Let people see you

Hey there!

A friend said to me this week, “Jay, you are so much more multi-dimensional than we get to experience on LinkedIn.”

As someone who prides himself in being informal and vulnerable to a fault (if that’s a thing) I was caught completely off-guard by how right she was.

It stopped me mid-scroll. Mid-thought. Mid-whatever-I-was-doing.

Because she didn’t say I was being fake. She said I was being flat. And that’s worse.

So in today’s issue… No talk of offers, productizing, or funnels.

Just a quick riff on having more fun with your work. Because, weirdly, that’s often what makes people want to work with you.

Have you ever turned on your webcam to record a business related video only to watch yourself turn into a different person?

Suddenly, your tone changes. Your facial expressions get dialed down to neutral. Your voice goes a couple octaves lower (or higher). It’s you but it’s not.

Why do we do that?

To be more professional? More perfect? Less… ourselves?

Who the hell wants to hang out with, let alone work with, some phony that’s clearly trying to put off perfect vibes?

So when my friend asked me that question, my first response was a classic deflection.

I told her I love what I’m doing right now. That I’ve got more valuable content ideas than I know what to do with. That everything I post is “on-brand.”

All fine. All true. But also exactly the point she was landing.

Because when the only part of you that shows up is the thing you’re trying to monetize, people stop seeing a human. They see a product. A brand.

Which means less trust and less warmth. Less pull.

And yeah… probably fewer replies, too.

I told her I couldn’t stand when people posted daily diary entries about their wild trip to the grocery store, and what it taught them about “authentic leadership.” Topping it off with an unrelated selfie.

She smiled, “Yes, those posts suck. But you’ve gone to the other extreme, Jay.”

She wasn’t telling me to turn my LinkedIn feed into a lifestyle blog. She was just saying: Let people see the rest of the picture. Let them feel you.

Because when people can’t feel you, they can’t trust you.

And when they can? Everything gets easier.

Some of the best people I’ve hired didn’t catch my eye because of their genius framework or airtight case study. They just seemed like someone worth taking notice of.

And, later, someone I might enjoy working with. Someone who felt… real.

So here’s the adjustment I’m making… maybe it works for you too:

• Give value one day

• Pull back the curtain another

• Teach your framework today

• Share your hot take on something unrelated tomorrow

• Talk about your offer Tuesday

• Talk about what made you laugh Wednesday

That mix is not only what makes us human, it’s what makes people want to hang around.

That’s what makes your world feel alive. And by extension, what makes your offer feel magnetic.

Speaking of being real. No newsletter next Sunday.

I’ll be deep in Dad mode while my partner, Laura, and I take my 2 sons and 6 (SIX!) of their friends for a week-long vacation along the Jersey Shore.

There will be sun, sand, boating, and lots of shenanigans. A house full of 8 teenage boys. God help me.

I’ll be sure to share pics when I get back.

Hope you get to have some summer fun, too.

❤️