Beyond Testimonials: Using gen AI and feedback to define your leadership brand 🎯

What's on your 'should list'?

Those things you know are essential, but you always push them to the bottom of your list.

Mine was always 'asking for testimonials'.  

I know the value of social proof in a business like mine. I've always advised others to collect them. But when it came to my own, I was sporadic at best, always justifying my discomfort and procrastination by telling myself I didn't want to make my clients feel awkward. (And, yes, I know how that sounds!)

That is, until last year, when I committed to get serious about it. Thanks to a few recommendations on Linkedin, I experimented with Senja for gathering reviews for 52conversations (the card game I created to help founders and leaders have better conversations with their teams).

It was easy to set up, made a simple and quick process for responders and was easy for me to integrate into my Squarespace website without needing tech support. So I introduced a testimonial request at the end of each coaching engagement.

For those considering coaching for the first time, detailed testimonials can turn something that 'sounds like it might be helpful, but I'm not sure how' into a tangible, meaningful description of expected outcomes and value.

I knew the value they would have for others. What surprised me was the depth of insight I could gather.

In coaching conversations, I guide leaders through assessing how well their intentions and impact align. It was time to take my own medicine. I took all my testimonials and fed them to Claude (my AI assistant of choice). I asked Claude to analyse the common themes in my feedback.

What emerged was incredibly helpful.

The themes in my feedback reflected what I was doing and how I was doing it.

By comparing these themes with my intended impact, I could see where my purpose was landing and where it might be missing the mark. It's one thing to say "I help leaders doing good do better" – it's another to see it described by my clients in their own words.

Getting better at asking for testimonials isn't just about overcoming awkwardness. It's about creating a consistent feedback loop that keeps you honest about your impact.

If you're feeling inspired to do your own purpose-to-impact analysis, here are my tips:

1. Gather all your existing testimonials in one place

2. Ask GenAi to find recurring themes in the language used

3. Compare these themes with your intended impact

4. Ask yourself questions like:

• Does my feedback mention impacts that align with my purpose?

• Did I read what I hoped or expected to read? What was present? What was absent?

• What unexpected themes emerge in their feedback?

• Where might the gap between your intention and your impact be creating opportunities?

5. Use this insight to guide the iteration of your leadership behaviours

Remember: Your brand isn't what you say it is – it's how your team (or, in my case, my clients) experience it to be.

If you'd like to read feedback about my coaching, you can find it here.

If you'd like some help creating a stronger alignment between your leadership intention and the impact you're having, let's talk!