Discover great authors from HEY World

The Anti-Frameworks Framework

What if I told you that product management frameworks were useless? That none of them works any better than any of the rest. Product management frameworks seem to multiply by the second, there are too many to keep track of. I found all of these in about 20 minutes of searching. (Admittedly, some were taken from my blog, where I advocat...

Why Didn't Jira Have Dark Mode

Right off the bat, we have to talk about the title of this post. Up until I was about to hit publish, it was called “Why Doesn’t Jira Have Dark Mode?”. But as I was doing some last-minute research, I came across an update that they were finally adding a dark theme. Despite them finally doing what seemed obvious, there are still valuabl...

All Smoke, No Fire: The Failure of the Amazon Fire Phone

I have wanted to write this post ever since I found this picture of Jeff Bezos announcing the Fire Phone. As a fan of Amazon’s approach to Product, I've spent lots of time diving into their various products. Their strategy is anchored in the customer. And for each product (successful or failed), you can see the customer at the core of ...

Don't Miss the Boat on AI

Like most of the world, I have gotten swept up in the ChatGPT hype. I was using it a ton when it launched. Using it on personal projects, at work, and looking for ways to incorporate it into products. But as time went on the shine faded. It gave wrong answers, made things up, or I often felt I could do higher quality work without it. B...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Staring Into The Dip

I've been thinking a lot about the dip lately. I've known that I am there with both learning python and writing. And so fa,r I have been telling myself that it is worth getting through the dip on both. But I've changed my mind today. When I think about learning python, I have big plans in mind. I have projects I want to build. And plan...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Broken Streaks

Streaks get broken. In theory they never have to be broken. But by nature they are often broken, intentionally or unintentionally. It doesn't matter when it was broken or why it was broken. What matters is what happens after the streak is broken. Do you close up shop and go home? Or do you start tomorrow and put the first tally on the ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Soak Up The Small Stuff

6 months ago, we had an idea. That idea has turned into 200 people. And today, 20 of those people met up. 20 people may not be a lot in the grand scheme of things. But to me, it is a huge deal. In a few years it may not seem like it's a huge deal. But for today, it is. And so I am going to enjoy it. Everyone else should do the same. We...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Partnerships

Life is full of partnerships. In business. At work. In Sports. In personal relationships. But sadly most partnerships don't work or fail altogether. Why is that? Because most of us focus on what we need out of a partnership, rather than what our partner needs. This week I heard the best advice on how to make partnerships work. Make it ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Quality and Virtue in Ourselves

Another winner from Steven Pressfield today: “In my experience, when we project a quality or virtue onto another human being, we ourselves almost always already possess that quality, but we're afraid to embrace (and to live) that truth.” Great advice for anyone. Something that I definitely need to take to heart. I'm guilty of looking f...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Why Are You Running?

Why are we running? Is it out of fear or love? I came across this quote from Steven Pressfield that talked about the ways to train horses: “Horses understand the whip, but I don't want a racer that runs that way. A horse that loves to run will beat a horse that's compelled, every day of the week.” This is something we should consider f...

Scratchpad Scribbles: In The Dip

“Over the next few days and weeks, the rapid learning you experience keeps you going. Whatever your new thing is, it's easy to stay engaged in it. And then the Dip happens. The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery. A long slog that's actually a shortcut, because it gets you where you want to go faster than any other path.”...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Build Some Streaks

Ever since I came across the idea of streaks I have been obsessed. I have been looking for more and more ways to implement them in my life. I have taken most of my daily habits and moved them from a to-do list to a streak tracker. The tracker is simply a table, that I fill out in my daily journal. But making that switch has added weigh...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Keep Going

There are some things I am doing right now that I couldn't be happier with. There are others where I feel let down and even embarrassed with myself. But for the good or the bad, the answer is the same. Keep going. It's the answer to everything. The good stuff will turn into great, and then one day it may become excellent. The bad will ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Chop Wood, Carry Water

Chop Wood, Carry Water. I first heard this while reading Ryan Holiday's "Stillness is the Key." As soon as I heard it, I wanted it to guide my life. There are several explanations for the origin of the phrase and several possible meanings. The simplest way I have seen it explained is as a Zen mantra. The idea is that you reach enlighte...

Scratchpad Scribbles: What I Need?

Am I Trading Something That I Need for Something That I Want? I heard David Rosenthal ask this on a podcast, it has stuck with me. Too often, we trade things we want (career success) for things we need (family). It's not that we shouldn't strive for both. But we need to put needs first. Putting wants first might feel good in the short ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: What Matters Most?

What matters most to you? Whatever that thing is, go do something about it. Prove to yourself that it matters. If it's your family, stop what you are doing. Go give your wife a kiss. And then, go play with your kids. If it's work, create one thing that will take your company and career to the next level. If it's your health, go to the ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Drive and Protect

I love to push myself. I might even have a problem with it. I push myself to do as much as possible for as long as possible. I know a lot of people who are the same way. To me being driven as hell is something to admire. But if you are going to be that driven, you also have the responsibility to protect yourself. Lately, I have been fe...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Challenge Your Thinking

One thing that has benefitted me as of late is challenging my thinking. Holding up the things I think and believe to an intense light. In some places, I have found that I have maintained my original views. In others, my mind has been changed. But either way, I am better for it. Society today is focused on insulating us from things that...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Give Yourself Some Leeway

Every night I write at the same time. But after spending too much time staring at screens today, I couldn't do it. So I gave myself a break. Went for a drive and then walked around instead. I let myself break the rule of "I always write now." But I still held myself to a standard that I would write everyday. That's what I am doing now....

Scratchpad Scribbles: Every Product Should Be Like a Sound Machine

When I was younger, I had terrible sleeping problems. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't go to sleep. It would be three...four...five in the morning, and I would still be awake, despite desperately wanting to be asleep. I thought this would never change. But then we had a baby. And my wife bought her something called a sound machine. ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Start a Group

Most things in life are a lot easier with a group of peers. People who you can rely on, bounce ideas off of, and rally together to do big things. But how do you find a group? You could try networking (whatever that means). Look online. Or just hope that somehow the group finds you. But I have found a better way... Make a group. Start t...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Work Hard and Don't Worry

I had to make a tough call at work. My mind was reeling with all the possible bad outcomes. I was hesitant to pull the trigger. So many things could go wrong. But it was the right call. So I did it. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. All the things I spent time worrying about didn't come to pass. Things went as smoothly as possible....

Work Hard and Don't Worry

I had to make a tough call at work. My mind was reeling with all the possible bad outcomes. I was hesitant to pull the trigger. So many things could go wrong. But it was the right call. So I did it. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. All the things I spent time worrying about didn't come to pass. Things went as smoothly as possible....

Scratchpad Scribbles: More on Personal Brand

I said before that the unlock for me in creating a personal brand, wasn’t to create at all. But rather to just be me. And find those who liked me for me. Seth Godin said this better than I ever could in his book, The Practice: ““Ultimately, the goal is to become the best in the world at being you. To bring useful idiosyncrasy to the pe...

Scratchpad Scribbles: A Middle Ground

I love content. Sometimes I surprise myself with the amount of stuff I listen to and read. And even more, I love to share the things I find. If I get value from it, then I assume others will too. But one issue I run into is I sometimes can remember an idea but not the source. Or I found it online and the sourcing is suspect at best. An...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Beauty in the Ordinary

Every day I take my dog on a walk (usually many walks). It’s supposed to be a break from work and everything else in life. But carrying a computer in your pocket makes it hard to escape. Or rather a lack of willpower makes that hard. So I have been challenging myself to go without using my phone or using my headphones. It has been an e...

Scratchpad Scribbles: The Practice

I finished reading The Practice today. It was one of the best books I've ever read. And a great follow-on to The War of Art. But before I can tell you why it's so good, I have to make a confession. I used to dislike its author, Seth Godin. Years ago I bought one of his books and started listening to his podcast. I wanted to like him. B...

Scratchpad Scribbles: We're Going Streaking

I have been streaking a lot lately. On several projects. But I hadn't been calling it that or even thinking of it in those terms. I was just working on them every day, no matter what. But then I read something in The Practice by Seth Godin, that captured what I was after. It seems obvious that the more you do something the better you w...

Scratchpad Scribbles: What the Hell is a Personal Brand?

When I was getting started, everyone wanted to give me advice on building a "personal brand". I didn’t understand what this was. I worked at a large academic medical center and was in grad school. Both were places with tons of politics. Both were places where everyone cared about how they presented to others. So everyone told me it was...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Wishers, Askers, Builders

I like to think about people in 3 categories: wishers, askers, and builders. Wishers want things and hope they will somehow appear or happen. Askers also want things and are happy to ask others to make it happen. Builders want things and go create them or make them happen. Wishers are often content with dreaming about what they want. T...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Life's One-Way Doors

I hear so much talk of one-way and two-way doors in business. I use these terms every day at work. But today I realized I never think about them applied to life. This is the place where they are more applicable. In business, even if you go through a one-way door and things go bad you still have choices. Start a new company, launch a ne...

Scratchpad Scribbles: More About Mentoring

I started the year by deciding I wanted to do more for others. One of the easiest ways I have found to do that is mentorship. It doesn’t take much to be a mentor besides willingness and a little bit of time. You might not think you have much to share. But to someone who is getting started, you are a wealth of knowledge. You have seen w...

Don't Wait

Don’t wait. Don’t wait for yourself to be ready. Or for the idea to be polished. Don’t wait for someone more qualified. Or for someone who can do it better. You might not know everything right now. The idea may not be perfectly laid out. But you can figure all that out as you go. So, don’t wait. If you have an idea, then you are ready....

Scratchpad Scribbles: Don't Wait

Don’t wait. Don’t wait for yourself to be ready. Or for the idea to be polished. Don’t wait for someone more qualified. Or for someone who can do it better. You might not know everything right now. The idea may not be perfectly laid out. But you can figure all that out as you go. So, don’t wait. If you have an idea, then you are ready....

Scratchpad Scribbles: Reset

Life has a great built-in feature. Every night you go to sleep and let everything reset. Each day is new. Each day is a chance to start things fresh. To make a change. To become something different. But these resets can also be a bug. If you reset too often things will never change. You’ll always be at square one. You can’t build habit...

Scratchpad Scribbles: What If I Didn't Hit Send?

On long days I sometimes wonder what would happen if I didn’t write anything? Would anyone notice if I didn’t send something out? Definitely not. But at this point, I’m not doing this for anyone. It’s all for me. Daily writing has raised my desire to create. And has forced consistency on me. So even on long days, when I’m exhausted and...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Go Build Something

Go build something. Use your hands to create something new. Whether you have tons of experience or none, give it a try. Saw some lumber. Bend some metal. Join some boards together. Get crazy and weld something. Whatever it is, give it a try. There is a joy that comes from creating. It doesn't have to be something incredible it can be s...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Indulge

What do you do after a 3-day fast? Eat a jar of peanut butter for breakfast. And then eat 6 eggs with specialty cheese. Then get a chicken caesar salad with flatbread. Drink some energy drinks and non-alcoholic beer (I had to draw the line somewhere). Then eat some pasta. Then more peanut butter. Top it all off with some ice cream and ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Clarity

I am finishing a three-day fast. Going in I was seeking clarity. I thought by now I would be seeing the mysteries of the universe. But in fact, I am most thinking about and looking up pictures of french onion soup. While I didn’t find a state of nirvana, I did find another type of clarity. Clarity on what I am capable of. Of what the h...

Scratchpad Scribbles: A Jar of Stuff

Things don't have to be extraordinary to be inspiring. I recently got a jar and filled it up with rocks from the ocean, sea glass, and pebbles. I keep it on a shelf in my office. Once in a while, I pick it up and look at it. I rotate it in my hands and look at the different contrasts of the materials. It’s soothing and meditative. It a...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Tattoos

Why do we tattoo our skin? It doesn't make logical sense. We pay someone to poke us with needles. We inflict pain on ourselves and damage our skin. Why? Because we want to etch life on our skin. We want to carry memories with us. The tattooing process is a snapshot of all things in life worth anything. We have an idea for something ins...

Amazon's 3️⃣ Big Questions

Recently the case was made that Amazon has one of the best venture portfolios of all time. It takes VC level swings on projects it self funds. And when they pay off - they pay off big time. Ben Gilbert encapsulated this idea by saying, “AWS is a venture bet in their portfolio that they own 100% of.” In another world, AWS would have bee...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Leave Room For Surprise

We live in a time where you can know anything at any time. I’m one who is guilty of wanting to know everything there is to know about a subject. When I come across a new topic, I will spend hours going down every path, and learning every piece of history. In some things, like work, it serves me well. But it can also lead to some boring...

Scratchpad Scribbles: They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

My grandpa had a life devoted to quality work. He spent his career working with his hands and demanded a high standard from himself. When he needed something he would as often as possible make it himself. This ensured it would be durable and up to standards. Sadly, this is not the case for most individuals or companies. The mandate tod...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Chores You'll Miss

It is hard to get excited about chores. The name sounds boring. But they are another form of habit. Habits build us, make us better, and enrich our lives. I try to reframe chores through this lens. In the moment they may seem dull or a pain. But would life really be better without them? An example, every week I have to brush my dog. Sh...

ScratchPad Scribbles: Let's Keep It Rolling

I just wrapped a week of writing a daily blog post. I was inspired to do this after reading that Seth Godin has been doing a daily blog for over 20 years. I first planned to write them daily in my journal, and then if they got good enough, I’d show them to others. But sharing is what it is all about. Sharing brings accountability and c...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Don’t Speak (I Can Read What You Are Thinking)

I didn’t see a No Doubt reference coming in the first week of writing daily, but here we are. (Big shoutout to Gwen Stefani and crew for the Tragic Kingdom album). Much has already been written about Amazon’s writing culture (including a few posts by me). But I heard a fresh take on its origins this week. This entire podcast with Edwar...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Explain it like We Are All 5

During a math class in high school, I found a shortcut to solve a certain type of equation. I told the teacher and he asked me to explain it to him. I muttered and talked in circles, explaining it as unclearly as possible. He said I must have gotten lucky because what I explained shouldn’t work. But no matter how many equations he gave...

Scratchpad Scribbles: The Process is Enough

I have been thinking a lot about accomplishments lately. Like most people, I have a list of things I would like to do in my life. But if you stop and think about it, how much do the accomplishments actually matter? Not a whole hell of a lot. If I could wake up tomorrow and call myself a best-selling author, or a record holder, would I ...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Mentoring (by any Other Name)

When I started grad school there was a huge push for me to get a mentor. But whenever it was mentioned all I could think of was the Seinfeld episode. I didn’t see how a mentor could help me. Or help anyone. It was a few years before I realized that mentors had been helping me my whole life. My first real mentor was my dad. He coached m...

Scratchpad Scribbles: Work Smarter (at Your Own Risk)

When people say “work smarter, not harder” they may be leading you into a trap. The smarter version of the work does not always have the same output as the harder version. Working “smarter” can be a way to avoid doing the hard stuff that needs to be done. Sometimes working harder is the only option. If you want to lay a brick wall, you...

Daily Scribbles: When Shit Hits the Fan

When shit hits the fan (and it will) we get to decide how we respond. We don’t get to decide what happens to us. Or the outcomes of events. But we do get to decide how we respond. We can panic. Or be complacent and let life wash over us. Or we can take charge. Make a plan and make deliberate choices. We may not like how things turn out...

Scratchpad Scribbles: When Shit Hits the Fan

When shit hits the fan (and it will) we get to decide how we respond. We don’t get to decide what happens to us. Or the outcomes of events. But we do get to decide how we respond. We can panic. Or be complacent and let life wash over us. Or we can take charge. Make a plan and make deliberate choices. We may not like how things turn out...

Power, Large Systems, and Data: Product Lessons from an Unlikely So...

Two caveats here (always a fun way to start an article): • I’m not trying to make any type of statement with this one. People can and should each do their research on Ed Snowden. The same thing goes for Joe Rogan. I’m not sharing my opinion on either person just some things I found interesting. More than anything sharing some tangentia...

Beg, Steal or Borrow: The Making of Apple Freeform

In 2006 Creative Technologies sued Apple.The reason for the suit? Apple allegedly stole ideas and designs that led to the iPod. The case was eventually settled for $100 million. In another act of borrowing, Apple added a mouse to their computers after Steve Jobs saw one at Xerox PARC. To be fair Apple did change the mouse up, theirs ha...

How to Compete with YouTube: Product Strategies for a Won Market

When a market looks homogenous and saturated, how can you stand out? How do you differentiate your product to carve out market share? These were the questions asked by companies trying to get into video hosting in the early 2000's. At the time YouTube had begun to assert its dominance in the space. It was the first video platform to al...

How to Compete with YouTube (or Die Trying)

When a market looks homogenous and saturated, how can you stand out? How do you differentiate your product to carve out market share? These were the questions asked by companies trying to get into video hosting in the early 2000's. At the time YouTube had begun to assert its dominance in the space. It was the first video platform to al...

Apple's Music Strategy

I enjoyed this breakdown of Apple’s audio strategy from Aakash Gupta. The level of long-term product strategy and execution at Apple is hard to match. What struck me was the amount of added value Apple drove for consumers by combining products. Any of the products in its music ecosystem (Beats, AirPods, iPhone, Apple Music) would have ...

Executioner vs Caretaker: Amazon’s Opposing and Successful Strategies

In the last two years I have written 46 blog posts. 20% are about Amazon or reference them. I’m more obsessed with Amazon than I ever thought I would be. (My bank account and mailman can verify this). Considering how they have shaped multiple industries, they deserve to have a lot written about them. Experimentation has been core to bo...

Product Lessons from Kevin Weil

Kevin Weil is my newest product hero. He came from outside of product and technology. But hard work, focus, and determination led him to success. At a rapid pace he landed leadership roles at Twitter, Instagram, and now Planet. I had somehow missed his career and product leadership until recently. But once I heard him on 20VC, I had to...

An Algorithm for Career Success

What if there was an algorithm for success in your career? Navigating your career can often feel like wandering through a maze. There are countless paths and options you could take. It's hard to know where to turn and when to choose a different path. With the acceleration in AI, you may soon be able to have an algorithm that can tell y...

Comprehensiveness vs Continuity

Hulu and YouTube are great case studies in why having a clear strategy matters. They are an even more interesting example because they chose opposite strategies. Despite both being streaming platforms, they chose strategies that fit their unique needs and constraints. In the early days of Hulu you were likely to discover that more show...

How Do You Think About Thinking About Product?

This past week I was working through a product problem with a few other people. I knew little about the space. And the problem was a bit abstract. When we started talking I kinda felt like this guy: Starting from scratch and with only a few data points to go on, we spent some time talking it out. After 30 minutes or so it felt like we ...

Business Is War!?

BUSINESS IS WAR! Or is it? This topic causes me to feel a lot of dissonance. On one hand Snowflake and its leader who I admire, Frank Slootman, attest that business is war. It is what drives their success and what has made them a leader in the world of data and SaaS. But, I am also a huge fan of Basecamp (aka 37signals) and their leade...

Why Healthcare Is So Hard

I was doom scrolling Twitter when this tweet stopped my thumb in its tracks. This one story encapsulates the struggle of healthcare better than I ever could. This is why healthcare is so hard. During undergrad, my focus (and the focus of many others) was engaging and empowering patients. We were looking for the key to unlock patient pa...

Just Send It!

"You're not succinct..." "You don't communicate clearly..." "You rambled on and didn't get your point across.." (I know what you are thinking, this is exactly the type of feedback you would want to hear after a job interview.) A few years ago this was what I was hearing. It was hard to hear, but I thrive on feedback like that. When I k...

Feel It Down To Your Bones

When I was 6 I tried jumping my bike off a homemade ramp and hurt my hand… When I was 15 I got hit in the face and my chin split open to the bone… When I was 27 I was at the gym when my bicep ruptured… When I was 31 I fell off a ladder and hurt both of my legs… This isn’t about how clumsy I am (that post would be much longer)… When I w...

Product Lessons from Tony Fadell

There are a lot of product people that I admire and aspire to be like: friends, coworkers, and big names in the space. But for me, the best model for a career in product is Tony Fadell. Among his accomplishments are: the iPod, the iPhone, Nest, and 300+ patents. Having just one of those on your resume would be enough to declare victory...

Do the Hard, Boring Stuff (or How to Build a Platform)

A few weeks ago I wrote about thinking like a brewer, if you want to build a strong product company. But what should you do if you want to build a platform company. You should think like someone providing electricity to brewers. This concept was one of the inspirations for Jeff Bezos and Amazon when they launched AWS. He saw brewers in...

Why Patient Engagement Isn't a Field of Dreams

“If you build it they will come”… Turns out this is true for farmers building baseball diamonds in fields to attract ghosts. But sadly it is not true for providers trying to get patients into their practice. Patient engagement is a case where simply setting up shop isn’t enough. You have to put in lots of work, at every phase of the jo...

10… or 20 Steps to a Vision

Being new to product you want to dive right in and solve everything now. An enthusiastic mindset is definitely a good thing, but it needs to be tempered with realism and thoroughness. One of my product mentors gave me some advice for how to approach product management with this balance in mind. They said “See step 10 (the vision), focu...

Assumptions and Risks in Product Trios

I had originally put this together after reading both Inspired and Continuous Discovery Habits. The intent being to highlight that we have the ability to de-risk an idea, starting from the moment it is conceived. In the discovery phase we do that through assumptions testing. And then assuming something is selected to be worked, we do s...

Think Like A Brewer

“Does it make the beer taste better?” A helpful analogy for knowing when to build or buy… In the past starting a brewery in Europe was a from scratch proposition. You had to do all the activities you’d expect like sourcing ingredients and hiring help. But you also had to do everything else, up to and including generating your own power...

Lead Like Barry McCarthy

Netflix. Spotify. And maybe Peloton? What do these 3 companies have in common aside from having industry shifting business models? It’s the man behind those models. He helped Netflix figure out subscriptions. He developed Spotify’s ad business and oversaw their direct listing. And now Peloton hopes he can lead them to long-term success...

Breakfast with Cheech

Can you learn any useful career lessons while eating breakfast at an airport Burger King? Turns out you can if you mix luck with awareness. In 2009 I left home on a service mission for my church. This story isn’t about how I spent the two years of that mission. It is about one odd event that started it off. I was at the Salt Lake airpo...

A Path to Value

Before we go down the rabbit hole of value, one thing to consider, value delivery is key to product development, it is not everything. In fact we can sometimes go too far in our quest for value. As a foil to my thoughts below, go read this article on another way to think about value in product. My friend Eric wrote it, and it is one of...

Shape Up

I’ve been off for awhile with a new baby, but slowly getting back into the swing of things. Look for some new content coming in the next weeks focused on: vendor management, build vs buy, product prioritization and advocacy in product management. But the big thing to talk about today is Shape Up. I just finished re-reading the book and...

Prioritization Methods

Prioritization Methods have been something that I have had a hard time nailing down. It seems like everyone has a different approach and they are all touted as being the standard. Through lots of trial and error, I’ve come to land on Value vs Effort being the best approach. It let’s you quickly determine what to build and how to priori...

Career Learnings

"Today is August 17, 2021, which marks exactly 40 years since I began my career in tech, as a new software engineer on August 17, 1981. At a milestone like this, it’s hard not to reflect a little on your career, and the broader tech industry... I believe I can recall major learnings from every one of those 40 years." Marty Cagan recent...

Challenge Questions

I heard an incredible decision making framework today. Justin Jackson talked about it on the Build Your SaaS podcast. The idea is simple but powerful. You ground all of your decisions in your values and then have a predetermined set of "challenge questions" (my words) that you test your decisions against. These are things like how will...

Inventing On Principles

"If your guiding principle embodies a specific insight, it will guide you, and you'll always know if what you're doing is right... There are many ways to live your life. That's maybe the most important thing to realize in your life, that every aspect of your life is a choice. There are default choices. You can choose to sleepwalk throu...

Working Backwards

“Working Backwards” This was a concept I had heard of before but hadn't studied much, until recently when a friend encouraged me to take a closer look. There are some great details on this approach in the annual Amazon shareholder letters: "'Working backward' from customer needs can be contrasted with a 'skills-forward' approach where ...

Metrics and Ceilings

Two interesting ideas to deep dive on as you grow your product and customer base: 1. What are the North Star metrics and actions you should be tracking in your product? There are nearly limitless things you can track but what you should be tracking are the things that make you sticky. What takes a user to a super user? What makes your ...

More Working Backwards

I wrote about Working Backwards awhile ago. Just recently I heard a great podcast about this concept from Rocketship.fm. Michael Sacca & Mike Belsito interview Amazon veterans/experts Bill Carr & Colin Bryar on what Working Backwards is and why it has made Amazon so successful. Well worth a listen to hear how the approach has worked at...

Watch The Bartender

"Watch the bartender" This was Jack Dorsey's way of explaining Square. They took all the things that interfered with the bartender interacting with the customer and built a product to remove those barriers. Ibrahim Bashir shares this real world example and numerous others related to customer feedback in a packed episode of the ProdPad ...

Assumptions and Risks

Marty Cagan recently posted about the right "getting started" package of books for those interested in product and wanting to become strong product people. The lineup was two of his books Inspired and Empowered, along with Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery Habits. I have read the first two and am working through the 3rd right now. I ...

Faith In Ourselves

"One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves." - L. Tom Perry I have this quote written on a whiteboard that hangs in front of my desk, so that I can read it every day. I need the reminder daily, if not multiple times a day, that I can do a lot more than I would let myself believe. It seems to be huma...

My Favorite Customer Insight

My favorite customer insight of all time ⬇ As part of my deep dive into written narratives and Amazon, I have been reading through the yearly Amazon shareholder letters. This summary of the thought process behind the Kindle is mind-blowing. Where most of us would have hard-charged into doing all we could to highlight how high tech and ...

Stack Overflow Podcast

One of my favorite podcasts is the Stack Overflow podcast. I like it because the episodes are usually short but packed full of insights. It also does a great job of teaching business people how to work with technical people. On the last episode Paul Ford had two amazing insights that I had to call out as they were two of the coolest th...

Product Leaders

I was late to the world of tech & product compared to my peers; I didn't gain interest until I was halfway through grad school. So I felt like I had to play catchup, I dove in, reading books and taking courses. As I got in the real world I found myself discouraged... what I had been learning match up with what I was seeing day to day. ...

Write Like Amazon

“Speed and scale are weapons and Amazon has already told everyone its secret… if only they have the discipline to implement it.” This was Bard Porter's parting shot in a discussion of how strong writing is the secret to Amazon's continued innovation and success. Since coming across this quote in Empowered I have been deep diving into t...

Continuous Discovery Habits

Seems like everyone is talking about Continuous Discovery Habits right now. After finishing it for myself I can see why. It is one of the most practical and actionable books out there. You’ll want to keep this on your desk and refer to it often. There’s too much good stuff to be able to call out and highlight everything, you just need ...

Metrics Framework

How do you know if the product you built is having an impact? Or if the project you delivered was successful? Or if you are truly meeting customer’s needs? Delivery is often the focus of our work (the more we can get out into the world the better or so we think) but where we should be putting more of our time is into measuring the impa...

Invent and Wander

I just finished reading Invent and Wander which contains all the Amazon Annual Shareholder Letters. Many have called these letters a mini-MBA and after reading them I can see why. In the span of a few pages each year you see clearly how to: -be customer obsessed -use writing as a tool and weapon -develop a product mindset -use metrics ...

The Written Narrative

Empowered by Marty Cagan and Chris Jones is jam-packed with insights and tools for how to build a truly empowered product team and organization. It compiles the learnings from Silicon Valley Product Group and the world's best product organizations and gives you a concise and actionable framework for emulating the way they operate and b...

Can't Hurt Me

Most people who know me know that I like to read a lot. I usually churn through multiple books in a month and try to take away a few key learnings from each. But I have to say, that out of all the books I've read, I cannot remember a book that has ever impacted me in the way that Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins has impacted me. It has c...

3 Laws of Mastery

I recently finished Drive by Daniel Pink, it was an engaging read that was difficult to put down until I was all the way through. The book highlights what we think motivates us versus what actually motivates us. It was striking how intuitive the methods for modern day motivate are but also more shocking is how often we do things counte...

Lessons Learned

Each day I take tons of actions and make lots of decisions, most of which are based off experiences I have had in the past. Things that I have seen and done before, become references for how I tackle similar challenges now. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and realized that while I rely on this store of experience every day...

Grateful

I have spent much of this week reflecting on all the good that has happened to me lately, both recently and throughout my life. The big realization was how little I actually contributed to my own good fortune, the majority of it was the work of other or luck. I owe so much to my parents who supported me early in life and helped me beli...

Making The Shift To Tech

My whole life I have been deeply interested in Technology, paying attention to trends and keeping up on the latest news. I was drawn to it but at the same time didn't know how to get started in technology for myself. I went to grad school thinking I would spend my career working in business and admin. I quickly learned that it was not ...

Survival of the Bark Canoe

I just wrapped up reading Survival of the Bark Canoe and could not have enjoyed it more. I have long heard about John McPhee and his ability to deep dive on obscure topics from Tim Ferriss and other but this was my first chance to check out his work for myself. While it is definitely a book anyone interested in the outdoor or woodworki...

What's the Foundation?

One of the things I love learning about most are frameworks. Understanding how people approach: making decisions, building products/processes and creating lasting change. My personal framework is anchored in the concept of foundations. My grandfather was a custom home builder and talented carpenter. I spent summers and weekends working...