I have been on LinkedIn since 2004.

Over the years, I have learned that most people who want to build a personal brand that compliments their employer brand end up failing because they only share approved corporate marketing blogs . They think they will get in trouble if they don't, and never realize corporate marketing is what's actually holding them back. To be honest, it took me quite a while to learn this lesson too.

Here are some of the other reasons I've learned people fail at LinkedIn branding:

• Reason #1: People fail because they only share approved marketing.

• Reason #2: People fail because they feel they will get in trouble.

• Reason #3: People fail because they feel they have nothing to say.

The company you work for does not own your LinkedIn profile. You do need to compliment their mission. You can do both at the same time. Start small and follow me.

Don't worry: I've all been there, we've all been there.