LinkedIn for Executives and Communicators (LEC) is a five-week virtual program led by LinkedIn’s editorial team, designed specifically for executives and the communications leaders who support them. It offers a direct look at how executive voices are actually performing on the platform  from the people inside LinkedIn who see what gets distributed, what gets ignored, and why.

The first session, Building Authentic Leadership in 2026, made one thing clear early on: the era of safe, fluffy corporate posting is over.

Why LinkedIn is running this program

LinkedIn isn’t guessing about where leadership credibility is headed because they’re watching it happen in real time.

According to the data shared in this session:

• Executive content drives 4x the engagement and 7x the impressions of average member posts
• CEO followings grew 39% year over year, as audiences look to stay connected to leaders they trust
• Journalists, stakeholders, and even AI systems increasingly use LinkedIn to source perspective and authority

What’s changed for executive voices

One of the strongest messages from the session was that presence alone is no longer enough.

What’s working now:

• Leaders who explain how they think, not just what they announce
• Content that reflects real judgment, context, and decision-making
• A mix of formats — especially articles, video, and visuals — used intentionally

What’s stopped working:

• Overly polished, risk-free corporate language
• Treating LinkedIn as a broadcast channel instead of a conversation
• Posting without a clear point of view

The takeaway wasn’t just to “post more.” but to be clearer, more human, and more deliberate.

Why this matters for communicators, too

For communications leaders, it reframes the work from “writing posts” to building executive credibility systems, where one strong idea can become:

• A LinkedIn article
• A short post
• A newsletter insight
• A talking point in a proposal

The role shifts from content production to strategy, structure, and reuse.

The Social Driver value-add

Because participants joined through the Social Driver community, we’re layering on weekly recaps and live Q&A Office Hours.

Each week, we’ll break down what was shared, answer real questions, and help translate the insights into practical next steps for executives and teams. It’s a free value-add designed to help people apply what they’re learning.

The bottom line

LinkedIn is telling us, plainly, that executive voice now plays a central role in trust, reach, and credibility.

This series is about understanding how influence is actually being built, and how to use LinkedIn intentionally in 2026.