Harry Joiner’s Post

Creative ideas don’t always fall out of the air. I love it when inspiration hits at 2am or when I’m out walking the dog. But those moments aren't often enough. Most of the time, ideas come from showing up. My creative thinking prompt from ChatGPT today was: Oblique Strategies Stimulus – “Emphasise the flaws.” Creative Challenge – How could you design an art marketing idea that highlights imperfections or mistakes instead of hiding them, and use that tension to make the work more compelling? My first reaction? Nothing. Can’t be bothered. Lazy brain talking. Then I caught myself thinking: What flaws could I emphasise? Could it be in one of my abstract faces? Not the obvious flaws, but something closer to my theme, the fight between self-doubt and self-rebellion. Ten minutes later, a spark of an idea. Onto my Notion list it goes. Some days the ideas are weak, predictable, even frustrating. But with the right stimulus, something new appears. Not through serendipity, but through forced connections and unexpected twists. 👉 Do you find more ideas come to you in sudden flashes, or by working through the process until something arrives

That one line under your name on LinkedIn? It’s not just a headline—it’s your digital first impression. And yet… most women I coach either leave it blank, copy-paste their job title, or write something vague like “Experienced Professional.” Here's the problem: When your headline is generic, so is the opportunity you attract. But when it’s specific, strategic, and clear, it becomes a magnet. You don’t need to be a copywriter to craft one that stands out. You just need a little clarity—and the right prompt. Here’s how to use ChatGPT to refine your headline: 🔹 Paste in your résumé, career summary, or elevator pitch 🔹 Ask: “What’s a compelling, concise LinkedIn headline that aligns with my target industry, ideal role, and personal brand?” 🔹 Then say: “Please enhance this prompt” to sharpen it further 🔹 Review 2–3 options and pick the one that feels like you, then tweak it with your tone Examples of strong headlines: ✅ “Data-Driven Risk Leader | Building Inclusive Teams in Insurance & Compliance” ✅ “Healthcare Operations Strategist | Lean Systems | Latina Executive Voice” ✅ “Financial Services Advisor | Client-Centered | Promoting Women’s Wealth Equity” Your headline should do the work before you speak. ✅ Book a Clarity Call if your LinkedIn presence isn’t opening doors yet. The link is in the comment section below.  Let’s make sure your brand speaks for you—even when you're not in the room. Remember, Be brave, be bold, take action.

If your message sounds like it came from a robot, it’s going to be treated like one. This is why most cold outreach gets ignored. The reader can tell, immediately, that it’s a copy-paste pitch. And the moment they feel that, trust drops to zero. Let’s break down 3 writing mistakes that silently kill your cold outreach. These are small but deadly. And if you fix them, your reply rate goes up. Fast. Let’s dive in. Mistake 1. Writing like ChatGPT on default settings. It’s technically correct, but has no pulse. Polite robotic and painfully neutral People are pattern-recognition machines. And “AI-tone” is now one of those patterns. Clean grammar is not what makes a message human. Be a person. Show friction. Use voice. Mistake 2. Trying to sound “professional” instead of personal. The urge to “sound right” comes from fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of being judged. Fear of stepping outside the formal mask. So we hide behind phrases like "Hope this finds you well" or "I’d like to introduce our solution" It feels polite, but it signals nothing. And humans subconsciously ignore what doesn’t carry intent. Instead, speak with presence. Be brief. Be direct. Be warm. Professional doesn’t mean distant. It means clear and honest. Mistake 3. Making it all about you. “We offer X” “We specialize in X” “Our offer is Y” “We help teams with Z” Why doesn’t this work? Because people are too busy to play detective. They won’t do the mental work to translate your pitch into their reality. Your message has one job: show them that you already understand. Center their pain, their situation, their outcomes. When people feel seen, they start listening. Flip the lens. Show you’ve thought about their world, their goals, their timing. Reflect their needs and use empathy, and that will build the attention. Fixing these three things won't guarantee replies. But ignoring them guarantees silence.

"A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." - Tim Ferriss I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately, especially with how LLMs have changed the game. We used to have a built-in excuse for avoiding tough conversations: "I don't know how to say this." That bought us weeks of procrastination, ghosting people, letting issues fester. Now? You can draft that awkward breakup text, the performance review you've been dreading, or the client rejection email in about 30 seconds. Multiple versions. Different tones. Even practice responses to pushback. The hard part was never finding the right words—it was finding the courage to start typing. LLMs remove the "I don't know what to say" barrier entirely. Your career/life trajectory increasingly comes down to courage, not communication skills. The technology handles the latter. Makes you wonder what other excuses we'll lose as AI gets better.

TODAY'S TIP - Highlighting Your Way to a Job Back in college, my side hustle was typing up papers and resumes for students and recent grads. Yes - typing in the way you're probably imagining. But before you click over to my profile and start doing the math re: my age, let me share a simple strategy for shaping your personal brand, whether it’s for your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn “About” section. Start by finding a job posting that excites you, or at least one you'd seriously consider applying to, even if you don’t plan to. Read it closely. 'Highlight' key words and phrases (mentally, digitally, or even physically if you print out postings) that reveal the company’s culture, the role’s responsibilities, and the qualifications they value. (Think: the language they use to describe their ideal candidate.) Then, make sure those same words and ideas show up in your own materials. This isn’t about copying and pasting - it’s about alignment. Show them you understand what they’re looking for and that you’ve taken the time to reflect that in how you present yourself. Be authentic. Be intentional. Be compelling. Good luck - you’ve got this. Let me know if you have any questions or better practices around this process :) I know I may get some input about having ChatGPT help, but a yellow highlighter is so much more fun!

Recently I’ve noticed a number of posts in my feed that seem to me somewhat formulaic. Not necessarily from those I’m connected with, but (subject matter notwithstanding) they go something like this: “Last week, I made a huge mistake.” … “The result? Inspiration.” … “This isn’t about X, it’s about Y” [OR] “I thought X was about doing A, B, & C. Turns out, it’s all about Z.” … 🌱 Live 🌱 Love 🌱 Laugh … “That’s what true leadership is all about.” … “What do you think? Have you experienced X?” We don’t all naturally write like this (thank goodness). Our literary arrangements vary like snowflakes, shaped by our experiences, our emotions, and our quirks. GenAI is an incredible tool. It helps us collect our thoughts, develop ideas, and even prepare initial drafting. It evens makes pictures (like these ones). What it can’t do [yet] is speak in your voice. If we’re connected on here, it’s your voice that matters to me. Use the tool, take the outline, and add your own colour. Prose please, not perfection. Mine are far from perfect. But that’s the sort of thing I want to read. And yes, GenAI coloured in the barn for me. And no, that isn’t irony. Irony would look something more like this (ahem): Lately, I’ve noticed something everywhere. LinkedIn posts. Polished. Perfect. Predictable. The culprit? ChatGPT. But here’s the twist — This isn’t about AI. It’s about you. Because the pattern is clear: 🤔 Dramatic one-liner openers. ❓ Random line-break questions. 🔄 The “not X, but Y” pivot. 📋 Three neat takeaways. 🎯 The inspirational bow at the end. Sound familiar? You’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. And that’s the danger. ChatGPT gives you the sketch — the outline, the scaffolding. But it can’t add the colour — your voice, your quirks, your lived story. The solution? Take the draft. Then bleed yourself into it. Because leadership isn’t about perfect sentences. It’s about authentic ones. What do you think?

I was talking to a friend today about lack of honesty in LinkedIn posts. How honest and truthful are the posts here? I feel everyone is trying to sell something. And when everyone is in selling or pitching mode. How can they be honest about it? People keep on creating hype. (Specially everything related to AI.) With no benefit or value addition to the anyone or no actionable items. Some people try to look for acknowledgement. For their work. (Even I fall for this sometimes) People try to sell themselves, their job, their work, their company, their product, their course.  It feels like my entire feed is filled with such posts. Some people even try to game the system by asking others to comment to get access to certain resources. Which is kind of unnecessary gatekeeping.  Some reshare posts/articles/etc without even reading them. Sometimes tagging the authors again to increase the reach. Its again not very genuine.  What may create value: Sharing something genuine and inspiring that may benefit others which they can replicate easily. And it shall be based on first hand personal experience. I honestly done know what other things might be really useful or meaningful.

10 Super Deep Questions That Reveal What Your Market Really Wants + How To Get Results With It NOW, Not Later: 1️⃣ What do they Google at 2 AM when no one is watching? The private searches reveal more truth than any survey. 2️⃣ What do they wish they could tell their best friend? The unsaid desires shape buying decisions more than logic. 3️⃣ What purchase have they made that they're embarrassed about? This shows you what problem they're desperate to solve. 4️⃣ What goal have they set and failed at multiple times? Repeat failures create deep emotional triggers. 5️⃣ What do they pretend doesn't bother them? The pain they minimize is often the pain they'll pay most to solve. 6️⃣ What achievement would make their critics silent? Revenge motivation is powerful when channeled correctly. 7️⃣ What's the small win that would spark bigger changes? Sometimes people need permission to believe bigger things are possible. 8️⃣ What excuse are they tired of making? When someone is tired of their own excuses, they're ready for change. 9️⃣ What do they want to be known for? Identity drives more decisions than logic ever will. 🔟 What story would make their younger self proud? This reveals their deepest motivation. ===================== Here's what most businesses get wrong: They focus on features when they should focus on feelings. They sell solutions when they should sell stories. They chase metrics when they should chase meanings. Your customer isn't a data point. They're just a normal person with hopes, fears, and dreams. I've dropped a word-for-word ChatGPT prompt in the comments for you. It will instantly generate an insane avatar for you once you plug in the 10 questions I just gave you. Use it responsibly. ========================== Most will ignore this wisdom. Some will save it for "later" and never use it. But a few? A few will use these questions today. A few will go deeper than their competition. A few will build connections that last. If you're feeling one step closer to understanding your market at a deeper level, leave a comment and share this post. ~ V.O.V

Cold outreach is not the problem. The way you warm people up is. Most outreach messages feel like spam. They are ignored in seconds. But a short, value-first message can turn a stranger into someone who wants to hear more. Paste this into AI Act as my outreach strategist. I want to connect with [type of person] about [topic]. Ask me for one insight, tip, or resource I can give them without asking for anything in return. Then write a short, warm first message in plain, conversational English that feels natural to read. You will start a relationship instead of being ignored.

I just read a LinkedIn post that was clearly written by AI without any human review. No surprise—annoying as hell; but a new reality we deal with. What boggles my mind is people who blindly respond “great article!”, or “great advice!” when it isn’t. In the case of this article, the poster listed questions a recruiter should ask a candidate to supposedly dig deeper into their background to determine fit. All the questions were negative in tone, divisive, and downright confrontational. I’m a professional coach and my business is built on powerful questioning, active listening, and creating psychological safety. So, when I see nonsense being touted as excellence, I question it and do my best to expose reality. I was floored that a person with “People First” recruiter in their LinkedIn tagline responded that it was a great list of questions. No. No it is NOT a great list of questions ESPECIALLY if you are a “People First” recruiter. Listen, I know we’re all out here playing this stupid algorithm game that LinkedIn’s got going on. We’re all vying for higher impression rates because we’re trying to be seen by the right people. I am, too! I want valuable connections and ultimately clients. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to ruin my credibility by freely “liking” every dumb piece of advice or poorly written AI-generated content on LinkedIn. People (real people) are paying attention to this stuff. It can cause harm. If you’re blindly liking stuff, then you’re perpetuating the trash dump that LinkedIn is becoming. If you want to be seen positively by the right people, be strategic about handing out your “likes” and comments. And be ethical. Stand for what is right, kind, and for the greater good. Ok, I’m now late. I don’t have time to edit—please pardon any typos or poorly constructed sentences. I’m human and perfectly imperfect. Make it an amazing day!