Why the next professional network will not behave like LinkedIn.
We spend 50+ hours a week working, and a lot more thinking about work. What we do, where we work, who we know, shape our lives entirely. And yet, we have very little help when it comes to living our best professional life / achieving everything that we are capable of.
The schools we go to, our friends and family give us a great platform to launch our careers, but a few years into the journey, we are on our own. Some of us are lucky to build a strong network and find mentors (& understand the impact it can have on our life), but most of us aren’t.
Over the last few years LinkedIn, Glassdoor etc. have made our lives easier. We get:
A directory of people, companies and information about them.
A way to connect online with those we know and new people.
A summary of what we’ve done.
Talent solutions/jobs platform (85% of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from this).
But do they help us unlock our best professional life or help us grow? Do they help us when we face challenges at work? No.
They prioritised quantity over quality, and are full spam. Professional network 2.0 will not be LinkedIn or Glassdoor.
What we really need is totally different:
Strong offline relationships with people who’re walking the same path as us, or have already walked it; and not just online connections.
A strong support system. Coaches, mentors, peers – people who can help us navigate our professional journey.
A platform to help us constantly upskill.
A platform that shares what we are good at and not what we have done. Dribbble does it well for designers.
We need to prioritise mental wellness to make sure we’re happy and don’t burn out.
Special focus on creating women leaders - this is a $12 trillion economic opportunity and not social charity.
If you are a rising female leader who wants to smash the glass ceiling, join the movement here. Memberships will be limited and paid. In the last 2 weeks, 700+ women have joined the waitlist. They represent Spotify, ITC, Zomato, Uber, Teach For India, Amazon, EY, Wipro, Bain, Indian Air Force and many more organisations.
We spoke to some women who signed up on the waitlist and here’s what they said -
We hit a wall at a certain point in our career, we’re so busy focussing on getting work done that we forget to think about “what’s next”.
- Anjana Menon, UX writer
I feel there is a need for a comprehensive mental health & long term wellness programme which helps creative entrepreneurs steer through the dark.
- Vishwani Marwah, Content Strategist & Restauranteur
For women in law, the journey is long and tough and I would personally love to meet other women who are on the same road as me. And maybe a group with whom I can freely discuss the last 5% of my professional life.
- Kritika Ahuja, Lawyer
At leap - we are building the professional network 2.0, with a simple mission - more women in leadership positions. We enable an impactful network, wellness, support, and learning. We help you live your best professional life.