Positioning Yourself to be, in the right place, at the right time, For Others

As my wife kindly reminded me the other day, all of us, at one point in our lives, need help from others. For myself, when I need help, I am relentless in seeking to obtain it, because I know I need it. But when I am asked for help from others, do I always show the same amount of enthusiasm to help them?

I was at a red light the other day, in a situation many of you no doubt find yourselves, when a panhandler came up asking for money to buy food. Having been in law enforcement for a while, the cynic in me knows the money is probably not for food. And while the law enforcement side of me has given me many positive things, the lack of empathy for certain individuals is not one of them. I struck up a conversation with him in the brief interlude between light cycles and learned he actually hadn't eaten in a few days. I asked him what he wanted, and his answer was simple, "Whataburger" (smart man). I told him to meet me across the street, and I purchased him a meal, along with a gift card. As I spoke with him while he eat, I learned he had a family out of state, had previously struggled with addiction, and was desperately trying to get back to his family. It is these experiences that continually remind me not to judge a book by its cover, and not to let past experiences dictate future opportunities to bless people.

Which brings me to this platform. All of us have different experiences and a vast network of friends and contacts, both on Linkedin, and outside of it. We are in the unique position each day to help others make a better life for themselves and their family.

Each day I see resumes posted on Linkedin from people begging for help. Do you keep scrolling? What if that was you? What if you were laid off, had a house, a family to provide for, and bills that didn't stop just because you were laid off?

Put yourself in their position, see their desperation, see their pain. Then look at the "need" with a different outlook. How can you help them? Do you know someone in that industry who can help? Is there a position at your organization that you can refer them for? Did you know that 40% of most positions are filled by employee referrals?

Anyone who has ever been a job seeker in this market knows firsthand the absolute depression and frustration that comes along with it. You are in an unique position to help them.

Building your network allows you to continuously expand your options for potential people to help. Building it with a diverse set of people from varying backgrounds doubles that potential, if not more. Building relationships with leaders in those fields dramatically increases the chances of finding a role for someone else. Posting tips and advice across your network encourages and helps others while they are slogging through the muck of the application process.

This is a long winded article, but the point is this. Linkedin can either be a force-multiplier for you and others who come across your dashboard, or it can be the platform you occasionally log into without contribution. I highly encourage each of you to be intentional in your time on Linkedin and exemplify a servant-leader, no matter your official job title. Position yourself to be in the right place, at the right time, For Others.