Your professional learning network does not grow by accident. It grows by intention.

For a long time, I did not believe LinkedIn belonged in that conversation.

I was late to Facebook and never really saw the point.

I was late to Twitter, but I loved it in the good old days.

Through hashtag#PubPDAsia and Carlos Galvez , I built real relationships, learned in public, and even wrote a guest post for Edutopia on using Twitter for professional growth (https://lnkd.in/gATHj5dy)

LinkedIn felt different.

Like most people, I treated it as a place to track roles and update experience. I never thought it would be a productive platform for educators.

I was wrong.

Most people still use LinkedIn like a digital résumé.

They post when they need a job.

Scroll when they are bored.

Disappear when things get busy.

That is a missed opportunity.

Used well, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful leadership classrooms available.

A strong professional learning network does real work.

It exposes you to leadership styles outside your organization.

It challenges assumptions you did not realize you were holding.

It shows you how others handle problems you are facing right now.

It connects you to people you would never meet otherwise.

Growth happens at the edges of your network, not the center.

This matters even more in education, where isolation is common and echo chambers are comfortable.

Here are some of the people who have turned my feed into a place for real thinking and learning.

My top connectors. The engagers.These are the voices that show up, push the thinking, and build dialogue.

• Brad Nash‍
• ‍Thomas Midbo
• ‍‍Conan Magruder‍‍
• David Ardley
• ‍‍Jacques Malan
• ‍‍Kevin Bartlett‍‍
• Dwayne Matthews O.C.T‍‍
• Shane Leaning‍‍
• Justin Hardman‍‍
• Barry Cooper‍‍
• Daun Yorke‍‍
• Kevin Baker‍‍
• Lisa Ziebart, EdD‍‍
• Susan Fang‍‍
• Brendan Schneider‍
• ‍Simon Gauci OCT., M.Ed‍
• ‍Greg Parry‍
• ‍Andrew Elias
• ‍‍Diana Hu McDowell‍‍
• Benjamin Sheridan‍‍
• Dr. Rose Anne Kuiper‍‍
• André Double 安德烈 杜布勒

‍You are the engine of my PLN.

My LinkedIn crushes. The inspirations.

These are the profiles that consistently raise the level of thinking.

‍John Nash for AI and education

‍Brené Brown for authentic leadership

‍Steven Bartlett for communication and connection

‍Holly Crawshaw Joyner for writing that lands

‍Ruben Hassid Hassid for practical AI use

‍Dr. Julie Gurner for high performance

The leaders who grow fastest do a few things consistently.

They follow people who think differently.

They comment thoughtfully.

They ask questions in public.

They share what they are learning, not just what they are promoting.

If you want to grow as a leader this year, grow your network on purpose.

Follow me if you’re serious about growing into the leader you’re capable of being.