STARTING LINE

I'm going to eat my own dog food this week and ask you, in the immortal words of Jerry Maguire, to "help me help you." I'd appreciate it if you'd answer a few questions about this newsletter -- including the areas where you could use help asking better questions -- and about you, my subscribers. It shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes and it will benefit both of usl. Thanks!

I'll keep the rest of this short. My suggestion for the week is to consider the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile and look for places to make incremental changes.

-- Do you have a current photo that's smiling and just you (not a crop job)?

-- Does your headline highlight your differentiated value and include some keywords? A note of advice: Avoid a headline that says just TITLE at COMPANY NAME. You have 220 characters (including spaces). Use them.

-- Does your About section summarize the highlights of your career and explain what it's like to work with you?

-- Finally, review your Experience. If it consists solely of job descriptions, you're missing an opportunity to discuss your impact.

LET'S GET GOING

Storytelling: Journalist David Brooks suggests ways to ask questions that inspire storytelling and deepen personal and professional relationships.​

Public Speaking: Entrepreneur Magazine Editor Jason Feifer offers questions to ask yourself when speaking and suddenly thinking, “I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Decision Making: What decisions will I be faced with that will lead to true success? Inc. magazine offers answers through comments Warren Buffett has made over the years in his annual shareholder's letter and elsewhere.

Authority: Consultant David C. Baker makes the case expertise is mainly about learning and teaching through questions.

Marketing Execution: Who is the “Master” of the product launch? Cision says it’s Taylor Swift, and as the father and husband of Swifties who attended her Mother’s Day concert in Philadelphia last year, I’d be hard-pressed to disagree.

Personal: What should I never wear on a flight? I will warn you in advance that this Conde Nast Traveller post contains an irritating number of ads, but there are some interesting tidbits for people starting to get back on the bike or looking around in dismay (if they’re older) and wondering what’s happened to dressing up for a flight.

Job Search: If you’re preparing for a job interview (remember that preparation is the only thing over which you have total control), have you thought about the questions you will ask at the end of the interview? Here are seven unique questions from Austin Belcak that could help you land more offers:

1. Fast forward one year. You're looking back on this hire. What did they do to exceed every expectation? This shows the interviewer that you're results-focused.

2. What is the most unexpected thing you've learned while working here? Most interviewers aren't prepared for this and it encourages them to share their unique experiences.

3. Why is this role open? Is the company expanding to capitalize on a new market? Did the previous employee quit? Were they laid off?

4. Who would not be a good fit at this company? Many people are focused on finding a good fit. But flipping the script can give you a lot of insight too.

5. What goals has your manager set for you over the next six months? How can this hire help you achieve them? Everybody wants to look good in front of their manager.

6. How many people in this role have been promoted to more senior internal positions? Every candidate should factor growth trajectory into their decision.

7. Can you tell me about a time when someone was encouraged to step outside their job description? This is a 2-for-1 deal. If the stretch project was to help them grow? Awesome. If it was forcing them to do extra, unnecessary work? Also great to know.

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HOW CAN I HELP?

If you hire freelancers or other creative types to support your content creation efforts, providing them with a content brief will save everyone time. Here's one I use that you may find helpful. I can also work with you to customize this format to fit your specific needs.

PROMPTS ARE QUESTIONS TOO

This article from Psychology Today focuses on how AI can be a “curiosity coach” in your pocket and be a better way to ask questions.

So here's this week's prompt: If you want to simplify when writing a memo, blog post, or anything else where you've gotten inside your head, give this a try with your Generative AI platform of choice (I prefer Claude for writing and Perplexity for research): "In the spirit of Occam's razor, can you help me focus on the simplest, most straightforward approach that adequately addresses what I've created here (insert copy as an attachment or copy and paste) and provide a clear and concise revision that minimizes assumptions and complexity?" Provide details about your target audience, desired call to action.. If you're not thrilled with the first answer, type in "I think we can do better and tell it what you don't like or provide it with additional detail it could incorporate (e.g., a story or example). That could include reminding it to keep your voice. Make it a conversation between you and the LLM.

I welcome your comments or suggestions for future issues. Drop me a note here. If you found this on LinkedIn or had it forwarded, you can subscribe by clicking the button below. And don't forget, if you have a few minutes, to complete my reader survey.​

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