The best LinkedIn posts from 2026

I got to spend all day today with Jensen in Taiwan: talking with thousands of engineers and eating street food at a night market. Jensen is received as a rockstar in Taiwan, like it's Beatles in the 60's. It's mind-blowing and fun to watch. But most importantly, through all the interactions and all my conversations with him, he remained the same humble, kind, thoughtful, funny guy he always was, even as a kid who went to these same night markets many years ago.

Btw, we tried a crazy amount of different street food. It's legit some of the most delicious food I've ever had. I can't wait to share video of it, including a ton of our conversations and hangout. When I can pause for a moment from all the travel to edit the video, I'll post it.

Can't wait to continue talking to Jensen and engineers at Computex this week, and exploring more of Taiwan, and of course roaming the night markets for some more delicious street food.

Days like these, even more than usual, I feel like the luckiest kid in the world.

Love you all! ❤️

CC: NVIDIA, Jensen Huang, NVIDIA Taiwan

Want to see what real scroll-stopping content looks like?

Watch this video Tim Gray made for me.

This is what happens when bold ideas meet smart execution.

Your audience won’t forget it.


P.S. Follow me, Chase Dimond, for daily marketing tips.

For real though...

Shout-out to the leaders whose kindness isn’t a strategy, but a way of life.
Kindness isn't soft — it's a quiet strength. Leaders who create safety, listen deeply, and stay human under pressure unlock levels of trust, belonging, and performance that authority alone couldn't. People remember how you made them feel and how you showed up when it mattered. When kindness is your compass, you create a legacy that outlives every title. Keep leading from the heart. That is where true power and real influence resides.

Pick up a copy of my new book. "LEADING IN THE AGE OF AI." 👉 https://lnkd.in/e97NsiMP

Today would have been Joan’s 81st birthday. Keep dancing in the stars. We love you.

I’ve lost money on over 9,000 ads I personally wrote.
I’ve had over 2,000 one-on-one sales consults reject my offer.
First 300 podcast episodes I published got barely any downloads.
In 9 different business partnerships, I was the reason we failed.
3 times I pitched an entire audience - and sold to no one.

Nobody is special.
Everybody sucks when they start.

I got to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov yesterday. This was an honor of a lifetime for me. He's a great fighter & leader and a great human being.

From a grappling perspective, I don't think I've ever experienced this much top pressure in my life.

I'll post the footage of the training in a few days. And also we'll do a long podcast (and dub it in multiple languages).

In general, it was an incredible experience to train with the team and get to know many of the fighters from Dagestan. All are great people.

Praying for the 17,000 people who lost their jobs this morning at Spirit Airlines.

Praying for the 217,000 people laid off in Q1.

Praying for the 90,000 tech workers impacted by "AI-driven" layoffs.

Praying for the 7.2 million people currently unemployed.

Behind every number is a person. A family. A story.

If you are currently employed, don’t take it for granted.
If you have the capacity, check on your people. Extend grace. Share opportunities.

You never know the battles that someone is silently fighting.

True, deep relationships require your total, undivided presence.. not just the spare moments between notifications... ❤️

Jefferson Fisher x The Diary Of A CEO

"I'm too tired to start a new project. The market is too tough right now, why bother?"
For years, a friend of mine was stuck in a rut.

They called it realism.
But I could sense there was a deeper problem.

Their vocabulary wasn't reflecting their life.
It was increasing their dissatisfaction.

Your mind is like Google.

If you search "Is coffee good for me?" - you'll find thousands of articles.
But you'll also find thousands of articles for "Is coffee bad for me?"

Similarly, every time you say, "I'm stuck," your brain will find reasons to prove you right.

The solution isn't motivation.
It's to ask the right questions and understand yourself better.

Stop saying: "I'm exhausted."
Ask: "What is this showing me about my energy?"

Stop saying: "I'm confused."
Ask: "Which step am I most afraid to take next?"

Stop saying: "I can't."
Say: "I am learning how."

This is the hardest kind of work.
It feels uncomfortable starting out.

But your mind is brilliant at one thing: Proving you right.

Give it the right challenge.
Give it a new story.

Watch how fast it finds the evidence to support your growth.

Don't wait for your reality to change your words.

Change your words to change your reality.

Dolly Parton showed us that a life of extraordinary achievement can also be a life of extraordinary generosity. Through her music, her humor and her commitment to giving children the gift of reading, she brought joy and possibility to millions. Her light will live on through the songs she gave us, and every young imagination she helped inspire.

I'm traveling the world for a bit, starting with China but then hopping around the globe, anywhere. Open to any adventure. No plans, only a backpack. Hoping to meet & get to know humans from all walks of life. The pic is from a long hike on the Great Wall. For me, as a fan of history, this was an epic experience.

In China, first I'm visiting a few big cities & talking to engineers at the heart of China's AI revolution. After that, if feeling crazy enough, I'm hitchhiking (first time) across rural China for a few weeks. Hitchhiking because I think it's the best way to meet rural folks who I would otherwise never get the chance to meet. I hope to do the same in US and other places.

I have a request, if you have a travel recommendation, fill out the form(s) below if you feel like it. Or share with folks who might have advice about such travel.

Form 1 - travel recommendation:
If you can, recommend to me an interesting place I should visit anywhere in the world. For this, fill out form 1. Not touristy stuff, but something off the beaten path, that tourists may not know about, but is legendary. It could be as remote as meeting a herder in the mountains who is a local legend. Asia, Middle East, Europe, India, South/North America, Africa, Australia, anywhere. In China, I'm hoping to visit maybe Heibei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, etc, so recommendations for spots to visit are helpful.

Form 2 - coffee:
If you want to grab a coffee with me anywhere in the world, fill out form 2 (please don't use form 1 for that).

Anyway, I hectically tossed stuff in backpack. Realizing I don't have a clear plan of any kind, which is probably the only way to do it. LFG.

Love you all ❤️

Form 1 - travel recommendation:
https://lnkd.in/gKf9drJw

Form 2 - coffee:
https://lnkd.in/g-QwKcmG

General contact:
https://lnkd.in/gn4fXa2K

It was an honor to hang out with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, and do a long-form podcast with him. Really fun & fascinating technical deep-dive conversation on & off the mic. One of the most brilliant & thoughtful human beings I've ever met. NVIDIA is the most valuable company in the world by market cap and is the engine powering the AI revolution.

Podcast probably out tomorrow (Monday), unless I get stuck in too many interesting conversations while running around in SF ;-)

PS: I haven't checked my messages in days. Sorry for slow replies 🙏 Trying to stay deeply focused in an overwhelmingly intense time & barely hanging on. Love you all! ❤️

Been thinking about this a lot lately.

Don't let a bad 5 minutes ruin a perfectly good 24 hours.

Fit your reaction to the size of the problem.

Happy Birthday to my wife, my Sage. 💘 After 27 years together, I’m still in awe of this woman!

Forever grateful to God for guiding us together.

Please join me in giving thanks for the one and only, Sage Robbins.

Paul brought a 15-foot Burmese python into the studio, and I was scared to death.

It wrapped around my shoulder, and as much as I was dying on the inside, the snake looked mesmerising. It was half on Paul's shoulders and half on mine, yet the weight was still too heavy.

Paul looked at me and said, "She's not trying to hurt you. She's just trying to find somewhere safe."

This is our 500th episode of Figuring Out. And it's the first time we've had a live animal on set.

Paul Rosolie is a conservationist and author who has spent 20 years protecting 136,000 acres of the Amazon rainforest.

He's lived inside the Amazon for years, building Junglekeepers, protecting the rainforest, tracking animals. He's also spent time in various jungles of the world, including India's Western Ghats.

He's also the person whom the narcos in the Amazon want dead.

They're burning down forests to grow narcotic dr*gs, and Paul's team, the Junglekeepers, are the ones flying drones, tracking their movements, working with rangers to stop them.

So they sent out a message to their network: if you see Paul or JJ, shoot them. A cop who helped them escape one of these chases was murdered later the same day.

He told me he spent a year and a half in sheer terror after this became real. Now he travels with a security detail.

And yet, this is someone who's devoted his life to protecting butterflies, birds, snakes. Helpless species being wiped off the planet.

He said, "It's kind of funny that you could devote yourself to something so pure, and then there's humans that want to k*ll you for doing that."

We talked about being charged by wild elephants in India, why snakes avoid humans, and most bites happen because people panic, and why wildlife trafficking is the 4th largest black market in the world, $23 billion a year.

500 episodes in, but it's still day 1. Bigger, bolder, and better stuff is coming your way 🫡

Full episode out now, watch it here: https://lnkd.in/dKmGf-9G

#rajshamani #figuringout

I have a confession to make...

Gen Z killed the corporate dream. And it might have been the right call.

For a long time, ambition had a recognisable shape: title, salary band, corner office. The slow climb up on something that someone else built.

You put in the years, you earned the markers, and at some point, you had made it. Most people did not love the process, but they trusted the destination.

Gen Z grew up watching that destination lose its meaning.

They saw what the climb did to the people ahead of them: the burnout, the tradeoffs, the arrival at the top of something that wasn't as expected.

They decided that the destination was not worth the price. So they rewrote what ambition looks like.

Ownership over a title. Meaning over a promotion. Work that feels like an extension of who they are, not a compromise of it.

That last part is where major change happened.

Previous generations learned to keep work and identity separate. It was a survival skill. Gen Z never learned it.

When work feels hollow to them, it does not just feel like a bad job. It lands more personally.

Which is exactly why they move on faster, and why the old incentives stop working on them.

Their ambition made them the central identity, not just their work.

#rajshamani #figuringout

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately:

"If you knew you were 100 rejections away from your dream, think how excited you would be every time someone told you no."

Rejection can be terrifying.

So why, when someone frames it like this, does it suddenly not seem so scary anymore?

I think that's because we're not afraid of rejection itself.

We're afraid of the uncertainty.

It's not the number of "nos" we can't handle; it's not knowing whether the next one will finally be the "yes."

That's why I find this idea so interesting.

If you KNEW success was guaranteed after 100 rejections, you'd be hunting them down.

You'd be applying to everything, pitching everyone, and practically begging people to say no because each rejection would bring you one step closer.

The funny part is that, in reality, it often takes far fewer than 100.

Most breakthroughs happen at like rejection #8 or #15. But most people quit at #3 because they can't bear the uncertainty.

So here's the trick:
Pretend you know success is coming.

Treat every rejection like you're counting down to something guaranteed.

Because honestly, if you keep going long enough, you kind of are.

— Colby

Applause fades.
Character doesn't.

We were taught to chase the wrong things.

Degrees. Titles. Followers. Money.
The scoreboard most of us built our lives around.

I've spent decades with billionaires, decorated
academics, and household names.
The ones I still think about weren't the most
credentialed or the most powerful.

They were the ones who made you feel seen.
The ones who stayed humble as their success grew.
The ones who gave without keeping score.

I once introduced the Dalai Lama to 21,000 people.

Backstage, a mother waited with her very sick child. He stopped, held the boy, gave him a blessing, then looked up at her: 'He is fortunate. The rest of us remain in school.'

Complete stillness. Full presence. His title didn't matter.

Kindness holds a room in ways a title never can.
Integrity outlasts any degree on a wall.
Generosity leaves a mark that money can't buy.

We weren't taught to measure those things.
But they're the only ones that matter most.

It's worth asking yourself what matters most.

There may be someone in your life who is still chasing a scoreboard that was never theirs to begin with. Share this with them.

I write about what it means to measure a life well. What's one quality you've seen in someone that outlasted their title?

Quick reminder:

You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were yesterday.

Update your goals.
Rethink your career path.
Raise your standards.
Rebuild your habits.
Change your environment.
Drop the identity you outgrew.

No permission needed.
No need to wait for the “perfect” time.

The only person who’s going to magically show up and change your life is you.

Reminder: class is in session. It’s called LIFE. Don’t waste a minute.

— from Saint-Tropez, with love

True leaders don’t create followers—they create more leaders.
Leadership isn’t about titles, corner offices, or control. It’s about empowering and inspiring others. This is measured by the transformation in those around you: the teammate who takes on bigger challenges because you trusted them, the colleague who innovates because you created space for their ideas, and the reserved team member who takes ownership because you valued their input.

The most effective leaders are multipliers. When you mentor someone so deeply that they gain the confidence to mentor others, you create a ripple effect that outlives your title.

A leader’s true impact is measured not just by the results they deliver, but by the growth, resilience and belief they inspire in their team. It’s not how many people depend on you: it’s how many become capable because of you. True leaders create more leaders! Agree?

Pick up a copy of my new book. "LEADING IN THE AGE OF AI." 👉 https://lnkd.in/e97NsiMP

Lovable is such a special place. Every full-time employee will now receive a 10% pay increase on their annual Lovable work anniversary. Straight and simple. How amazing is that?

Because we don’t take retention for granted. It’s treated as compounding value that is actively recognized and rewarded. You don’t have to re-prove your worth every cycle.

So everyone can focus on doing the best work of their life, not managing optics.

Why aren't more companies doing that? I don't know. Well I do. But that's for another post.

And yes, we are hiring :)

You're 2-3 years away from an insane life.

One question decides if you get it:

Do you have the patience?

Nearly every successful person I know decided, in advance, to do something big with their life.

Then they gave the decision decades to pay off instead of months.

Decide what you want.
Give yourself a real window.
Don't negotiate every time it feels slow.

Because it will feel slow. A lot.

There will be a stretch where nothing works.
Where quitting sounds great.
Where the numbers suck.

That stretch is not failure.

That's the messy middle, and it's the most crowded place in the world.

The people living their wildest lives mostly aren't better than you.

They just refused to stop before the compounding kicked in.

But patience only compounds if you're patient about the right things.

Spend a decade on the wrong work, and you just end up ten years older.

I spent seven years figuring out which things were worth the patience.

Then I spent the last year turning it into something you can read in 20 minutes.

7 years of journaling and interviews and hours of voice notes distilled it into a 30-page field manual on how I built a $15M business without destroying my life.

There is zero hustle bro BS. No big "tricks."

Just the 7 things actually worth figuring out.

Free here: https://buff.ly/qyPzps4

Insecure leaders hire followers.
Great leaders hire people 
who could replace them.

Early in my career, I thought leadership meant 
having the best ideas.

I learned the hard way:

Real leadership is creating space for people who 
challenge you, 
stretch you, 
and yes - outshine you.

That’s not a threat.
That’s your greatest asset.

When you surround yourself with sharper minds:

1. Your blind spots shrink
They see what you can’t - and say what others won’t.

2. Your decisions get better
Different angles turn decent ideas into strong ones.

3. Your growth speeds up
The right people don’t just support you.
They sharpen you.

4. Innovation accelerates
Fresh thinking breaks patterns before they harden.

5. Trust deepens
Welcoming challenge signals confidence, not weakness.

6. Your influence multiplies
Empowered people create ripples far beyond your reach.

7. You build a legacy
Leaders aren’t remembered for being the smartest -
but for making everyone around them better.

The strongest leaders don’t compete with their people.
They create the conditions for them to win.

You don’t have to stand above the room.
You just have to be brave enough
to let others rise.

Make people bigger.
Make space.
Make it safe to shine.

That’s the kind of leadership people remember.
And that’s how real leadership multiplies.

♻ Repost to remind a leader that stepping back is a power move.
➕ Follow Mike Leber for leadership that multiplies impact.

Image credit: Eric Partaker

—

📌 Grab the free "True Leader's Playbook"
21 daily habits to earn trust and lift your team:
👉 https://lnkd.in/eNy9xRUK

We’ve all been guilty of this.

Letting one bad moment convince us the whole day is shot.

The best strategy I’ve found for stopping this is The Four-Quarters Method from Gretchen Rubin:

“Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, ‘I’ll get back on track tomorrow,’ try treating each day as a set of four quarters:

Morning
Midday
Afternoon
Evening

If you blow one quarter, you can just get back on track for the next.

Fail small, not big.”

Team-Events nach Feierabend sind keine Freizeit.

Und das sage ich als Arbeitgeber, der solche Abende wichtig findet.
Denn ich bin überzeugt, dass es einem Team guttut, auch mal außerhalb des Büros zusammenzukommen.

Und wenn ich als Führungskraft möchte, dass meine Mitarbeiter nach einem langen Arbeitstag noch gemeinsam essen gehen oder an einem Teamevent teilnehmen, dann kann ich diese Stunden nicht einfach zur Freizeit erklären.

Und ja, so ein Abend soll auch richtig Spaß machen - unserer gestern auf der Wiesn hat es definitiv.

Doch Teambuilding ist am Ende etwas, das ich als Arbeitgeber möchte und von dem auch mein Unternehmen profitiert.

Deshalb finde ich, dass man diese Zeit genauso respektieren sollte wie die Zeit, die jemand tagsüber im Büro verbringt.

Für mich heißt das auch ganz konkret: Meine Mitarbeiter starten heute später. Nach unserem gestrigen Abend auf der Wiesn ist das für mich selbstverständlich.

Wie seht ihr das: Teamevent nach Feierabend - Arbeitszeit oder Freizeit?

Character isn't built in big moments.
It's built in small ones.
When no one's watching.

The email you could've ignored but answered with care.
The credit you gave when you didn't have to.
The kind word you said when silence was easier.

Those moments don't make headlines.
But people feel them.

There's a quote I keep coming back to:
"Make your character so good that a blind man can see your kindness and a deaf man can hear your good words."

That quote isn't about looking good.
It's about who you actually are when nothing's at stake.

The professionals I've admired most weren't the loudest in the room.

They were the ones you still remember for how they treated you.

Long after you leave the job.

Character isn't a strategy.
It's a daily practice.

1. Choosing patience when you're pressed for time
People forget your speed. They remember how you made them feel.

2. Telling the truth when a half-truth would've worked
A half-truth protects you in the moment. The full truth builds trust over time.

3. Showing up for someone who can't repay you
That's the one that costs you something. And the one they never forget.

Those are the tests that matter.
You face them every single day.

Repost to remind others: the quiet choices define us more than the big ones.

I write about leading with integrity and quiet strength. Glad you're here.

The greatest gift of leadership?

A boss who wants you to succeed.

Here’s what this kind of boss looks like:

💡They give you stretch assignments
↳ Not to overwhelm, but to expand your capacity

💡They offer direct, constructive feedback
↳ Not to criticize, but to coach.

💡They advocate for you in rooms you’re not in
↳ Putting your name in conversations that matter

💡They listen to your ideas
↳ Not out of courtesy, but with the intent to act

💡They celebrate your wins
↳ Even the small ones, because they know you matters

💡They make time for mentorship
↳ Not because they have to, but because they care

💡They ask about your career goals
↳ And help map a path toward them

💡They support you during setbacks
↳ Not with blame, but with a mindset of learning.

If you’ve had a boss like this, tag them or thank them below. ⬇️

They deserve to be celebrated. 💗

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

Rejection can be terrifying.

So why, when someone frames it like this, does it suddenly not seem so scary anymore?

Here's what I've realized:

We're not scared of the rejection itself. We're scared of the uncertainty.

It's not the volume of "nos" we can't handle—it's not knowing if the next one will be the "yes".

That's why I find this so interesting.

If you KNEW you were guaranteed success after 100 rejections, you'd be hunting them down.

You'd be applying to everything, pitching everyone, practically begging people to say no because each one gets you closer.

And the funny part is that in reality, it usually takes WAY less than 100.

Most breakthroughs happen at like rejection #8 or #15. But people quit at #3 because they can't bear the uncertainty.

So here's the trick: Just pretend you know it's coming.

Treat every rejection like you're counting down to something guaranteed. Because honestly? If you keep going, you kind of are.

It's basically tricking yourself into success by removing the thing that was going to stop you anyway—the fear that it might not work.

Remote work isn't the question.

Productivity is.

Most debates about remote working are built on opinions.

I prefer data.

Since 2019, remote working across our business has grown dramatically.

It started because of COVID.
It stayed because it works.

Take our South Wales service desk.

The office closed during the pandemic.

Many assumed everyone would come back.

They didn't.

→ The team kept delivering.
→ They kept supporting customers.
→ The business kept growing.

Nothing about sitting in one building would have improved those outcomes.

Because the biggest advantage isn't flexibility.

It's access to talent.

If you only hire within commuting distance?
You're competing for a tiny fraction of the available workforce.

Remove that constraint and everything changes.

We've hired great people from across the UK.

Different experiences.
Different perspectives.

Stronger teams.

It’s why every business should challenge one assumption:

Does this role genuinely require people to be in the office?
Or are you doing it because that's how it's always been?

Question assumptions.

Keep what creates value.

Remove what doesn't.

That's how businesses grow.

Unpopular opinion: writing is going to be one of the most important skills of the decade. Let me explain 👇🏾

A CEO at Davos last week told me on stage that he was disappointed his son chose creative writing over computer programming.

After quite a lot of reflection, I believe his son might be making the smarter bet.

We're entering the age of deferred thinking. Everyone's outsourcing their reasoning to chatbots. The muscle that used to get exercised through struggle - the actual process of figuring something out - is slowly atrophying...

Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist I wrote about in my book, had this idea that you don't truly understand something until you can explain it simply. (The person who complicates something usually understands it the least.)

His method was to take a blank piece of paper and write out an explanation as if teaching it to someone who knew nothing about the subject.

Wherever his writing became vague or convoluted, he knew that was a gap in his own understanding. Then he'd go back and fill it.

He knew something I think this generation is forgetting: writing is the most powerful thinking tool we have.

Writing is the act of organising chaos into clarity.

When you write, you're forced to confront what you actually know versus what you think you know. You discover gaps. You fill them. You sharpen vague intuitions into precise ideas.

AI gives you answers. Writing gives you deep understanding.

If the rest of the world stops writing and you continue, you'll learn faster, understand more deeply, and develop better judgement. While everyone else consumes AI-generated answers, you'll be the one generating the most important questions.

And I think the person asking better questions owns the future.

I said to my best friends this morning that something really weird has happened since AI emerged. I'm writing MORE than I ever have in my life.

I would have thought ChatGPT meant I'd never write again, but the opposite has happened.

I now see writing as a huge competitive advantage in business. To write is to think. To think is to understand. And only if you understand, can you innovate.

Maybe the most valuable skill of the next decade looks exactly like the most valuable skill of the last thousand years.

Maybe the most important skill in a world of AI is continuing to think for yourself - and therefore maybe it’s to write for yourself!

Just a thought!

⚠️ (ai was not used in the making of this content)

I feel uncomfortable posting this.

This is me in 2022, the year I hit rock bottom.

I couldn't get a job, gained 20kg and felt so lost.

No one believes me when I talk about my journey and what my reality looked like just 4 years ago.

Until I show them this picture.

Today I want to remind everyone of this one thing.

No matter how far away you feel from your dreams...

They are always within reach.

You'll always feel a little bit lost right before you finally understand why everything happened FOR you.

I'm rooting for you, I love you, and keep going.

Thank you to everyone who was part of building this new reality with me, every 362,233 of you.

You've changed my life. I hope I get to do the same.

(Repost this for others ♻️)

There's one non-negotiable condition for success:

The ability to work well with other people.

No one wins alone.

But this is what most people miss:

It's not just any person who helps you win.
It's the right kind of person.

Someone who is smart, hardworking, committed, driven, and has high integrity.

People like this are rare, but they do exist.
And when you find them, they change everything.

That's why successful people do something most people don't:
They are extremely generous towards such people.

Generous with their time.
Generous with their money.
Generous with their advice and support.

Because they know that when the right people win, everyone around them wins too.

So instead of asking, "Who will help me get ahead?"
Ask, "Who can I help today whom I truly want to see win?"

Some Monday inspiration for your feed. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses this week . 🌹👊

Credit: Blue Iris

The biggest sacrifice our parents made was to ensure that our education never suffered.
Even while they did.

My sister and I went to great schools.

We were never made to feel as if we didn't have enough.

I remember one day Papa, my sister and I refilled 3000 ball pens.
To be be paid per 100 pens.

Days when Ma and Papa would have just one meal.
But our school fees would always go on time.

We are where we are not because we are smart.

We are where we are because Ma and Papa decided they will make it their life purpose to give us the best exposure possible.

To instill the hope that no matter what happens, we will find our way.

Whatever it took.
And it took a lot.

Forever grateful ♥️

Micromanagement breeds compliance, not commitment. I’ve seen firsthand that, when people feel monitored they operate in survival mode, doing just enough to stay out of trouble. But when people feel genuinely trusted and empowered, something changes. They don’t just show up—they give their absolute best. They take ownership, think ahead, solve problems before they escalate, and act with a vested interest. People rise to the level of trust and autonomy they’re given. Agree?

Pick up a copy of my new book. "LEADING IN THE AGE OF AI." 👉 https://lnkd.in/e97NsiMP

Procrastination isn’t a failure of willpower.
You’re stuck because you’re trying to figure out the entire journey at once.

Here’s a simple framework that removes the overwhelm:

The ABZ framework.

I was introduced to this framework in a conversation with the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear.

A - Where you are right now.
B - Your next step after A.
Z - Where you want to be.

To reach where we want, we think we must know all the steps, from A to Z.
Which can be overwhelming and naturally, lead to procrastination.

The framework says otherwise.

We only need to focus on B - the next step - and try to achieve it.

Once we have achieved B, it becomes our new A.
And we work towards the new B.

In the larger scheme of things, we are going from A to Z.

One step at a time.
With laser focus.
Minus the “what if’s” and pressure.

What other hacks help you deal with procrastination?

Most people never realize they're terrible listeners
until it costs them something important.

A promotion they deserved.
A relationship that mattered.
A team that stopped being honest with them.

I've watched leaders lose talented people
not because of strategy or compensation,
but because their team never felt heard.

And I've been that leader.

My wife will tell you I've perfected the art of
nodding while mentally drafting emails.

She's called me out more than once for
asking a question she literally just answered.

"Were you even listening?"

The honest answer? No.

I was performing listening while planning
something else.

Real listening happens in layers.
Most of us get stuck at the surface.

Level 1: Waiting to Talk
You're silent, but your mind is rehearsing your
response. The other person can feel it.

Level 2: Hearing Words
You catch fragments. You nod at the right moments.
But you're mentally somewhere else.

Level 3: Understanding the Message
You're actually focused. You listen to comprehend,
not to counter. This is where most people think
they've arrived. (They haven't.)

Level 4: Recognizing Emotions
You read between the lines. You notice the frustration
behind "I'm fine" or the fear behind "I'm not sure."

Level 5: Hearing What's Unsaid
You're fully present. You catch the hesitation,
the shift in tone, the thing they're struggling
to express.

The leaders who operate at level 5 don't just
hear problems faster. They prevent them entirely.

They build the kind of trust that makes
hard conversations possible.

They create environments where people speak up
before small issues become disasters.

Getting to level 5 doesn't require new skills.

Just caring enough to shut up and pay attention.

I'm still working on this.
Some days I nail it.

Other days my wife gives me that look
that says "you did it again."

Next time someone's talking to you,
notice where your mind goes.

Notice if you're crafting your response
while they're mid-sentence.

That self-awareness alone will change
how you lead.

♻️ Repost to help someone become a better listener.

P.S. Want my 99 best cheat sheets?
Get them free: brilliancebrief.com

We often overlook how profoundly a boss shapes our work experience and mental health. A great manager who respects boundaries, builds psychological safety, and supports growth can make work feel energizing and meaningful. A toxic one, however, slowly drains your energy making even routine tasks feel exhausting. Great leaders cultivate positive work cultures where people can thrive. If you worked under a bad boss you will truly understand this. A good boss is indeed a blessing.

Pick up a copy of my new book. "LEADING IN THE AGE OF AI." 👉 https://lnkd.in/e97NsiMP

Being easy to work with is often overlooked, yet it’s the secret to real productivity and thriving teams. It’s emotional intelligence in action. The colleagues who choose clarity instead of confusion, collaboration over competition, accountability over blame, and support over ego build trust and are the people everyone wants on their team.

Being easy to work with isn't about being a pushover, avoiding tough conversations, or lowering standards. It's about reducing friction while raising performance. I've seen teams move much faster when people trust that feedback is coming from a place of solving the problem, not protecting egos.

I’ve seen firsthand how one toxic manager can demoralize an entire team and stall progress. Technical skills may open doors, but how you make others feel while working with you often determines your long-term influence. The leaders who make work smoother create positive environments and are the ones we remember most fondly.

Pick up a copy of my new book. "LEADING IN THE AGE OF AI." 👉 https://lnkd.in/e97NsiMP

Never underestimate the power of simple appreciation at work.

Many leaders focus only on results.

On deadlines.
On productivity.
On what still needs to be improved.

And they forget one simple thing:

People don’t give their best where they feel valued.

Because recognition isn’t just a nice gesture.
It is energy that tells a person:

↳ I see your effort.
↳ I value your contribution.
↳ What you do here matters.

And that changes everything.

Because when a person feels that they matter, they don’t just complete tasks.

They start caring more.
Trying harder.
Staying more engaged.
And bringing more of themselves into the work.

Not through pressure.
But through connection.

Approval doesn’t only improve mood.
It also boosts results.

And that is where stronger teams begin.

Not only in strategy.
Not only in systems.
But in the daily moments when a person feels their value.

↳ A kind word.
↳ A simple “thank you.”
↳ A moment of real respect.
↳ Recognition in front of others.

Because people remember where their effort went unnoticed.
And they also remember where they felt important.

That is why this is part of strong leadership.

A person who feels appreciated often does more than expected.

Not because you demanded more.
But because you gave them a reason to want to.

What do you think helps people feel most appreciated at work?

_


♻️ Share this if you agree.

☝️ For more valuable content, follow Victoria Repa | BetterMe CEO & Founder

Everyone talks about finding a mentor.
But how do you find the right one?

First, 3 things that make a good mentor:

1. The mentor should NOT be the only one you have.

One person can't take care of everything.

You need to have multiple mentors catering to fields they can help with.

For example, I have different mentors for money, career, spirituality, people management, etc.

2. The mentor should NOT be much older than you.

I will make a horrible mentor to a 20-year-old.

Because things that are obvious to me are things the other person would not have even experienced (for no fault of theirs).

What you want is a mentor who is 5-10 years older than you.
So that they offer a relatable perspective.

3. The mentor should NOT think like you.

The mentor needs to challenge your thinking; ask you questions to push you in a new direction that you could explore.

Second, how do you approach them?

- Send cold emails
- Request them for an hour a month
- Be clear about what you want from them in that hour, and update them on your progress.

As long as you are not looking for a celebrity as your mentor, you will be surprised by how many people will find the time and space to help you.

Success is better when it's shared.

18 ways successful people help others succeed:

1. Encouragement
2. Sharing resources
3. Showing kindness
4. Supporting growth
5. Offering mentorship
6. Making introductions
7. Listening with empathy
8. Giving business referrals
9. Passing along job openings
10. Sharing their own mistakes
11. Helping navigate challenges
12. Connecting them with experts
13. Helping prepare for interviews
14. Writing LinkedIn endorsements
15. Challenging them to be their best
16. Sharing useful books and resources
17. Giving honest, constructive feedback
18. Saying their name in rooms of opportunity

Life isn't a competition. Success isn't a solo journey.

Helping others never diminishes your success.

If anything, it amplifies it.

There's a ripple effect when you support others.

Your network grows.
Your perspective widens.
You learn from those you help.

As Winston Churchill wisely said: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

P.S. What would you add to the list?

♻️ Repost if this resonates with you. Thanks!

Being easy to work with is a superpower.

Not the loudest in the room.
Not the one with the fanciest title.

Be the person others like, trust and respect.

It comes from how you show up every day:

☀️ You make room for others to shine

☀️ You follow through on what you say

☀️ You’re coachable and open to feedback

☀️ You give credit freely and take blame humbly

☀️ You solve problems instead of pointing fingers

☀️ You make others feel seen and safe to be themselves

☀️ You stay calm under pressure and don’t spread panic

Careers aren't built on skills alone.

It's built on relationships.
The people you helped.
The people who trusted you.
The people who would gladly work with you again.

Be the person people remember for all the right reasons.

▶️ Tag a co-worker who is that person. They deserve to be celebrated.

In July of 1991, I was hiding in the back of a van heading for Heathrow, dressed as a pirate, complete with an eyepatch and parrot on my shoulder. It was in the height of British Airways Dirty Tricks campaign, where they were trying to sabotage Virgin Atlantic and squash the competition we had created. It was also the days of the Concorde - the jewel of British Airways fleet.

British Airways had spent years fighting to stop Virgin Atlantic flying from Heathrow when we finally managed to persuade the government to let us compete. To celebrate, we slipped a giant silk sock emblazoned with the Virgin logo over the model Concorde aircraft that sat at the entrance to Heathrow. We put up a banner that said: 'Virgin Territory’ and the press captured photos of me dressed as a pirate in front of it. We had taken over BA's most potent utility symbol and hit the front pages. Everyone knew we had arrived at Heathrow. One senior British Airways employee said:

“It's not the way serious people are supposed to behave. Proper businessmen are supposed to spend their time looking after their airlines, not farting about in fancy dress and floating around in balloons.”

When they go low, sometimes it’s better to keep things light.

“Humans were designed to create - this is why we get so depressed when all we do is consume…”

Two months on the road… 20 countires, and 40 cities ~

Building Steven.com and FLIGHTSTORY has taken us to every corner of the world in 2026 🌍

Having the absolute time of my life ❤️