LinkedIn, Google, and other digital channels are now the places where the journey of a client, candidate, investor, or cooperation partner begins. Before anyone comes to meet you, they “meet” you on a screen—checking what Google says about you and whether there’s anything recent on LinkedIn. If they can’t find answers on your profiles, they will look for them from someone else.
Leaders, team leads, industry experts—each of them is a face of the company. Invisible leaders are the most expensive luxury a company can afford.
You are the face of the company—even if you don’t have a leadership title
“A person looking you up (client, candidate, investor, journalist) is not only looking for a CV—they want to understand your background and focus, what you stand for, and whether you can be trusted.”
Too many leaders and experts are invisible in digital channels today. Not because they lack results or have nothing to say, but because they are simply not present. Their LinkedIn profile still shows the line: “This person hasn’t posted anything yet.”
Today, visibility is no longer just a part of marketing—it is a part of leadership quality. A leader who doesn’t manage their presence hands their audience over by default—to competitors, random opinions, and the algorithm.
And here I’m not talking only about CEOs. Leaders without a title—sales and product development heads, domain experts, team leads, HR leaders—are also the face of the company for clients, candidates, and partners. They are the people through whom others judge what the company is really like:
- is this a place I’d want to work for;
- is this a partner I can trust;
- is this a team I can safely build big projects with.
If you don’t answer these questions, someone else will—or no one will. And “I don’t know” usually means “no.”
The most self-sabotaging belief: “Let the results speak for themselves!”
I have sat at the table with leaders and entrepreneurs who run multiple businesses, operate internationally, create impressive products, and lead teams. They do “real work.” But if you search them on Google or LinkedIn, their digital presence still reflects the person they were five years ago—or says nothing at all.
At that point, it’s no longer modesty. It’s leaving opportunities unused.
The belief that keeps many strong leaders stuck sounds like: “If I do good work, the right people will notice sooner or later.” In the digital world, that no longer works. Results don’t speak for themselves—strategic visibility does.
This doesn’t mean you need to become an influencer or post selfies every day. Strategic visibility is not noise or a popularity game. It is:
- clear positioning—what you truly stand for;
- visible thinking—how you frame problems and make decisions;
- consistent presence in the channels where your clients, candidates, and partners start their “homework.”
Most importantly: there must be no contradiction between your online image and real life. Your digital presence must carry your current level—not yesterday’s version of you.
5 mistakes a leader cannot afford in digital channels
I’ve seen hundreds of LinkedIn and Google profiles where very strong leaders and experts unintentionally work against themselves and their companies. Below are five common mistakes worth avoiding.
1) You can’t be found—or people find wrong information
You are who Google says you are. If searching your name brings up nothing substantial—or completely wrong associations—that’s a serious problem.
A person looking you up (client, candidate, investor, journalist) isn’t only searching for a CV. They want to understand your background and focus, what you stand for, and whether you are trustworthy.
If the results are random, outdated, or unprofessional, that spills over into your company’s reputation. A Google result is your digital business card—so the question is whether you have designed it yourself or are leaving it to chance.
2) Outdated and contradictory information across channels
Very often, LinkedIn tells one story, the website tells another, and a conference bio tells a third. Titles reflect a time when the company had a different structure, the focus areas don’t match, and the photo is ten years old.
When every channel tells a different story, nothing clear remains—except the question: how precise and thorough is this person, really? For a leader, whose job is decisions and accountability, this is critical.
Another common issue: your profiles talk about your past. You have moved several steps forward, but your digital presence still lives in the previous chapter. The result is that the wrong contacts reach you—and the right opportunities go to those who make their current level visible.
3) Invisibility or randomness on LinkedIn
Today LinkedIn is the main professional platform for leaders and experts. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply have a profile. Two extremes are common:
- first: you’re not on LinkedIn at all, or your profile is empty. That is professional invisibility—you exist on the market “in theory,” but not in reality;
- second: your content is random and campaign-like. Once a year there’s a team Christmas photo, sometimes a press release gets shared, but your own thinking is not visible. That kind of presence doesn’t build authority or trust.
A leader or domain expert on LinkedIn should:
- have a clear and up-to-date profile;
- be discoverable via keywords that reflect their current role;
- occasionally signal their thinking—through a short post, a meaningful comment, or sharing an article with their own take.
4) An unprofessional tone and over-reliance on AI
Digital channels don’t forget. Even one careless comment, sarcastic joke, or emotional argument can remain connected to your name for a long time. A leader never represents only themselves—they represent the company, the team, and the employer brand.
At the same time, a new extreme has emerged: content that is sterile and obviously AI-written. The text is correct but anonymous—it could have been written by anyone. I see many profiles where a person speaks about topics they don’t actually deal with daily, simply because the robot produced a “good text.”
AI is an excellent assistant, but it does not replace your thinking. If you read your post and don’t recognize yourself—your voice, your experience, your examples—something is wrong. A leader’s and expert’s strength is not perfect wording, but a clear, thoughtful, and personal viewpoint.
5) No strategy—lots of noise, little impact
The biggest mistake is operating without a clear goal. A few event photos, a couple of random shares, an occasional nervous reaction to a trending social issue—and the result is a fragmented overall picture.
A personal brand strategy answers three simple questions:
- Who do I create value for (client, candidate, investor, team)?
- What problem or risk do I help them solve?
- How am I different from others?
When these answers are clear, it’s much easier to decide which channel to be in, what to talk about, and which topics to consciously not comment on. Strategy doesn’t turn you into a marketer—it helps you stay focused and use your time wisely.
A good leader—you are the face of the company
The question is no longer whether your personal brand affects your company’s results. The only question is how it affects them: by amplifying or by slowing them down. And only you can make that choice.
