Whether professional or personal, great relationships aren’t built on polished images but on authenticity.
Please take a moment to check out my profile picture. I promise you, there’s an important lesson to learn here.
That’s me. Or at least it was me as of October 24, 2024.
I was on a business trip, and my razor broke, so I had some fun experimenting. I went to my meetings unshaven and dressed more casually than usual.
Guess what? My intelligence didn’t suddenly increase or decrease, and my impact didn’t shift up or down. No one mentioned my unshaven look, not old colleagues or new contacts. We stayed focused on the things that truly matter: our work, purpose, and shared humanity.
Why Is This Important?
This led me to think about our emphasis on appearances in professional contexts.
Recently, I stumbled across a series of LinkedIn articles that piqued my interest. I won’t link to them because they don’t deserve more traffic.
The so-called “LinkedIn Marketing Experts” wrote the first group of articles. Their number one tip for improving your LinkedIn profile? A professional profile picture.
Then, I came across another group of articles from app developers offering AI-generated profile photos. With a quick snap from your phone, AI will magically transform you into someone more “professional.” Or so they promise.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
The claim is that your profile picture is critical and that making it look more polished, even artificially, will boost your prospects. But honestly, that’s the last thing LinkedIn should be about. Instead, LinkedIn should focus on fostering meaningful professional connections and highlighting skills, achievements, and the unique value each person brings to their field.
The Real Value Isn’t in the Picture
Look, I get it. I might be an idealist here. And I acknowledge that some people make decisions based on profile pictures.
I’ve glanced at profile pictures to remind myself of an acquaintance if we haven’t connected in a while. But beyond that? No. A photo does not measure anyone’s abilities, expertise, or potential.
The Problems with Our Profile Picture Obsession
- A Picture Tells Very Little: Look at my picture. What does it say about me, my background, lived experience, ethics, skills, or interests? Not much. You won’t learn much from that image if you don’t already know me. Even people who’ve known me for a long time are sometimes surprised when we discover a new shared interest we’d never discussed before.
- Artificial Perfection Is Harmful: A perfect image might grab attention, but what happens when the real you shows up for meetings? Authenticity is crucial for meaningful professional relationships and long-term success because it fosters genuine connections and trust.
The Power of Authenticity
A good friend of mine, Adam Schorr, runs Rule No. 1. Their number one rule? Be yourself. The company helps businesses find their true purpose, embrace their core values, and double down on what makes them unique. In my experience, they’ve used these principles with individuals too. I’ve seen the results, and they can be transformative. Authenticity is decisive.
Another friend, Asad Haider, runs August Leadership. They specialize in executive search and leadership advisory, helping clients find senior leaders who can make an outsized difference. From what I’ve seen, the partners there don’t rely on profile pictures. Instead, they dig deep to understand each candidate as a whole person, beyond skills and career history, and they find people other firms miss. I believe that’s a big part of why their placements work and their clients are happy.
Without authenticity, we become someone else. And “flawed” authenticity is infinitely better than artificial perfection. It’s what makes us human.
Build Meaningful Networks On Trust
Instead of perfecting our profile pictures, let’s focus on our skills, achievements, and insights. Share lessons, comment thoughtfully, celebrate wins, and discuss challenges. LinkedIn is a platform for building meaningful professional networks, not a beauty pageant. People crave authenticity, and that’s what builds trust.
Be Yourself
Maybe it’s time we all simply were ourselves. Let’s stop judging based on a picture or skimming for keywords and instead focus on understanding the real, complex human beings behind the profiles.
Borrowing Rule No. 1’s first rule, my advice to everyone on LinkedIn is simple: Be yourself. Be authentic. That’s what will truly set you apart.
Yes, we do need profile pictures, unfortunately. In my experience, profiles without one can look questionable. Let’s make them authentic and show the real you, not the AI version of you.
More importantly, ensure that the prose of your profile reflects who you are and why someone should be interested in your perspective or in working with you.
I’m keeping my flawed picture up as a form of protest. Let’s deemphasize profile pictures and focus on the actual value we bring.