I Hate Social Media — and I Run a Company That Does It for Executives
I hate social media. The comparison, the performance, the quiet pressure to project a version of yourself that is slightly better than the truth. And I say that as the CEO of a company that helps executives build their LinkedIn presence for a living.
The tension is real, and I think it is the most honest place to start. Because the discomfort most leaders feel about putting themselves out there? I feel it too. Four years in, hundreds of posts, and it still stings.
The discomfort doesn’t go away — and that’s okay
Most advice about executive visibility pretends the awkwardness is a beginner problem you grow out of. It is not. I still hesitate before I post things that matter. The goal was never to stop feeling the discomfort; it was to stop letting the discomfort make the decision.
A few moments taught me more than any framework.
There was the meditation-retreat post I was sure would resonate — and it fell completely flat. A reminder that you cannot reliably predict what lands, so you keep showing up rather than waiting for the perfect post.
There was the Stanford reunion where, for the first time, I did not have to explain what I was building. Everyone already knew, because they had been quietly watching my content for months. That is what visibility actually buys you: you walk into the room already understood.
And there was the shyest, most reluctant client I have ever worked with — someone who dreaded posting more than anyone — who finally hit publish and was met with an outpouring she never expected. The thing she was most afraid of turned out to be the thing people had been waiting for.
The honest case for doing it anyway
If you hate the performance of social media, you are not disqualified from it — you might actually be better suited to it. The leaders who are uncomfortable with manufactured personas tend to produce the realest, most trusted content, precisely because they refuse to fake it.
The discomfort is not a sign you should stay silent. It is the toll you pay to be seen accurately by the people who need to find you. I pay it every week. It is worth it.