[Episode Seventy of ‘The Employee Advocacy and Influence Podcast] 🎧
Executives on LinkedIn aren’t just nice-to-have, they’re essential. In this episode, Lewis Gray breaks down why C-suite leaders need to be visible online, what’s holding them back, and how to remove those blockers once and for all.
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Many leadership teams still hesitate when it comes to LinkedIn, but the data is clear: executives who post online build trust, attract top talent, and strengthen company culture. Lewis explores the ripple effect of leadership visibility, shares insights from brands like Adobe and Salesloft, and explains how to overcome common hurdles like lack of time, uncertainty, and security risks. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to help your executives show up authentically, consistently, and with measurable business impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Why executives are critical to employee advocacy success
- The top three blockers stopping leaders from posting, and how to solve them
- The “ripple effect” of executive visibility on employees and culture
- Practical frameworks and delegation strategies for execs on LinkedIn
- Secure ways to support leadership without compromising InfoSec or compliance
Leadership Visibility Sparks the Ripple Effect
Lewis introduces the concept of the “ripple effect,” where executive activity cascades across the organization. When CEOs and senior leaders actively post, it sends a message that advocacy is not just encouraged but valued. Employees are then more likely to share their own perspectives, interact with leadership, and engage more broadly on social platforms. This ripple effect turns advocacy from a siloed marketing effort into a company-wide culture shift. Adobe’s Andy Lambert reinforces this point, noting that real advocacy only works when buy-in starts at the very top.
Overcoming Common Executive Blockers
Despite the benefits, Lewis acknowledges that many executives resist LinkedIn activity for three main reasons: lack of time, uncertainty about what to post, and doubts about its business value. Addressing these barriers requires both empathy and reframing. Marketing teams need to make the process seamless and provide senior leaders with content that is prepared and ready for their review. More importantly, conversations must be framed around outcomes executives actually care about: business growth, talent recruitment, shareholder confidence, and cultural impact, rather than marketing metrics like impressions and engagement rates.
Frameworks and Delegation Make Posting Easy
Lewis suggests that one of the simplest ways to empower executives is to provide them with a content framework. This acts as a playbook, outlining themes to focus on, tone of voice, and posting cadence so leaders aren’t left staring at a blank screen. Collaboration also plays a crucial role. Pairing executives with a comms or marketing partner allows content to be drafted on their behalf, with leaders adding a sentence, an anecdote, or a personal perspective to ensure authenticity. This not only saves time but often encourages leaders to contribute more than expected once they see a near-final draft in front of them.
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Selina Sher Gill
Selina has a Master's Degree in Marketing and Brand Management, and is DSMN8's Digital Marketing Executive. She's a pro at creating and editing video content, using these skills to create short-form social media videos and edit the Employee Advocacy and Influence podcast.
