Taavi Lindmaa ⚡

Growing personal & company brands on LinkedIn® | Building SEO Article Generator | Investor | Sharing content daily how we do it!

Hi! Great seeing you here.

We are helping sports centres marinas, car service and rental companies with automation and digitalisation. Find out more autlio.com 

Send me a message. I´m passionate about helping you take your business growth to the next level.


Here is a little about myself:

- From Estonia
- Born in a bank, grew up in an entrepreneurial family
- Worked in IT since 2006 in various roles, most notably as the 10th employee and 1st sales leader of Veriff (Valued at 1.5B) and Salv.
- User Experience Designer by profession, having built check-in kiosks, mobile, and web applications UI
- Transformed into Sales Leadership and now to LinkedIn Personal Branding Expert and Content Creator
- Built my first business over 16 years ago 
- Lived and worked in 6 countries: the US (New York), Sweden (Stockholm), Spain (Malaga), the UK (St. Helens), Germany (Furtwangen), and Estonia.

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Free daily insights, strategies, and motivational content to help you grow your LinkedIn audience.

Innovation at Amazon • I post about work effectiveness • Follow me for daily productivity tips 🚀

Hi, I'm Mike 👋

I have 25+ years experience in the IT industry. Today, I help AWS customers innovate and transforming their culture so they can use technology effectively. I lead a high-performance team in EMEA.

You might find me speaking at executive briefings, conferences, or running team workshops. I share innovation insights and success stories that inspire others to experiment.

I'm going on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. I share everything that I learn in daily posts. If you are struggling to get things done or you want to take back control of your time, I'm here to help.

Say hello, I'd love to hear from you!

Mike Bainbridge

I'm 50 years old and I've never felt more like a student.

(but Mike, you don't look a day over 35 🤣)

After 8.5 years in "Big Tech", I thought I’d seen it all:

• The mobile revolution
• Auto-scaling cloud
• Digital transformation

But they seem slightly trivial now. LLMs and AI are here and I realised half of my "expert" knowledge has quickly become redundant.

It was humbling.

I had a big decision to make:

(1) Hold onto the old way - hope it was a trend
(2) Embrace being a "newbie" again and "learn to learn"

I chose the latter.

Today, I spend at least 30 minutes every day:

• Exploring new AI tools.
• Experimenting with prompting.
• Building applications (honestly - this blows my mind).

My biggest takeaway: "If you don't feeling slightly out of your depth, you aren't growing".

I read recently -> if you do just 15 mins per day, then in 3 months you'll be ahead of 99% of people.

It's so true.

A recent study found that 0.3% of people pay for an AI service or tool with their own money.

The big challenge is building that learning habit again.

Here are the 3 steps I've taken and it worked pretty well so far:

(𝟭) 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰
-> I started by signing up to a daily AI newsletter. It's acted as my prompt to read and be curious.

(𝟮) 𝗗𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆
-> It quickly becomes second nature - but I started by trying to use AI for everything and work out where it was best.

(𝟯) 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱
-> I noticed I wasn't the only one. I found 3 or 4 colleagues who were ahead of the game and scheduled regular catch ups. We learn better in teams!

We all know AI is going to change everything (right?) but the big question is:

Are you going to wait for it, or are you getting ahead of the game?

(this really helps)
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AWS Certified: Developer - Associate

AWS Certified: Solutions Architect - Associate

Magento Certification Solution Specialist (MCSS)

My newsletter will help you take control of your time.

Get more done. Plan > Focus > Execute.

One productivity insight for your inbox every week.

Spend more time doing things you love!

Yesterday, I took a trip outside of my comfort zone.

And it felt... pretty good 😀

For a long time, I've been thinking about recording video but it's not something I'm used to.

However, this week I was able to spend some time in the studio and record my thoughts on productivity, AI, and how the world is changing.

It was a lot of fun!

Huge shout out to my colleague Ana Merchant for interviewing me (you should definitely check out her podcast btw - https://lnkd.in/e87erFBr) plus the team at Really Bright Media for making the tech work seemlessly.

Stay tuned to see some of it appear here. Can't wait to share it with you all.

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I struggle with "networking". 

I don't know what to say.

I feel awkward approaching a stranger, but guess what?

Everyone's the same!
 
Just remember - first impressions count. 
 
Whether we like it or not, we judge others on those initial moments. 
 
No matter what we think, we’re hard-wired to make snap judgements about people we meet. We put them into boxes and decide if we should trust them in seconds. 
 
Once you recognise this you can use it to your advantage. 
 
Making a good first impression will help you earn people’s trust more easily. It will unlock more possibilities. 
 
This is especially important when you're networking or meeting people in-person. 
 
This week I was at a business event and I noticed a lot of people standing on their own. 
 
It doesn't have to be like that! 
 
Start with: 
 
• Be welcoming - smile! 😃 
• Open body-language - avoid crossing your arms. 
• Speak clearly and slowly - say hello. 
• Be ready to share what you do for a job. 
• Ask a question - "what did you think of today's presentation?" 
 
Networking can be daunting. 
 
Introducing yourself to strangers can seem awkward, but it doesn't have to be. 
 
Try it a few time and practice and you'll get better at it. 
 
If you're good at networking, what advice would you give to others who find it unnatural? 
 
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I made one small change and I'm saving over 3 hours per week.

I've started talking to my computer.

Hear me out! Transcription is now so good and accurate it feels like magic.

Now I'm speaking 90% of the things I would have previously typed. It's particularly useful when interacting with AI.

There are a some great products out there, I've tried a few and I've settled on SuperWhisper. The model is local on my laptop so it doesn't send anything to the cloud (this means it's faster and more secure).

I'm a fast typer (?) but I can see a big difference (plus there are stats and I love data!)

Have you tried it? What do you think?

This is my biggest productivity boost in 2026 and I can't see anything beating it!

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What stops teams moving fast?

Decision making.

The one thing I hear over and over again is a lack of progress.

Speed matters.

Teams that make faster decisions realise many benefits:

• They learn more quickly
• They get more done
• The become more confident

The more decisions you make, the better data you have to make the right decision next time.

However, in most organisations we are bad at making decisions.

→ We involve too many people
→ We're scared of making a mistake
→ We don't analyse the choices

The paralysis cripples effectiveness.

Check out this guide on how to make better high velocity decisions.

This is the approach we use at Amazon to move faster.

One of the principles we use every day is Bias For Action. Leaders make quick, high-quality decisions.

What do you think?

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High velocity decision making

AI has helped me realise my ideas.

It feels like a super-power!

Quite a few people asked for an example of how I'm using AI "a bit each day". so here's what I did...

I’ve always been “the ideas guy” but didn’t have the skills to build digital prototypes or apps. Now everything has changed.

I typed one sentence into an AI coding tool:

• A brief description of what I wanted the site to do
• How it should look
• Who it was for

Four minutes later I had a functional prototype I could click through.

Not perfect. But real.

Then the iteration started.

• Made small changes to improve design
• Fixed funcationality
• Added new features

3 hours later...

I have a working a habit tracker, with a client onboarding flow, and a password-authenticated member area.

None of which required me to write code manually. I'm not a developer. But I can now build like one.

Now... is the code great? I have no idea.

The one challenge I hear from developers is that AI writes "bad code". However it works.

The barrier between 'I have an idea' and 'I have something to show' has collapsed.

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The 5 things I'd do in week one if I was starting my AI journey from zero.

It's not too late to start!

(1) Paid plan immediately.
-> The free tools are useful but the quality gap with paid tiers is now real and growing.

My personal favourites are: Claude followed by Gemini.

(2) Set-up custom instructions.
-> Tell the AI who you are, how you think, and what you don't want.

(3) Master a simple prompt framework. It doesn't have to be complex.
-> Reason > Persona > Task > Context > Examples > Output

(4) Solve a real problem from my actual life.
-> Not a toy exercise. A genuine work challenge that I needed to solve anyway. 

(5) Find or start a community. A group of people talking about this daily.
-> Make it a habit with social reinforcement.

That's it.
Not 101 things.
Five things done consistently.

If you want help with any of these - just let me know!

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Get started with AI today

Working in a high-performance team is as good as it gets 🚀 
 
But it's not easy. 
 
It takes work. 
 
You might think being in a great team means it is comfortable, there is plenty of encouragement, and there is little disagreement. 
 
But that’s not true! 
 
The number 1 trait in high performance teams is psychological safety. 
 
What does that mean? 
 
You are free to bring your authentic self to work. 
 
• You treat others with respect 
• You are open to risk taking and failure 
• You give and receive candid feedback 
• You are humble and giving 
• You have trust in the group 
 
I’m sure you’ll agree, this is a pretty high bar. 
 
What should you do cultivate a team that can do this? 
 
• Understand each other deeply 
• Have empathy for your colleagues 
• Encourage task conflict as opposed to personal conflict 
 
This last one is particularly important. 
 
A high-performance team challenges each other’s ideas. 
 
They take feedback and improve. 
 
They don’t challenge personality but recognise we all operate differently. 
 
Now the big question is, how do you do all this? 
 
Trusting others is a two-way street. You have to let your guard down. 
 
Here is what I recommend: 
 
• Regular time together as a team, in-person if possible 
• Demonstrate challenge is encouraged, by asking others to challenge you 
• Be open to another point of view 
 
Great teamwork takes dedication. 
 
What do you think? 
 
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Momentum is important. 
 
Start strong and you'll have a productive day. 
 
Here are 5 tiny habits you can develop that will help you get going: 
 
(1) Stop and Breathe 
 
It doesn't have to be 10 mins of meditation, but starting by sitting quietly, closing your eyes, and taking a few deep breaths will help you focus. 
 
(2) Stretch 
 
A few toe touches and a reach for the sky will get your blood flowing. There are lots of simple yoga poses you can try. 
 
(3) Plan the day 
 
Start by reviewing your tasks and calendar. Pick the most important thing you want to get done and make sure you assign time for it. 
 
(4) Stay hydrated 
 
Aim to drink 1.5L of water per day. Start as your mean to go on. Use a water bottle to keep track. 
 
(5) Review your work 
 
Spend time before you shut down reviewing how things went. What could you improve? Take these insights with you tomorrow to make it better. 
 
Tiny habit grow into routines that will power your day. 
 
Start small and aim to show up every day. Then see how these habits compound! 
 
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AI is changing how companies do sales outreach.

It's also able to provide cupcake recipes on demand 🤣 

This short video is worth 1 min or your time. Don't forget to test your products people!

Many AI products have been developed in a half-day hackathon and they haven't had time to stress test them.

This is the proof.

PhD. Computer Engineer. Produces Content For Stable Diffusion, SDXL, LoRA Training, DreamBooth Training, Deep Fake, Voice Cloning, Text To Speech, Text To Image, Text To Video, Generative AI, LLMs

Haha the educated guy cooks the AI caller with instruction injection 😭😂🤣

Timothy "Tim" Hughes 提姆·休斯 L.ISP

Before you begin, you need a plan 📝

Somewhere to start.

When we build a new building, we start with foundations, lay the pipework, and then start building the walls.

The architectural design is the plan 🏠

Build your day in the same way.

If you're not sure what to do, I recommend the following:

• Start with a few simple things or "starters"
• Build your momentum. Get into the flow
• Then just focus on doing one thing

Once you're done with that task, take a short break 🙌

It sounds easy because it is 😍

Focus on one thing at a time 🔎

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Supercharge your work day

Life moves pretty fast.

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

This is the best illustration for AI urgency I could find.

Both of these images were one-shot prompts using the text "Create an image of a woman using a phone" - done 5 months apart.

𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 -> she used a banana, hands look weird.

𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 -> photorealistic, correct phone, library setting, rain on the window.

5 months 😲

The gap between "impressive party trick" and "genuinely useful tool" is closing at a pace most people haven't realised.

The banana is funny. The speed isn't.

This is the pace of change your business strategy needs to account for. Not from three years ago. Not last year. Now.

I help executive teams get an honest picture of where AI actually is today -> DM me for details.

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How I use AI to...

Make great infographics in minutes 🚀

In the dim and distant past (3 years ago) it used to take me hours to make compelling graphics for presentations.

Even the early AI tools were problematic - particularly when it came to text.

But today, it's a job of minutes. And the results are outstanding.

• Immediately usable and well designed
• No need for editing or alteration

Here is my 3 STEP method:

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭 - 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

To create a great graphic, you need to base it on something. I often start with a YouTube video, TED talk, whitepaper, or long-form blog post.

-> All you need is a link to the content

Example: There was an AWS Re:Invent keynote on AI Agents from Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian (Vice President of Agentic AI). It's on YouTube and it's 1hr 40 mins long. Plenty of great content but I wanted the highlights.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟮 - 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗟𝗠

I've tried countless tools, but the one that wins hands-down is Google's NotebookLM. It's free to try out: https://notebooklm.google/

-> Create a new notebook
-> Add you link (or links) to the list of sources

Example: This one was really easy, I pasted the YouTube URL of the talk into the sources section (click "+add sources") and then the tool uses that as the source.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟯 - 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀

Infographics and Podcast style summaries are great - but you can create many other assets too. From flashcards to help you learn, to slide decks so you can present.

-> Create an infographic from the source data

Example: I wanted a portrait infographic that I could share with my team in our group Slack channel. It's as simple as clicking the "infographic" button (rhs) or the ✏️ icon if you want to change the settings (I chose portrait layout, blue/professional theme).

And in a few minutes... you have an professional looking infographic.

Ideal for:
• Presentations
• Documentation
• Social media posts 😉

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸.

If you want to try one new thing today and see how AI can help you in 5 mins. Give this a go.

You won't regret it.

(Need help or have questions - leave a comment below)

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Have you tried AI headshots?

Turns out they're really good now 😲

A few years ago, I paid £250 for some professional, in studio photos. They were great.

This week, I paid £30 for an almost unlimited combination of backgrounds, clothing, and facial expressioins. Also look great.

The main difference (apart from price) was the speed:

• Upload 10 selfies (or single person photos)
• 10 mins later they're done (no appointment needed)

What do you think? Have you had them done? Would you consider it?

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Taavi Lindmaa ⚡

Mike Bainbridge

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The Battle

Taavi Lindmaa ⚡

Mike Bainbridge

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Engagements

Likes

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