Rhonda Gauthreaux, VP of Marketing at Southwire, is a distinguished leader in the wire and cable industry and owns the strategic responsibility for brand development of individual product lines and overall company brand to customers and end users for Southwire. During this year’s Women in NECA Leadership Summit, she will be challenging women to become more than just leaders in their companies, but also leaders on LinkedIn and increase their influence to propel positive change within the industry.

Did you know that LinkedIn is the largest business social network? It is comprised of 40 million members spanning across 170 industries. Furthermore, 80% of these 40 million members influence business decisions at their companies. Therefore, it is more important now than it has ever been to have a prominent presence on LinkedIn.

Angela Ahrendts, SVP of retail at Apple, said, “Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first.” By employing socially engaged leadership, you can build relationships with the backbone of your business, the employees. In fact, employees are 24% more likely to feel innovated at socially engaged companies. LinkedIn is a great way to spark innovation and build relationships within both the company and industry as a whole.

LinkedIn is a great way to influence others, power your career, get leads, and highlight industry change. Through LinkedIn, a member can find old colleagues as well as build new connections. There are also several opportunities to look for a new job and discover inside connections at other companies. Having an active LinkedIn account is a great way to promote your business and reach out to other members of your industry.

So, ladies, your work has been cut out for you. So get ready to engage on LinkedIn and power your leadership and influence!

- Rob Boot