On Monday September 24th, Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, was awarded the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society (the Phil). An extremely charismatic man, Weiner spoke more to the room than to Sorcha Ryder, the President of the Phil, and the event resembled a TED talk more than it did a conversation. Weiner must have spoken at thousands of events during his decade at LinkedIn, and the result is a very polished, well-rehearsed monologue about why Linkedin can and will help to expand the worlds collective wisdom and compassion.
Weiner immediately thanked the room for the “wonderful award” and said that he tries to travel to Dublin annually. His explanations were technical and business-savvy, littered with buzzwords like “the what” and “the how”. Ryder appeared at ease with Weiner, however, and made him laugh on several occasions. When she queried his pressure to be forthright with his political stance, Weiner replied “I never feel any pressure whatsoever”, a comment that was met with much laughter.
What Weiner is not lacking is insightful business advice, which he was eager to share with the room. LinkedIn is keen to foster compassion in the workplace, he said, and he recalled a time he told a coworker to look in the mirror before undermining a junior colleague once more, because he was the reason he was in his position. Weiner believes that expressing frustration at colleagues is a wasted exercise, as there are a multitude of reasons why a person may be behaving a certain way. “You could have triggered something that happened to them long before you even knew them”, he said.
He has carried that ideology throughout his career, making sure he treats his employees with the respect he wants. This is vital in business because you may be the boss, but you can’t run the business by yourself. If you provide enough respect, you will find that you’ll gain key employees that are willing to do anything for the business. It’s also important to visit somewhere like www.mykeymaninsurance.com to ensure your company is protected, should you lose these key employees for whatever reason. Employees and bosses have a mutualistic relationship that can be successful for every party if it’s managed well.
When questions were opened to the floor, Weiner embraced the opportunity to share more sound advice. His advice for startups was to stress the importance of knowing what exactly it is you want to accomplish. Once you understand exactly what it is you want, Weiner believes you begin to manifest it. He encouraged students to surround themselves with the best people they can find and to find passion in the process of learning.
During the questions-and-answers session, Weiner praised the Irish government, commending them for working “so hard” to create an environment where companies can succeed. When asked about mentors, he immediately praised his parents. His mother taught him to read at a very young age, and so he learned that he did not have to depend on other people. His father told him every night that he could achieve anything he set his mind to, and Weiner said it was as common as being told to “eat your vegetables”.
Lastly, Weiner gave three book recommendations to students who are interested in business – Conscious Business by Fred Kofman, The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.
