Beyond testimonials": Using GenAi 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.

Your team offsite won’t deliver sustainable team development.

There I’ve said it.

Yes, they’re typically scheduled and designed with best intentions. But let’s take a look at why a single (even if they are multi-day) session can’t possibly provide the fertile ground required for your team to flourish.

There is no “right time” for an offsite.

Creating self-managing, self-sustaining systems of work seems like a great idea doesn’t it?. Giving people freedom to be creative and solve problems makes sense for both the individual and the customers they serve. You’ll hear no argument from me about putting decision making as close as possible to the customer.

But here’s the thing….

not every individual, function or even organisation is ready for the level of autonomy that comes with holacracy.

To improve the power of your questions, try these 4 strategies:

1. Ask the obvious—I’ll bet there were times when you held back a question because you thought it was obvious or ‘dumb’. More often than not, those simple questions generate the most valuable discussions, so make sure you ask them.

2. Sharpen your listening - look for gaps, unexplained assumptions or areas that need further exploration

3. Focus on clarity and specificity - ask yourself, ‘What is the simplest, most straightforward way I can ask my question?’

4. Seek question superstars - have you heard someone ask a question and thought, ‘I wish I’d asked that’? They might be one of your question superstars. Listen carefully to the questions they ask. Try to analyse the questions and ask them how they come up with them.

This morning, I attended the Monash Health Business Breakfast on Neurodiversity and the Power of Inclusion. A thoughtfully constructed panel of experts generously shared data-driven insights and practical tips to help create more inclusive workplaces.

Reflection is often a key driver of learning. We gather insights from the past and declare some intentions for how we will do things differently next time.

Here’s the thing… when ‘next time’ comes, we may have forgotten the reflections from the last project. Or maybe there are different people involved who aren’t even aware of the insights from last time. When that happens, we’re doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

That’s why recognising the distinction between reflection and learning really matters - because if we don’t pay attention to both, we risk wasting time, effort and money - and that reduces our impact.

“micro-moments” — those seemingly insignificant opportunities to create better, deeper relationships.

To me it sounds like a cross between mindfulness (at least the very literal interpretation of “being in the moment”) and positive psychology (again quite literally “seeing the good in a situation”).

“Could passion be a barrier to success?”

Keiser and Kaplan’s article “Don’t let your strengths become your weaknesses” from the Harvard Business Review talks about the idea that any strength overplayed risks becoming a weakness. Considered in that light, I suggest there are some risks associated with being “too passionate”.

As leaders, asking great questions has become more critical than the pressure to know the answers.

Equally important is building that strong question muscle across our teams.

But what makes a question 'good'? How do we improve our skills over time?

Often, I hear leaders reflect with admiration on the questions asked by colleagues by saying, 'I wish I'd asked that' - but they rarely analyse the creation of the question, preferring to focus on the answer.