2 days agoThe Search For Innovation is Slowing Your SuccessBuilding a new flywheel doesn’t make the existing flywheel spin any faster — For almost two decades I worked with teams to help them innovate. Startups and large incumbents paid us to find breakthrough ideas that would catapult them into success. Yet, almost every workshop or design sprint revealed the same conclusion: Don’t do the wild new thing you imagine you need, instead…Expectations3 min readExpectations3 min read
2 days agoOrganizational ConstipationWhy throughput in product companies stalls and what leaders and teams can do about it — Several years ago Mind The Product did a survey on what problems plagued product leaders. Top of the list was prioritization. In the 5 years since that survey, not much has changed. On an almost daily basis I hear from my clients that prioritization is painful. …Backlog2 min readBacklog2 min read
4 days agoThis Is What We Do NowIn the US our lives have been designed to serving the interests of business, in Europe, life is dedicated to serving the self. — The primary difference between the American way of life and the European way of life is the amount of time spent on working. …American Dream4 min readAmerican Dream4 min read
Mar 17You Can’t Say No, Until You’ve Said Yes (A lot)Being focused is a privilege that many don’t have, or haven’t earned yet. — Being focused is undoubtably a great answer to getting things done. We all experience it and it’s a game-changer when you find it. But in the search of focus we’re often overlooking the first step: being unfocused. For me, saying no is a privilege. A privilege that comes from having…Focus3 min readFocus3 min read
Mar 1Shame Will Kill YouGuilt verses shame — This past few years have given me a lot of time to explore the origins and effects of trauma. After fives years of chemo and radiation treatments my beautiful wife died of cancer. It’s been a little over a year since that day. During those treatments we also had to…Mental Health3 min readMental Health3 min read
Jan 27How To Write a BookA short guide to writing a curiosity inspired book — I’ve co-authored or authored 4 books so far, which is amusing to me because I’m dyslexic and I barely passed English at school. So, if I can do it, then it’s very likely you can too. The intent of this article is to give you a basic roadmap to publishing…Publishing12 min readPublishing12 min read
Jan 19Clearly It’s Very Fashionable To Be Pessimistic These DaysI’d like to suggest an alternative that will recognize the problems we experience but in a way that points to a lighter path forward. — It appears the very terms and conditions of social media platforms require us to complain and argue about everything. Life is apparently awful and we should all make it more miserable by piling on with our comments and opinions. I would like to make a case for something else: optimism.Optimism3 min readOptimism3 min read
Dec 17, 2022What’s The Next Big Thing?Knowing what the next product breakthrough is might be staring you right in the face. — If you want to know for certain what we will value next in the evolution of products look no further than the mirror. Why do we invent new stuff in the first place? To improve their chances of survival, early humans made primitive tools. But until recently, it has not easy for humans to manipulate the world around them without…Innovation4 min readInnovation4 min read
Nov 9, 2022The 3 Main Reasons Product Leaders StruggleUnderlying assumptions are undermining our ability to assemble and lead teams in healthy ways. — The goal of product leads should be to provide a healthy environment for their teams to confidently do their work and deliver on their commitments. …Discovery3 min readDiscovery3 min read
Nov 8, 2022The Chief Repeating OfficerGreat leadership often happens when you’re not in the room. — Several years ago I was interviewing David Cancel, co-founder of Drift, on the art of running a product business. I asked him how his role was changing as the company evolved from being a small startup to having hundreds of employees. His answer really made an impression on me. “I…Leadership3 min readLeadership3 min read
