Five inspiring social media profiles for professionals to follow!

Brigette Hyacinth

I remember when social media first became a prominent aspect of our daily lives nearly a decade ago. I had always been involved in the latest technical advancements, so social media was very easy for me to adapt to. But for many, the idea of having your identity, in any form, plastered up and down the information highway was downright scary. And with so many discussions related to identity theft, hacking and online stalking, these worries were not completely unfounded. 

However, today, many of us don’t even second guess paying for a product online with our credit cards, sharing personal pictures of our family and friends or taking people we meet online at face value, because for the most part, the information highway is no less safe than the world we experience in our everyday lives. In the current state of affairs, many of us have found ourselves online much more than usual.
   

Being an educator and a writer has always driven me to find online mentorship and inspiring social media accounts I could follow in order to remain in “the know” and to have relevant information to share with my colleagues and students. Understanding that social media is such a huge part of our lives, I knew that a short list of some very innovative people and accounts to follow would help you to continue to create an online world that is equally as resourceful and inspiring as those we have created face-to-face.

Gretchen Rubin is a happiness coach and the bestselling author of the The Happiness Project. From her Linkedin Profile, “On her popular weekly podcast Happier with "Gretchen Rubin," she discusses happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft. It was named in iTunes’s lists of “Best Podcasts of 2015” and won the Academy of Podcasters “Best Health & Fitness Podcast 2016.” 

• Rubin is a versatile public speaker 
• Rubin Specializes in habits, happiness, positive psychology, writing, memoir, blogging, social media, self-improvement and self-help
• She regularly posts inspiring messages about cultivating a happy lifestyle

Greg Mckeown is an essentialist. Part of being an essentialist is saying no to many things so that we can focus on the things that matter. From his Linkedin Profile, “Greg McKeown is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less." 

• He is a blogger for the Harvard Business Review and an accomplished public speaker 
• He speaks frequently at major corporations including Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Pixar, Salesforce.com, and Twitter and organizations including SXSW 
• McKeown shares daily posts about "innovation, being focused, leadership, discipline, simplicity and execution

Dorie Clark is the author of Stand Out and Reinventing You. Clark can help you craft the professional image you’ve always wanted. From Clark's Linkedin Profile, “I'm a strategy consultant, executive coach, and keynote speaker (with deep experience in virtual presentations) who has worked with clients including Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, Yale University, the IMF, and the World Bank."

• Clark has been named one of the Top 50 Business Thinkers in the World by Thinkers50
• Clark also writes a weekly LinkedIn Newsletter which you subscribe to via his Linkedin profile
• Clark posts regularly on several platforms about the importance of a professional image

Adam Grant is a Wharton Professor and the author of Give and Take, which provides advice on why being helpful at work can accelerate your career. From his Linkedin profile, “Recognized as Wharton's top-rated professor and one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune's 40 under 40. Author of three New York Times bestsellers that have sold over a million copies and been translated into 35 languages." 

• His book ORIGINALS explores how individuals champion new ideas and leaders fight groupthink
• His book GIVE AND TAKE examines why helping others drives our success, and was named one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal
• His book OPTION B, with Sheryl Sandberg, is a #1 bestseller on facing adversity and building resilience
• Follow him on Linkedin to receive daily posts about leadership and personal success

Brigette Hyacinth is a bestselling Author, and an International Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Management, HR, Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence. From her Linkedin profile, "Brigette Hyacinth is a bestselling Author, and an International Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Management, HR, Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence." 

• She has been ranked Top 100 HR Influencers (Leadership & Development) of 2018 & 2019. Top 20 EMEA-Based Tech Experts to inspire Digital Transformation Efforts. Top 100 Most Influential people of African Descent under 40
• Hyacinth is dedicated to helping others succeed in the workplace
• Her passion for bridging the gap between technological advancement and the workplace is apparent in her daily posts 
• She conducts seminars and workshops in leadership, management and education as well as provide motivational speeches

I hope you can find as much inspiration and motivation as I have through following these amazing professionals. If you have a few to share, please feel free to comment below.

Jameelah Ra'oof MIS, MS 

Coordinator of Teaching, Learning & Academic Excellence

Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)

Texas Woman's University 

940.898.3427

Stoddard Hall - Room 305A