I took breakfast at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel with Josh Steimle to talk about using LinkedIn to build an influencer network. He was giving a breakfast talk to C-Suite professionals at Asia Insight Circle. Actually, I’d invited Josh. I knew a network of business leaders who might find him interesting. Man was I right!

Josh is a coach to business leaders on how to manage and grow their profiles on LinkedIn. Look him up – he’s in a lot of places. He teaches influence. And he is an influencer.

Hi, I’m Josh! Author of Chief Marketing Officers at Work and 300+ articles in Forbes, Fortune, Time, Mashable, TechCrunch, and more, TEDx speaker, event organizer, and executive coach (I help executives with personal branding and thought leadership.)

While he’s an expert on the deeper engagement possible through well-managed accounts, he kindly dialed back and provided us with some basics. Photo (professional, mid-close range, natural) is easiest. Next is swapping the job title (Vice President, Procurement) to a summary of your expertise (International supply chain & logistics professional with four years in-market experience in Asia). Make sure the text “above the More” is pithy and well-written. (Find a business page sub-editor to teach you snappy sub-head writing!) Next we saw Josh 2.0. There are ways to curate your audience – and write for their (not-so-eclectic) tastes. How to manage incoming requests, and how much time to devote to the platform. But next we talked about LinkedIn as part of a corporate reputation program. So tune in. And whether you’re a captain of industry or a novice sailor, there’re words of wisdom in today’s podcast.

PS: I find this interesting. On his LinkedIn page Josh tells us he’s Mormon. And I like that. I’m not seeking religious instruction, but I like when people have that strong a self-identity. I identify with pride and belief. The Latter Day Saints are a naturally an evangelical religion, Josh explained. Plus it focuses his prism. I should have asked – how have your experiences and convictions spread into your influence style?