Did you know that you can send kudos through LinkedIn?

Remember back in the original days of LinkedIn (yes, I remember the beginnings and I also remember VHS tapes, hair crimpers and Blockbuster before it was synonymous with “worlds’ biggest business fails”)? You know, back in the day, when every time you logged into LinkedIn you’d be asked to “endorse” someone for a skill? In fact, they had suggestions for you! They’d have the person’s name, their pic, and suggested skills.

I don’t know if it was the annoyance factor or the lack of sincerity (sure I just connected with this person I hardly know to start networking but I guess probably they’re good at “strategic planning”) but they did away with those prompts. You can still endorse people for skills, though, so feel free to authentically endorse those you work with closely for their genius.

What replaced it?

Well, I’m not sure if it was always there, or came about after, but there is this juicy little-known, less in-your-face yet even more delicious option called “Kudos” on LinkedIn.

Do you want a quick, sincere and timely way to give a professional shout-out to someone or a group? Who doesn’t? Let me tell you how.

First, though, some of you will be saying, “but wait, Sarah, you tell us to make sure we follow the platinum rule of treating people the way they want to be treated…what if they don’t want public recognition like this?“

Good point (thanks for paying such close attention!)

Here’s why I’ve never heard a complaint from my more humble friends and colleagues of receiving a LinkedIn Kudos:
1. LinkedIn is the social media platform for professionals; kudos in this medium have the non-threatening feel of a testimonial, an accepted and commonplace professional recognition practice
2. No one is putting them on the spot, cheering, staring at them or making them blush (at least if they do blush it’s in private)
3. A kudos can be hidden should the receiver decide she, he or they would prefer not to have it on their public profile
4. You can choose not to post it publicly so only a smaller group of people can see it (e.g., only Connections or only to a Group)

Perhaps not surprisingly, it works for people who prefer public recognition too:
1. The Kudos is posted to their wall allowing others to send claps to celebrate them and keep the recognition going
2. The note remains on their feed and is connected to their work history
3. It is both personalized and specific (which 92% of people say they desire in recognition); past, current and future bosses and colleagues can see the kudos

All this benefit and it only it takes two minutes to do. Plus, I say with 98.92% certainty (there is always an outlier) that it will make you top of their good vibes list that day. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they send you a private message of “you don’t know how much I needed to hear this today” or “wow no one ever takes the time to say this!” (This, frankly is a real bummer, so isn’t it cool we can help to turn around the only 30% ‘satisfaction at work’ around, at least at that moment for that person?)

No real downsides, right? Here are two ways to do it.

Option # 1. – Through the Contact Option
1. Click on their profile
2. Click on “More”
3. Select “Give Kudos”
4. Select what type of Kudos (e.g., “Thank You”, “Going Above and Beyond”, etc)
5. Type your specific and personalized note
6. Add hashtags and tags to other people or organizations as you see fit
7. Decide if posting publicly or to a smaller group (see options that are beside their name)
8. Post!

Option #2. – Through the Post Option
It’s almost all the same steps.
1. Click on “Home”
2. Where it says “Start a post” click there
3. Below you will see “Celebrate an Occasion”
4. Follow 3 to 8 above

If you give the second option a whirl, you’ll no doubt get inspired about all of the other celebratory options available through LinkedIn too. “Welcome to the Team” (who doesn’t want to hear folks are thrilled they’re joining the team before they even start) and “Project Launch” that allows you to celebrate a project milestone as well as successful completion.

So here’s my homework: Think of someone who has made your career better. A past mentor, your closest colleague, a project co-lead, or even your boss (yes, bosses need acknowledgement too.) Inspire others to do the same by sharing this post!