Buried Treasure, Part 2

5 Steps to Creating a LinkedIn Recommendation
To view full sized, go to http://tiny.cc/Endorse

In the original Buried Treasure article, we discussed the professionals' methods for requesting, shaping, and leveraging effective recommendations from colleagues and clients.  However, in my perfect world, I would have preceded that instruction with tonight's post and asked this crucial question --

"When did you last offer an unsolicited recommendation to someone?"

Well?

::crickets::

These days, a common place online to offer and request recommendations is at LinkedIn.  Surprisingly, even longtime users of LinkedIn don't always realise they can write an unsolicited recommendation for someone whose skills, style, or works they admire and appreciate.

The Endorsement Cotillion

You don't need to wait for an engraved invitation to the Endorsement Cotillion; invite yourself.  It's easy.  The five steps to creating a recommendation within the LinkedIn system are shown in the diagram above.  However, before you get all jazzed up expressing how uber-fabelhafte your favourite software writer or party planner is, ask how he or she prefers their praise dished up.  If you haven't already, give the Buried Treasure essay a quick skim, run a preliminary idea or two past your candidate, with an invitation for feedback or re-direction.  Once you have your facts in order, javanate!

What's In It For Me?

You aren't seeking quid pro quo by offering authentic praise.  If this should happen, nice, but that's not the point.  What is the point?  Actually, there are several solid reasons to commend someone:

• Praising others stretches your evaluative powers.
• Praising others exercises your perseverance and hope.
• Praising others aerobicises your attitude of gratitude.
• Praising others strengthens your powers of recognition.
• Praising others does all the above for the recipient, too.

All this too "touchy-feely" for you?  If so, too bad, it just proves how much you need to stop contemplating your own navel and break out into thoughtfully deliberated encomia of the people and organisations who worked alongside you and supplied resources to improve you and your progress.

Get javanated, amigo -- it'll do you good.

 See you on the patio!