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- EP #070 - How to Celebrate Your Team (and Earn More Engagement)
EP #070 - How to Celebrate Your Team (and Earn More Engagement)
Why stories about your employees outperform credentials every time
Most CEOs can't help themselves.
When I ask them to spotlight an employee for their newsletter, they immediately launch into bullet points: their background, their education, their impressive resume.
And I get it. You want to show why this person matters to your company.
But credentials only tell half the story. Your audience already knows resumes are impressive. Listing credentials tells them nothing about who this person actually is, and more importantly, it tells them nothing about you as a leader.
The executives who get team content right understand something simple: stories beat descriptions every single time.
Instead of telling me Sarah has 15 years of supply chain experience, tell me about the first time you met her. Instead of listing credentials, share a moment that showed you exactly who she was - maybe she solved a problem in an unconventional way, or said something during the interview that made you know you had to hire her.

These stories do double duty. They show your team's value while revealing something deeper: the kind of leader you are, the culture you've built, the relationships you've invested in. When you share a genuine story about someone on your team, you're not just praising an employee - you're demonstrating familiarity, intimacy, and the kind of leadership that actually pays attention.
This is why employee spotlights consistently outperform generic company announcements. People connect with people, and when you tell a real story about someone on your team, you invite your audience into that relationship.
The mechanics matter too. If you're spotlighting someone, include a photo - ideally of you with that employee, or at minimum, a photo of them. Visual proof of these relationships makes the story land harder.
Team get-togethers work the same way. Instead of posting a generic photo with "Great team meeting today," share something specific: an insight someone raised that surprised you, a question that changed how you're thinking about a problem, an observation about how the group collaborated. These details transform a throwaway team photo into content that shows your leadership in action.

Every time you celebrate your team, you're showing what kind of leader you are. Leaders who share credit, who notice the people around them, who take time to tell specific stories about their colleagues - they're showing exactly the kind of executive people want to work with and follow.
Compare that to the CEO who only posts about their own achievements or speaks about the company in the abstract. You can feel the difference immediately.
The irony is that talking about your team is one of the most effective ways to talk about your company. Show your company's values through the people who embody them, share how your team made milestones happen rather than just announcing the outcome - these indirect approaches land far harder than direct promotion.
So the next time you're tempted to write a post about your company, ask yourself: is there a person behind this story? A team member who drove this outcome? A colleague whose perspective shaped your thinking?
Start there. Tell us that story.
Your audience will thank you - and your engagement numbers will show it.
— Justin
Justin M. Nassiri | Founder & CEO
M: 650.353.1138 | E: [email protected]
250 Fillmore St Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
www.ExecutivePresence.io
Executive Presence specializes in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.
Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.
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