Executive Coach LinkedIn Strategy Summary
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The Rule of Three Problems Don't try to show everything you've ever done. Pick the three biggest, most costly problems you fix and remove anything that doesn't prove you can handle those specific issues. For a top leader, too much detail makes you seem less powerful.
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Think Like an Investor Your profile isn't a list of past jobs; it's a sales pitch showing the "Return on Investment" (ROI) you offer. Show your history as a series of wins you can repeat financially or operationally.
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Copy Key Words (Mirroring) Use tools to find the exact words recruiters use in job ads for roles you want. Change your profile to use those exact terms. This helps the LinkedIn system instantly see you as the solution to a recruiter's current urgent need.
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Ask for Specific Proof Don't ask for general praise. Ask people in your network to recommend you for one specific result from your track record of impact (like saving a company $10 million). One specific endorsement is much stronger than fifty generic ones about being a "good leader."
Checking Your Senior Leader LinkedIn Profile
Most advice tells you to "update" your LinkedIn like a new graduate. But for senior leaders, that's wrong. Your problem isn't a lack of experience; it's having too much. When you try to show off twenty years of different wins, you hit the Experience Problem: the more you add, the less clear your specific authority becomes.
By trying to show you can do everything, you end up looking like someone who is good at many things but a master of none. Recruiters for big jobs aren't seeking people who can do it all; they need a very specific, high-impact fix for a very specific problem.
This isn't just a checklist for your "personal brand." Think of this as a tactical guide to completely change how people see you. We are changing your profile from a simple history of your career to an Index of Your Economic Impact.
You are no longer just listing what you did; you are showing the exact, repeatable results you delivered. This shifts the focus from your past tasks to the specific financial or operational value you promise for the future.
It's time to stop using your profile as a forgotten filing cabinet and start using it as a powerful tool that matches your actual high-level authority.
Your LinkedIn Authority Check: Get Rid of This Now
Your "complete" LinkedIn profile is why you are being missed. You think you're showing how versatile you are; the market thinks you're just another option. If you want to be seen as a top leader, you must stop acting like an applicant and start acting like the solution. Here are three things to delete right away to regain your power.
You list every job, task, and project from the start of your career. You think showing off everything makes you look good. In truth, you are burying your best skills under a mountain of old history, making it hard for a recruiter to see what you are actually good at right now.
Be ruthless about what you keep. Delete anything that doesn't directly prove you can solve the exact, high-stakes problem your next boss has. Your profile is your sales material for your most valuable skill. If it doesn't increase your value now, cut it out.
You use your job descriptions to say what you did every day—like "Managed a team," or "Was in charge of budgets." This just tells the recruiter what you did* (past), not what you can *do for them (future). It makes you look like a manager, not a top decision-maker.
Change "Duties" to "Repeatable Results." Focus on the money or efficiency you created. Instead of saying you "managed a budget," say you "cut running costs by 22% in one year." You aren't listing your past; you are showing proof of specific problems you will solve again.
You keep your profile quiet and "dusty" because you think actively promoting yourself is beneath your status. You believe that "good work sells itself" and headhunters will just find you. This pride just makes you invisible for the best jobs.
See your online profile as proof of your current status, not a signal that you're looking for a job. A polished, active profile doesn't look desperate—it looks prepared. Top recruiters expect senior people to control their story. If you don't define yourself, the industry will define you, probably as "outdated."
The Way to Overhaul Your Executive Profile
You feel like you need to list every achievement from the last twenty years, which ends up making you look like you are good at many things instead of a specialist.
Look over your career and delete all the general stuff that doesn't support your top skill. Find three "Repeatable Results"—specific, high-value problems you've fixed many times—and build your profile around those three things.
If an achievement you like doesn't clearly show you can solve a major problem for your next company, move it to the bottom or take it off completely.
You worry that making your profile look good seems desperate or below your level, so you keep it vague and old-fashioned.
Stop thinking "self-promotion" and start thinking "economic proof." Treat your profile like a business report proving your future worth. Change job descriptions into an "Economic Impact Index" that highlights the financial or operational value you created at each role.
Your headline shouldn't be your job title; it should be a one-sentence "Value Promise" telling recruiters exactly what ROI they get by hiring you.
You are waiting for recruiters to find you, but your profile doesn't have the specific details they need to justify reaching out for a high-level role.
Fill your "Experience" and "Featured" sections with real numbers and "Solved Problems" instead of just listing duties. Use the language the market speaks—focusing on money, size, and efficiency—to connect where you are now to the top job you want.
Recruiters for senior roles filter by keywords like Fixing Turnarounds, Scaling Quickly,* or *Handling Mergers; make sure these specific business situations are clearly mentioned in your summary.
The How to Create a LinkedIn Profile That Recruiters Can't Ignore 'Elephant in the Room'
The biggest reason most people have a boring, invisible LinkedIn profile isn’t a lack of writing skills; it’s fear of being watched.
You feel updating your profile is like walking into your current office carrying cardboard boxes, signaling you are planning to quit. This creates a psychological paralysis where you keep your profile "safe" (meaning bureaucratic and forgettable) to avoid awkward office gossip or conversations about your job status. You are hiding from your next opportunity to avoid a five-minute chat.
"Actually, I realized my profile was a few years out of date and didn't reflect the work I’m doing here now. I want to make sure I’m representing our team accurately when I’m networking or talking to vendors. It's just good professional hygiene!"
Why this works:
- It links your "personal brand" to the "team's success."
- It uses the term "professional hygiene," which makes the update sound as boring and routine as brushing your teeth.
- It shuts down the "quitting" narrative by focusing on your current work.
Stop viewing LinkedIn as a "Job Board" and start viewing it as your "Industry Reputation Office." In the modern world, a stagnant profile doesn’t look loyal; it looks out of touch. High-performers keep their profiles updated as a matter of habit, not just when they are desperate. Frame your updates as "Representing the Company Well." If your profile looks elite, it makes your current employer look like they hire elite talent.
The Tools to Transform Your Profile
Phase 1: Internal Check Generic Resume Tool
Finds your "Repeatable Results" by asking specific questions to remove general duties and highlight your most valuable actions.
Phase 2: Branding Message LinkedIn Profile Creator
Builds an "Economic Impact Index" and a headline that grabs attention based on what you've actually achieved.
Phase 3: Connecting Job Search Analyzer
Finds the important "Result Words" that are missing from your profile by comparing it against the senior job ads you're interested in.
Common Questions
If I focus only on one big area, won't I miss other job chances?
It seems risky, but trying to appeal to everyone just makes you blend in with the general crowd. When you specialize, you become the specific, necessary expert for a serious, costly problem. Companies pay the most money for the person who can solve their biggest headache right now, not the person who can do a little bit of everything.
How do I show my value if my successes aren't easy to count in money or percentages?
The impact doesn't always have to be a dollar amount. It can be measured by time saved, major risks avoided, or big improvements in company culture that kept good people from leaving. If you can't use a dollar sign, show the "Before and After." Describe the messy or slow situation when you started and the smooth, stable one you left behind. That change is the "result" recruiters are looking for.
Should I remove my oldest jobs so I don't seem too experienced or overqualified?
You don't have to delete your history, but you must choose what to show. Your profile shouldn't be a long timeline of every job. For jobs from ten or fifteen years ago, keep the descriptions short or group them. The main goal is to show how you grew into your current expertise without letting all your past work distract from what you offer right now.
Change How People See Your Authority
Stop treating your LinkedIn profile like an old resume or a simple record of where you've been. See it as a top-level business asset—a planned index that proves what you are worth in the future. Your long career isn't a burden; it's what protects you from being replaced by cheaper, less experienced people. By changing from a list of "jobs done" to a record of "money made/problems solved," you show you are ready for the highest leadership roles. Don't just update your profile; change how your authority is understood. Go through your experience section now and delete every sentence that describes a task, and replace it with a result you can promise to deliver again.
Start Changing It
