Why your authority is sinking before it even sets sail

Still waiting for LinkedIn to recognize you as an authority while repeating the same tricks as always? Hate to break it to you, but your personal brand isn't sinking for no reason, it never even left the dock.

Everything’s there: frequent posts, catchy phrases, pretty carousels, decent engagement. And yet...nothing. Authority doesn’t stick. Leads don’t come. Respect doesn’t land. It’s like wearing a captain’s uniform on an imaginary ship.

Identity isn’t aesthetic. It’s structure.

The problem with your authority isn’t a lack of effort, it’s a lack of clarity. Want to become a reference? Then stop painting the ship’s hull while there’s a hole in the bottom. Without clear positioning, everything you do becomes noise, not presence. As Ana Couto says, presence without coherence is just performative noise.

You’re not being ignored because you don’t post. You’re being ignored because no one knows who’s posting.There is no authority without identity.

Branding is not lipstick. It’s a mirror.

Most people build authority the way they build a Sims avatar: a little bit of storytelling, a dash of Canva, a sprinkle of borrowed quotes from some foreign guru…and voilà: “Look at me!”

But authority isn’t manufactured. It’s recognized. And what isn’t recognizable, is disposable.

As Goffman taught us, life is performance. But even on stage, there’s a script, direction, purpose. You, on the other hand, are improvising lines borrowed from influencers who don’t even know you exist. Your character is fragile. Your presence is vague. Your audience is confused.

Byung-Chul Han warned us: exposure without essence kills content.

And you? You’re showing up so much that you forgot to build substance. You’re posting so much your feed looks like an anxious résumé instead of a coherent narrative.

You’re trying to be loved, not followed.

The root of your strategy isn’t positioning, it’s neediness. You post craving likes the way someone craves a hug. And each post that doesn’t hit the mark chips away at your self-esteem. As Winnicott would say, you’ve built a digital false self, a profile that pleases, but doesn’t represent.

Everyone wants Mandela’s authority, but not everyone can handle the solitude of the cell.Everyone wants to be a reference, but few want the responsibility of holding an unpopular opinion.Everyone wants an audience, but not everyone wants authenticity.

So you pasteurize yourself. You become a generic brand. And generic authority doesn’t sell, it just decorates the feed.

Authority begins where cowardice ends.

Being an authority means being a clear presence in a sea of insecure voices. It’s moving beyond copy-paste and building a message in your own voice. It’s knowing that sometimes you’ll clash, and that’s okay.Because the choir might be beautiful, but only the solo gives you chills.

You're stuck in repetition because you're afraid to stand out. And unless that fear is overcome, you'll stay docked while others, with less preparation but more authenticity, are already sailing.

For the savvy nonconformist, here’s your recap:

• You don’t lack content, you have excess noise.

• Your authority didn’t sink—it was never built.

• Clarity matters more than frequency.

• Aesthetic won’t keep the boat afloat. Strategy will.

• Authority doesn’t shout. It’s perceived.

Want authority? Then hold your ground. Have a perspective, and own it.And if you're still wondering why LinkedIn doesn’t take you seriously, maybe the real question is: do you?