Brian Tomlinson

🚀 Head of Content, Staffbase | Change Communication, Marketing | I help digital leaders and corporations connect ideas, minds and metrics to drive meaningful transformations

Hi, I'm Brian 👋🏽
Most leaders think the path forward is optimization.
They're always adding — more skills, more certifications, more grind. And they usually end up burning themselves and their teams out.
I believe it's reinvention.
That's why I created Personal Innovation — a systematic approach to help mid-career professionals reinvent themselves into AI-powered leaders.
The framework is built on 3 pillars:

CLARITY — Know who you are and what you want
GROWTH — Build the systems, skills, and confidence to evolve
IMPACT — Lead with influence and create work that matters

AI accelerates every pillar — helping you think clearer, move faster, and lead with confidence.

My story:
A few years ago, I asked myself: What do I actually want?
I realized I wanted authenticity, growth, and meaningful impact. So I stopped waiting for permission and reinvented myself.
Now I help mission-driven companies build thought leadership engines and content systems that drive demand. I coach mid-career professionals through their own reinventions. And I help leaders navigate the AI era without burning out.

What I bring:
For 20+ years, I've specialized in making complex ideas accessible and systematic — from building education programs for 12,000+ employees across 126 countries to growing social channels to 100k+ followers.

I believe professional reinvention should be systematic, not accidental. 

That's why I build:
→ Content engines that translate expert thinking into action
→ AI-driven systems that scale impact without scaling effort
→ Frameworks that make leadership development accessible to people who don't have MBAs or executive coaches

My background spans sales, digital transformation, and marketing leadership — across mission-driven tech, enterprise software, and global startups.

I'm also a runner 🏃🏾‍♂️, reader 👨‍🏫, podcaster 🎙️, and father of two 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒.

I love working with leaders who:
- Feel stuck despite their success
- Want to evolve without losing themselves
- Value systems over motivation
- Are ready to lead with AI, not resist it

If that's you, we should chat.

Join my newsletter or drop me a DM.

Head of Digital Communications & International Enablement

I've found myself with a bit of time this and next week.

So let me help you. Here's the deal:

If you'd like me to help with any of the below, DM me and we'll set up a quick call where you can AMA. 

If you're stuck on any of these, DM me and I'll book a call. No pitch. No charge.

→ Setting up your personal brand -- so the right people understand what you do in seconds and opportunities start coming to you (instead of you chasing them)

→ Marketing at your company — so your team stops doing "random acts of marketing" and starts driving measurable pipeline, adoption, or revenue

→ Leadership challenges — so you can get buy-in faster, reduce friction, and lead with more clarity (without burning yourself out)

→ Leveraging AI in your workflow or team — so you reclaim hours every week, improve quality, and avoid the "tools everywhere, impact nowhere" trap

→ Reviewing your content strategy — so what you publish actually compounds: clearer positioning, better engagement, and more inbound conversations

→ Career advice (leaders in marketing, comms, HR) — so your next move is intentional: better scope, better pay, better title, or better leverage 

I'm aiming to help as many people as possible this year — so if you know someone who'd benefit, feel free to pass this along.

Oh...and in case you're asking who TF is this guy...
Hey I'm Brian 👋🏾 and here's what you can tap into: 
I'm a people-centered leader with over 20 years of experience in marketing, comms, and sales. I've built up departments and led teams across digital marketing, content marketing, social media, and internal and external comms. But most of all, I love seeing people succeed. So feel free to tap into my brain 🧠 if it'll help you.

undefined undefined

⚡️ AI for Leaders | Head of Content | Marketing & Communications | Coach | 🎙️Podcaster | Sharing what I’m Learning 🧠

Stop getting better at AI.

Seriously.

You're learning prompts. Automating workflows. Optimizing for speed.

But you're ignoring the skills that actually make you irreplaceable.

The reality is: 
AI can already do what you're training yourself to do. 
Faster. 
Cheaper. 
24/7.

So why compete? 🤷🏾‍♂️

Strong leaders aren't just getting better at AI.
They're building the skills that AI can't touch.

Here are some examples I found: 
→ Paul Polman said no to $143 billion because of one of these skills.
→ Howard Schultz bet $6 million on another — and it paid off 400%.
→ Satya Nadella used a third to turn Microsoft into a $3 trillion company.

Today's newsletter reveals all five skills.
Plus, how to develop each one — starting this week.

=======
Find this helpful? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Brian Tomlinson for more.
Want more frameworks to grow?
Join our community of 800+ subscribers today.

Great leaders aren’t trying to beat AI at being AI.

AI will always be faster and more accurate. So don’t compete on speed.

Compete on judgment.

AI can crank out options. It can’t choose what you’re willing to own.

That choice comes from being human:
↳ Presence: hear what isn’t said 
↳ Conviction: decide without perfect info 
↳ Candor: admit mistakes out loud 
↳ Imagination: picture what isn’t here yet 
↳ Conscience: pick values over velocity

AI can mimic thinking. 
It can’t carry the weight of the call. It can’t feel the tension in the room. It can’t sign its name to the outcome.

That’s you.

If AI feels like a threat, use it as a mirror. 
It exposes leaders who hide behind process and metrics.

The leaders who matter will be the ones who can think, feel, decide, read people, and take ownership.

Let AI run the spreadsheet. You run the team.

Which of these is slipping for you as AI shows up in more of your work?

taplio

Brian Tomlinson's Linkedin Analytics

Brian Tomlinson

Performance ScoreBrian Tomlinson's LinkedIn Performance

What is Brian talking about?

Who is engaging with Brian

Brian Tomlinson's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Brian Tomlinson's Linkedin Analytics

Brian Tomlinson

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Brian Tomlinson's LinkedIn Performance

What is Brian talking about?

Who is engaging with Brian

Brian Tomlinson's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Brian Tomlinson's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreBrian Tomlinson's LinkedIn Performance

Brian Tomlinson's Best Posts (last 30 days)