Amazon Web Services (AWS)

I help AWS public sector customers innovate and use the cloud to transform the way they work. Change is hard, I inspire leaders and executives to realise the potential for their organisation. I run workshops, speak at events, write articles, and I am always open to new engagement ideas.

Manager - Customer Innovation Programs EMEA

I am responsible for executive visioning engagements in EMEA. I deliver enterprise strategy days for senior customer executives to help them frame their business challenges in terms of customers and plan achievable outcomes.

Executive Visioning Lead EMEA

Whether you’re looking for compute power, database storage, content delivery or other functionality, AWS has the services to help you build sophisticated applications with increased flexibility, scalability and reliability. Find out more here: https://aws.amazon.com/

Digital Transformation BDM

Rackspace, the #1 managed cloud company

In this consultative role I help customers and prospects develop a digital strategy, from the release of a new application to full business transformation. I have a strong focus on delivering outstanding customer experience and measurable business benefits. I call on a wealth of experience from working with large enterprises to high growth start ups. I am an advocate of automation and DevOps culture to deliver efficiency.

Chief Digital Technologist

Using proven cloud and virtualisation technologies I was responsible for designing high performance, resilient infrastructure solutions for transactional workloads. These were typically for ecommerce platforms such as Hybris, Magento, WebSphere and Oracle ATG.

Solutions Architect (e-commerce specialist)

PEER 1 Hosting

In this role I was responsible for the UK technical pre-sales function at Peer1. I was responsible for developing high performance, redundant hosting solutions - primarily leveraging the VMware technology stack.

Solutions Engineer

IT Lab

Primary technical contact for contracted clients.
Responsible for technical support escalations, annual IT strategy, ICT solution design and technical pre sales.

IT Manager / Technical Project Manager

MITIE Group PLC

IT infrastructure project delivery, IT strategy, process development

Project manager

SITA

Provided seamless global support on a 24-hour basis, for a wide range of remote access software. Worked with Asian and US teams and supported foreign language customers.

Application Support Specialist

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!

Today, I'll share one piece of advice. 
 
I've noticed this small change makes a huge difference. 
 
Every interaction is better. All you need to do: 
 
Smile more 😁 
 
Seriously, that's it. 
 
Have a great Friday! 
 
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💬 To let me know what you think. 
🔁 To help share.

Mike Bainbridge

We could all do with a little kindness in the world.

Start with a selfless act 😁

Here to write. If it goes viral, it's not because of me. It's because it's true.

I redesigned Mike Bainbridge's entire LinkedIn profile ✅

His previous design did not stand out properly. So, he needed a revamp.

And as a branding designer, I redesigned Mike's

> Banner
> Feature section visual
> Headshot (Profile picture)

By maintaining his:

- Brand colors
- Visual elements
- Design consistency

The new visual identity now stands out properly 
and made him more confident and professional.

Because redesigning isn't just about looks, it's about 
how it feels and connects to your audience.

Check out the case study below for more 👇

Do you like the new design? (Comment below)

------

P.S: Want me to redesign your profile too? DM "REDESIGN" 
(20% discount for the first 24 hours from now.)

Repost ♻️ will be appreciated!


#linkedinbranding  #linkedinprofilemakeover

Profile Redesign- Mike's case study

For the last 18-months I’ve been studying how to “get things done”. 
 
It all started when I realised... 
 
I didn't have a system. 
 
• I was letting myself get distracted 
• I was putting things off 
• I had to rush to meet deadlines. 
 
It meant that my work was often sub-standard. 
 
What have I learned so far? 
 
There are 3-main challenges: 
 
1. Not enough time to get things done ⏰ 
2. A lack of energy 🪫 
3. No willpower 😬 
 
These are excuses we tell ourselves. Most of the time we believe our own lies. 
 
They often stem from a common set of problems: 
 
1. Stalling when it’s time to start 
2. Not knowing where to begin 
3. Lack of focus 
 
We call it procrastination. 
 
But once you’ve identified the problem, you can put solutions in place for each one: 
 
1. Stalling when it’s time to start 
 
Kick things off by planning your session. 
 
Write down 3 simple things: 
• What you will do in the next 30 mins 
• Why it is important 
• How you’ll know when you’re done 
 
Start small to prime your session → use the momentum. 
 
2. Not knowing where to begin 
 
This is a common one. It usually happens when the task is too big. 
 
The solution: 
• Break the big task down into smaller steps 
• List the steps in order of completion 
• Get them done one by one 
 
This works for well me. I cross each small task off and I get a sense of achievement that keeps me going. 
 
3. Lack of focus 
 
Long periods of concentration are a fallacy. 
 
It’s important to set realistic expectations: 
• Most people work hard for 30 or 40 mins 
• Take a 10 min break 
• Step away from your desk, take a walk or make a coffee 
• Repeat for session 2, 3, 4 
• Aim for a maximum of 3 hours 
 
The key is practice. Start small. Develop the muscle! 
 
You’ll know when it’s time to stop as your productivity will start to dip. 
 
Ensure your focus time is uninterrupted! 
• Find a quiet space 
• Turn off notifications 
 
What do you do when you really need to get something done? 
 
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🔁 To help share.

"Sorry I'm late, I had back to back calls." 
 
I hear this all the time. 
 
As remote calls/meeting became normal during and following Covid. Turning up a few minutes late also became normal. 
 
I don't mind if someone is a few minutes late. 
 
It happens, sometimes we get delayed. 
 
But I do think B2B has become a problem. 
 
Without a short break it means: 
 
• No time to adjust to a new topic 
• Hours on video without a break 
• Missing out on reflection 
• Failure to capture action points 
 
For some reason, people have normalised this behaviour and let it happen 😬 
 
Here's what you can do: 
 
→ Make an effort to own your calendar 🗓️ 
 
• Be proactive in proposing time for calls as opposed to letting others "find free space". 
 
• Become disciplined about blocking 15 mins after every scheduled call. 
 
• Have the confidence to say "no" when a calendar invite isn't suitable. 
 
How can you put it into practice? 
 
→ Build small habits 🛠️ 
 
• Review your calendar every morning (5 mins). Know what lies ahead. 
 
• As soon as you send or accept an invite for a call, block the following 15 mins. 
 
• Treat others time as you would you own. Practice saying "no" 3 times per week. 
 
If you're like me, there will be occasions when you just can't avoid B2B calls. 
 
That's okay. 
 
The main thing is to try to avoid B2B2B. Those are the real killers 😢 
 
How do you avoid B2B? 
 
What tips would you share - let me know 👍 
 
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Managers vs Leaders 
 
Underrated skills in leadership: 
 
• Saying "I don't know" 
• Showing that you care 
• Listening more, talking less 
• Celebrating the success of others 
• Showing that you care 
 
What else? 
 
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How can leaders show that they care about their team members?

What are some best practices for effective leadership?

Why is it important to celebrate the success of others in leadership?

No alternative text description for this image

I always get nervous before a presentation. 
 
My heart rate goes up. 
 
I get butterflies in my stomach. 
 
It used to be a huge problem as I would rush into my content, and you could see how nervous I was 😬 
 
It meant I lost credibility. 
 
If you don’t sound confident, your audience won’t connect with your message. 
 
Then I learned a simple technique that helped solve the problem. 
 
Box breathing. 
 
It is used by US Navy Seals (elite special forces) to keep them calm before high stress situations. 
 
How does it work? 
 
• Take a slow deep breath in, count 1, 2, 3, 4 
• Hold the air in your lungs, count 1, 2, 3, 4 
• Slowly breathe out, count 1, 2, 3, 4 
• Keep your lungs empty, count 1, 2, 3, 4 
• Repeat 
 
This rhythm slows your heart rate and brings it under control. 
 
By focusing on breathing (and counting in your head) you quiet your inner voice. 
 
You stop thinking about the stressful situation. 
 
You start to relax. 
 
Do it 4/5 times and see how calm you start to feel. 
 
Go on. Try it now! 
 
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💬 To let me know what you think. 
🔁 To help share. 

How can one manage stress in a professional setting?

How can one improve their confidence during a presentation?

Stop! Don't google that! ✋ 
 
It's so tempting. The answer is right there. 
 
But you know you know it. 
 
Here's a challenge. Next time you know something but want to check it. 
 
For example: 
 
• Which actor played the part of Han Solo? 
• Which band released "Everybody wants to rule the world?" 
• What's the capital city of Peru? 
 
Challenge yourself to remember it. 
 
No googling! 
 
• Sometimes it will take you 5 mins. 
• Sometimes an hour. 
• Sometimes a few days. 
 
But when you get it... The feeling of accomplishment is amazing! 🤩 
 
Activate your memory. Rely on your smartphone a little less. 
 
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It's the Easter holiday in the UK. 
 
A well-earned day off! 
 
A time to recharge, refresh, and spend time with loved ones. 
 
See you back here tomorrow 😎 
 
(This post is scheduled - no social media for me today!) 
 
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You are addicted to distraction.

It’s okay. We all are 😢

The biggest distraction is the smartphone we carry with us all day 📱

Just look at how many people are staring down at their phone.

It's a habit.

✅ The great thing about smartphones is you have unlimited access to all the world’s knowledge at your fingertips.

❌ The awful thing about smartphones is you have unlimited access to all the world’s knowledge at your fingertips.

Want to break the cycle?

Reduce your screen time.

We all know that context switching makes us less effective.

It takes 23 minutes to recover focus once you've been distracted.

→ Remove temptation
→ Work smarter

👍 If you like today's post.
💬 To let me know what you think.
🔁 To help share.

3 steps to reduce phone distractions

Working in a high-performance team is as good as it gets 🚀

But what does it feel like? How does it work? 🤔

You might think working in a great team means:

→ Everyone is comfortable
→ There is plenty of encouragement
→ There is no disagreement

But that’s not true!

High-performance teams:

→ Challenge each other often
→ Encourage respectful conflict
→ Are open to change

This can feel uncomfortable at first.

The key is to understand we're all working together to get better.

What does it feel like in your team?

👍 If you like today's post.
💬 To let me know what you think.
🔁 To help share.

5 steps to a high performance team

Quality decision making is a superpower. 
 
It's a hard skill to master. 
 
The more important a decision, the harder it can become. 
 
Why? 🤔 
 
Because we can get paralysed by worrying about the outcome. 
 
The good news is, there are 3 simple steps you can take to improve decision making: 
 
(1) Who should make this decision? 🔍 
 
• Start by identifying the person responsible for the outcome. 
• If someone more senior has the final say, then make sure they take ownership. 
• Aligning the decision maker with the owner is a quick way to move faster. 
 
TIP: Start by looking for a team manager or the budget owner. 
 
(2) Ask yourself: “Is it reversible?” 🔄 
 
• Too often we worry about the consequences of reversible decisions. 
• If you can go back without much impact, then move faster. 
• One-way decisions need more time and care but start by understanding the impact. 
 
TIP: To help with this, write a simple “pros vs cons” list. 
 
(3) Don’t wait until you have all the data. ⏳ 
 
• At Amazon we aim to make decisions with 70% data. 
• If you wait until you have everything you need, you’re moving too slowly. 
• Get comfortable making judgement calls and taking calculated risks. 
 
TIP: Start by asking what information we know and what is still unknown. 
 
Taking faster decisions is a skill that you can practice and improve. 
 
By being more decisive, you will: 
 
• Be recognised by your peers as a leader. 
• Gain confidence. 
• Have more career opportunities. 
 
This is an easy skill to practice every day! 
 
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What are some best practices for quality decision making?

How can being decisive lead to more career opportunities?

How can reversible decisions help with faster decision making?

I bet there is one thing we'll all do today.

I also bet we could improve on it.

Writing emails is a daily task for most of us - but why don't we have training to deliver our message more clearly?!

Take a look at these 3 simple steps to writing more effective emails:

(1) Consider your audience
(2) Keep your message simple
(3) Provide a clear CTA

I'd love to hear your tips for a great email 😁

👍 If you like today's post.
💬 To let me know what you think.
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What are some best practices for email writing?

How can training improve email writing skills?

Write better emails

The only way to get things done well.

Is to learn ruthless prioritisation.

If everything is important... "Important" becomes meaningless.

You often see people say,

"Just use the Eisenhower matrix to prioritise."

But they never tell you how to do it!

The good news, it's actually pretty easy.

Once you learn how to do it, the benefits are:

• Clarity in what you need to deliver.
• Always meeting deadlines.
• You work on what really matters.

This 5-minute activity will save you hours of procrastination (at least it does for me).

• Make the list
• Prioritise
• Get working

Give my 5 STEP PLAN a try and let me know how you get on 😁

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5 Step Task Prioritisation

What do you want from your job? 
  
These are non-negotiable for me: 
 
 
1. Doing something I enjoy 
2. Building new relationships 
3. Able to be myself at work 
4. A chance to grow and learn 
5. Being part of a high-performance team 
  
What about you? 
 
 
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What are the benefits of being part of a high-performance team?

What are some ways to find growth opportunities at work?

What are some recent developments in building relationships at work?

There’s a reason short-term gains don’t stick. 
 
Good intentions don’t work! 😢 
 
What do I mean? 
 
We all start out with good intentions. We promise ourselves we'll write a weekly blog post, keep to inbox zero, learn a new language every day, or to go to the gym 3 times each week. 
 
We start strong and it maybe lasts a week or two. 
 
Then we slip back into old habits. 
 
→ The reason it’s so hard is that you’re asking yourself to change. 
 
→ Long-term change requires a consistent habit. 
 
→ You need the right motivation. 
 
Be honest, how many new habits have you built that lasted? 
 
I mean really lasted. It’s hard. 
 
Successful habit building requires these 5 steps: 
 
• Write down the “why” 
• Define the process 
• Track your progress 
• Reward yourself 
• Review, iterate, and improve 
 
Have you built a new habit? How did you do it? 
 
👍 If you like today's post. 
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What are some best practices for successful habit building?

What are the five steps for successful habit building?

How important is motivation for successful habit building?

Consistency always wins. 
 
Build 3 habits to improve everything: 
 
(1) Morning start-up 🚀 
 
Schedule 15 minutes at the start of every day to set you up: 
 
• Review your calendar 
• Plan your tasks 
 
This short preparation will save you hours of procrastination. 
 
(2) Daily shut-down ✅ 
 
Schedule 15 minutes at the end of every day to perform a review: 
 
• What went well, what could be improved? 
• What new tasks need to be scheduled for tomorrow? 
 
(3) Weekly review 🔄 
 
Block out 1 hour on Friday evening: 
 
• Review the past week 
• Plan for 2 weeks ahead 
• Revisit your goals 
• Update your to-do list 
• Prioritise 3-tasks for the following week 
 
Step back from everything, reflect, and intentionally plan ahead. 
 
Block time in your calendar for these 3 activities every week and track that you complete them. 
 
It's only 30 mins per day, plus an hour on Friday. 
 
Notice how you start to feel more organised and get more done. 
 
Planning in advance doesn’t need to take long, but it does need to happen regularly. 
 
What daily or weekly habits do you use to help you at work? 
 
Try these and you won’t regret it! 😁 
 
👍 If you like today's post. 
💬 To let me know what you think. 
🔁 To help share.  

How can I make the most of my weekly review?

What are some best practices for morning start-up?

See what happened when someone with a design background helped me to supercharge my LinkedIn profile ⚡ 

Mehedi did a fantastic job helping me develop my branding and creating clean/crisp images for my profile page 😁

What do you think of the upgrade? 🚀

Branding Design Expert Helping Founders & Solopreneurs to Build PREMIUM Brands with the Right Brand Strategy + Engaging Content Designs to Attract High-Paying Clients | Brand Identity Designer | Visual Designer

Mental model: project manage your day. 
 
Treat every day like a project. 
 
Become a "daily project manager" 
 
How do you get started? 👇 
 
As great project managers will tell you, successful projects have: 
 
• Beginning (planning phase) 
• Middle (delivery phase) 
• End (project review) 
 
You can use this approach to make your day productive 😁 
 
Here’s how you do it: 
 
(1) Planning 🗓 
 
Spend 5 – 10 mins at the start of every day on planning: 
 
• What tasks will you aim to achieve? 
• Which ones are most important? 
• How long will they take? 
• When will you get your work done? 
 
(2) Delivery 🔥 
 
Group your tasks and get to work: 
 
• Build momentum by doing easy things first (use the 2-minute rule) 
• For larger tasks, break them up into smaller tasks 
• Cross things off as you go and celebrate your success 
• Track your work 
 
(3) Daily review 📈 
 
At the end of the day look back on what you did (AAR – after action review): 
 
• What worked well? 
• What could be improved? 
• What could you do better? 
• What is left and carried over to the next day? 
 
Aim to learn and improve to make tomorrow even better. 
 
I know this sounds simple, but putting structure around your workday like this makes a big difference. 
 
It doesn’t have to be complex or take a lot of time. 
 
The key is building daily habits that are easy to do and that become second nature. 
 
This has made a huge difference how I work: 
 
• I’ve become better at planning 
• Less time wasted on working out what I need to do next 
• At the end of the day I can switch off and relax 
 
The main benefits are: 
 
• My approach to work has become consistent 
• I know how long it takes to do certain tasks 
• I’m better at prioritisation 
• I have time to work on meaningful projects 
• Lower stress levels! 
 
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? 
 
How do you get things done? 
 
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Okay, LinkedIn. 
 
Today I need your help. 
 
Is it good or bad advice to learn from your mistakes? 
 
I have always been from the school of thought that you learn more from failure than success. 
 
You know what it’s like. 
 
You score a big win and pat each other on the back. 
 
You celebrate 🎉 
Job done 
Then you move on 
 
But, what happens when you fail or miss your target? 
 
That’s when you: 
 
• Take time to dig a bit deeper 
• Find out what went wrong 
• Learn some lessons, the hard way 
• Make sure you don’t repeat the mistakes 
 
But there is another approach. 
 
I saw someone post the other day that failure was bad. 
 
Too often, we don't learn the lessons. 
 
Instead, you should: 
 
(1) Learn from peers, work out what others have done. 
 
(2) Carry out detailed research. Learn from history. 
 
(3) Spend time with your customers and learn what they want. 
 
I don’t disagree that you should spend some time on these things. 
 
However, I think learning by doing and becoming comfortable with making mistakes is more powerful. 
 
What do you think? 
 
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