His insights on leadership are invaluable. His humility as an accomplished coach is admirable. His authenticity as a LinkedIn advocate is contagious. And his LinkedIn success story will inspire you to be more and do more by leveraging the power of personal branding, relationship-building and authenticity on LinkedIn!
I’m referring to Jeff Manhilot, a leadership coach and consultant, inspirational speaker and LinkedIn advocate.
I first met Jeff in person during a LinkedIn Local event in Manila, but prior to that, we’ve already talked via Skype and we’ve been engaging with each other’s content on LinkedIn. So far, we’ve been together in these events;
At the time, I saw some “A-ha” moments among the participants while Jeff was sharing how he has been using LinkedIn to build relationships that have helped him establish his personal brand and gain the respect of those from within and outside of his industry.
A little Secret About Jeff
The truth is, Jeff is the most well-traveled LinkedIn advocate here in the Philippines — he’s been a panelist/facilitator in LinkedIn Local/LinkedIn Talk events in several areas including BGC, Ayala, Angeles City, San Fernando (Pampanga), Subic, Cavite and Cebu.
In its true sense, Jeff is a LinkedIn advocate who gives back to the Filipino LinkedIn community by helping build LinkedIn awareness in the country with the intent of helping the Filipinos succeed in their careers.
Check out my personal Q&A session with Jeff below.
VB: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Jeff Manhilot: I am a passionate believer in people and leadership development who invested 16 years of career life in both local and multinational FMCG companies. I began my own leadership journey in 2006 and started coaching and training in 2007, building high performing teams and developing next generations leaders.
I am now a full-time Leadership Coach, Consultant, Speaker and Trainer with a personal mission of helping individuals, teams and organizations UNLOCK and UNLEASH their God-given potential.
VB: Tell us any interesting information about you that very few people know and that is not found in your LinkedIn profile.
Jeff Manhilot: I guess I’ll go with these, I turned 40 last year, a husband to one wife and a father to two kids (I try my best not to mix up the last two things I mentioned).
My wife, Angela, is a full-time homemaker and accomplished professional makeup artist. I’m more proud of how she was able to accomplish both and I wouldn’t have done all of these without her full support.
VB: What impact did LinkedIn have on your career? Tell us your LinkedIn success story.
Jeff Manhilot: I can write a book on this topic, alone. But in the interest of keeping it short and sweet (KISS), let’s settle on this, instead: ‘LinkedIn surpassed my expectations!’ I created my LinkedIn account around 2011. But back then, it seemed like more of a recruitment site than it is, now. So, I hardly posted let alone opened it.
I first got a glimpse of what a social network for professionals when the company I was working for introduced us to an intra-social networking site. It was then that I saw and experienced how something like that could help one’s career and personal development.
I had the privilege of posting articles of my own, challenging others’ posts, engaging in intellectual conversations and also gaining friends and mentors from across the globe. In short, I got sharpened as I came across “irons” within our company.
When I left that company, I longed for a similar platform, which led me to try LinkedIn again; hoping to get the same experience. Fortunately, at that time, LinkedIn has even surpassed my expectations!
That’s when I started posting and interacting with others. Eventually, following and connecting with like-minded people. My first article in LinkedIn was: How to Manage Millennials. And wrote 12 more, after that.
LinkedIn helped me build my connections, confidence and credibility. I decided to go full-time Leadership Coach and Consultant in 2017, and taking that big leap was never an easy thing. Luckily and fortunately, I have been very active with LinkedIn for the past 2 years prior to my decision.
Frankly, I don’t think I would’ve made it this far had it not been for getting on LinkedIn early on. LinkedIn helped me build my 3C’s: Connections, Confidence and Credibility.
I don’t use LinkedIn to sell. I do my best to be authentic and consistent. Contrary probably to popular belief and practice, I don’t use LinkedIn to sell or generate leads. I do my best to be as Authentic and Consistent in helping people UNLOCK and UNLEASH their God-given potential. Results seem to follow … I have achieved all my personal targets in less than a year:
✓ Speaking engagements
✓ Trainings and seminars
✓ Coaching and Consultancy engagements
I also had the chance to go to India last year (courtesy of a client).
VB: What’s your top advice to Filipinos who are new to LinkedIn?
Jeff Manhilot: W.I.N. with people. Why are you in LinkedIn? Start with the right intentions. Intent prior to content. Invest in yourself and invest in others. Continue to add value to others, and you can only do this, if you continuously invest in your own personal development. Nurture connections; never, ever burn them. Be authentic and consistent with who you are, both online and offline. Never pretend to be someone you’re not for the sake of followers or popularity.
VB: Anything else that you’d like to share with us?
Jeff Manhilot: My articles and vlogs.
Kidding aside, we Filipinos are usually known globally because of our activities in Twitter and Facebook. We are not new to social media. But it’s probably time for us to mature into a social network where we would be able to grow, professionally.
We need to STOP thinking that LinkedIn is just a recruitment site where job hunters and recruiters converge.
LinkedIn is a platform where those who know freely give, and those who seek, freely find.
START making good use of our time, attention, energy and social media prowess. Let’s learn from the best in the world, talk to experts, and highly knowledgeable people who can help us grow. Let’s begin to add value to others, to teach them what we know and give them a glimpse of what Filipinos are all about.
