, or a human moment you’d usually gloss over. Test the response.

And if you’ve already had a post like that – one that unexpectedly took off – reply to this or tag me in. I’d love to collect a few examples for next time.

See you next week!

Mike