Things I Believe : Lessons from my experience
Sharing a summary of my learnings building products for 11+ years
Shipping fast beats the best strategy
Speed is a superpower. Create a bias toward shipping. Action creates new learning.
Small teams ship faster
AI-native teams will move 10x faster than those not willing to change
Impact > launches (i.e. product impact > shipping code)
Listen, build, ship, tell the customer, then repeat forever
You have no career ceiling
Grit > talent
There’s no substitute for putting in the hours
Get 1% better every day
Be ruthlessly truth seeking
The truth can be painful (especially feedback) but builds muscle
You can just change your mind if wrong. Also, don’t be defensive about it
Have strong opinions, loosely held
Data informed (anecdotes, user insights) > Data driven
Seek the collective truth (across customer segments), not just few opinions
Communication is the job
The biggest illusion around communication is that it has taken place
Leaders step up to provide clarity when there is ambiguity
Clear writing is clear thinking
Everyone can become a better writer through practice
Be the person taking notes, even if it’s just for yourself
Slack pro tip: anticipate objections before hitting send, then address them
Leadership means owning outcomes beyond the org chart
Influence > Titles
Leaders have to do the work themselves and then delegate
You can write your own playbook
Study what worked for others, then take your own path
Be authentic and own your failures
Being helpful compounds
Work can also be your hobby
This doesn’t mean you can’t have other hobbies
Passion + boundaries > mythical “work-life balance”
Your best work comes from following your curiosity
Hiring is what separates good leaders from great
There are two hiring answers: hell yes or no
Growth potential > current skill
Hire people you can learn from
Hire people you would someday be happy working for
Favorite interview question: what work are you most proud of?
Always try to assume good intent
Lead with empathy; they might just be having a bad day
Criticism is good feedback if you listen unemotionally