What Are You [in] It For?
There have been a few points in my life where I've stopped to reflect on my journey to the present. The decisions I've made, some good and some bad, have all led me to this time in my life. One such decision that I've never regretted, was the decision to join LinkedIn as an employee. I've learned a lot, and grown even more, as a person and as a professional, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome so far. It wasn't until recently though, when LinkedIn unveiled its "In It Together" campaign, that I really stopped to think of what continues to drive me at work.
To provide a bit of context about the marketing campaign, while I'm certainly not the official LinkedIn historian (though I consider myself pretty well-versed, if you'd like to endorse me for it), it is the most wide-reaching campaign that LinkedIn has launched. You can see the ads on different media such as television, digital, and of course social media, to name a few. It focuses on the stories of certain individuals, but at the crux of it is one simple question: Why are you in it? What compels you to work as hard as you do, day in and day out? For me, it's simply put...I'm in it to make a difference.
I think it's easy for me to say I love where I work. We have a top-notch culture, amazing benefits, and competitive pay. All or most of those things can be found in many places though, so what is it that has led me to stay for nearly 5 years? It all goes back to our vision of creating economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. What that means to me is the chance to give every single person who wants a job, the opportunity to have that job. No matter what your role here, if you are in customer support, sales, engineering, all the way up to CEO, what you do at LinkedIn is making an impact on a global scale. If you take a step back, that's a huge responsibility, but also a huge privilege.
So if you have a moment, take some time and think about why are you "in it". Once you start to understand that, also understand that you have a community of people on LinkedIn that will support you in your pursuit and inspire you to push even farther. Because whatever it is you're in it for, we're all #InItTogether. I'd love to hear what drives you, so tell me why you're [in] it!
To hear more stories in the campaign I mentioned earlier, visit the LinkedIn blog.
Great write up, Jon! You do make an impact and are a constant inspiration. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing, Jon! After being your desk neighbor for over a year, it's been so fun getting to know you and your passions. Your love of LinkedIn culture, your fervor for the greater Omaha community, and your dedication to bringing out the best is others has inspired me and changed the trajectory of my career for the better. Thanks for all you've done, and continue to do for those around you. As for me, I'm in it to help people. Whether it's by writing a help center article or sharing a word of encouragement, I want to use my talents to make things easier and better for those around me.
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm "in it to empower communities" - especially when it comes to helping groups of people realize their potential. This has also played out personally for me as I teach group fitness classes outside of "the office" and started to see the dots connect in reflecting on why I do what I do.