MEET JD GERSHBEIN

JD Gershbein

JD Gershbein, known professionally as The LinkedIn® Style Guide, has earned a stellar reputation as a LinkedIn® specialist and is widely acknowledged as a leader in LinkedIn® education. He was a key figure during LinkedIn’s early years and its ascent as the de facto social networking site for business. As the site has evolved, JD has ushered in new, innovative approaches and developed powerful strategic frameworks to support the goals of professionals and organizations intent on tapping into LinkedIn’s immense potential.

From his upbringing in the healthcare profession, JD has honed a healer’s perspective. Keenly attuned to the pain businesspeople and companies experience using LinkedIn® effectively, he addresses the knowledge gap with customized learning programs steeped in neuroscience, psychology, emotional intelligence, design thinking, and applied improvisation. JD has guided thousands of professionals to greater proficiency and efficiency on LinkedIn® through his exclusive instructional design, which underscores style, substance, and character over disingenuous, automated sales pitches.

Born in Chicago, JD grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, and attended New Trier West High School in Northfield, Illinois. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Cincinnati, he earned two post-grad degrees at Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology (now Illinois Tech), a Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing Communications. JD has contributed written work to The Huffington Post, Forbes, and NBC and guested on prominent TV and radio news programs coast to coast. He is also a student and performer of improvisational comedy at Chicago’s famed Second City.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JD GERSHBEIN

Why do you concentrate your practice solely on LinkedIn®?

I have always understood the value of specialization. In the early days of social media, while most professionals venturing into the education space did so as generalists, I focused on LinkedIn®. Convinced that the site would have broad appeal to businesspeople, I immersed myself in it, observing user behaviors and emerging strategies. As LinkedIn® has evolved, it has become more complex, nuanced, and challenging to learn. A noticeable gap exists between those who “get it” and those who don’t. As a specialist, I am well-positioned to meet the increasing demand for knowledge and support the goals of those I serve.

What attracted you to LinkedIn®?

I guess it’s how I am hard-wired. From my vantage point, the medium is the perfect blend of art and science. It gives me a portal to heighten my aesthetic and articulate my psychology. Early on, I realized I could learn about my fellow professionals, what makes them tick, and what they strive for. Today, my work allows me to leverage every aspect of my academic training and showcase my public speaking, broadcasting, and media production skills to guide others. LinkedIn® also beautifully complements my creative outlets, including writing, cartooning, photography, and improv comedy.

How did you gain traction on LinkedIn®?

For me, LinkedIn® came along at the right time. Back then, I did not have a recognizable identity in the business world. The site energized me and enabled me to reimagine myself professionally. When I think back on how I approached the first iteration of my profile, I was like an artist laying fresh paint down on a canvas. I dug deep, found my best narrative, and everything clicked. Little did I know I was developing a methodology that could help others make similar discoveries. I answered a call to lead and went all in. 

You describe your proprietary process as “uniquely collaborative.” What does that mean?

I do not take a cookie-cutter approach, market a turnkey system, work off templates or use AI prompts. Instead, I customize each engagement to meet each client’s specifications, characteristics, and goals. People vary in attitudes, personalities, objectives, learning styles, and risk tolerance, so what works for one person might not work for another. Each engagement presents challenges unique to each client. They bring their goals; we chart the course together. Along the way, we become co-creators and, most importantly, learn from each other. 

Who is your ideal client?

Many folks who retain me feel like they have hit a plateau. They are on LinkedIn and have worked on it to some extent but cannot capitalize on their efforts. Their networks have expanded to the point where they are unmanageable. Most of my clients are rebranding and searching for the proper narrative for their LinkedIn® profiles. The through-line is that they want to upskill on the site. I am the ideal advisor for professionals who have an insatiable desire to expand their horizons, want the deepest dive possible on LinkedIn®, and are betting on themselves to win.

What keeps people from achieving their professional goals on LinkedIn?

Many professionals cannot convert the information they view on a computer screen into intelligence. Or worse, they self-sabotage through indifference, procrastination, or neglect. Impostor syndrome, comparison syndrome, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, and stress can set in and impede progress. Once people eliminate negative thinking and attach significance to their efforts, they can rise above inhibitions and become more competent, resourceful, and profitable LinkedIn® citizens.

What is the most significant benefit you provide to your clients?

Today’s businesspeople are time-strapped, self-absorbed, and under immense pressure to produce. If they commit to using LinkedIn®, they want assurance that their efforts will generate results. I give my clients a cognitive framework for LinkedIn® that creates context, plays to their strengths, and guides them to new, revelatory insights about themselves, the people they aspire to serve, and the community they wish to build. Through our work, they gain the confidence to drive growth. That is priceless. 

What can your clients do to ensure a successful engagement with you?

Attitude is everything when it comes to learning and achieving on LinkedIn®. A positive outlook is essential. Building capacity on the site requires significant time and effort. As with any advisor-client relationship, both parties must set realistic expectations and share accountabilities. I can take my clients from a place of aimless wander on LinkedIn to full proficiency, but they must be willing to migrate out of their comfort zones, trust the process, and do the work.