Product Management
Discovering Athena: Letting Go of Content to Unlock Knowledge
Everything old is new again — with a twist of AI
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User Experience
AI and Design: Embrace Change, But Don’t Forget What Matters
AI is changing the product design landscape at a breakneck pace. It's important that we embrace these new tools, but don't sacrifice the quality of design for speed.
Quotables
A Must Read: What the f*ck is strategy?
Ro Fernandez, founder of Nova, shares some white-hot wisdom about strategy.
Product Management
Letting Go of “Release”
In the modern world of continuous delivery, "releases" are no longer the important mega-event they once were. So why are we still planning everything around them?
Creativity
When “Doing” Matters More Than “Done”
In the fervor around artificial intelligence, it's important that we remember that creativity and innovation is about far more than completing tasks.
Leadership
Reminder: Change Requires People
My friend Rodger Otero reminds us that lasting and meaningful change is about cultivation, not revolution.
Strategy
Being “Right” is Wrong
The need to be "right" can stop you from being effective.
Quotables
Rams’ 10 Principles for Good Design
First articulated by iconic industrial designer Dieter Rams in the 1980s, these principles are timeless and universal.
Self-Management
On Misanthropy
There is nothing noble about not caring.
Quotables
R. Buckminster Fuller on Making Change
You never change anything by fighting it; you change things by making them obsolete through superior technology. Telstar replaced five hundred tons of transoceanic cable. It used to take us three years to circumnavigate the globe in a wooden-hulled ship. It took three months in a steel ship, ninety minutes in a space capsule and now […]
Self-Management
Facing Uncertainty
With change of any significance comes uncertainty. Uncertainty is never fun, but it doesn't have to be crippling.
Leadership
Inclusion Alone Won’t Lead to Diversity
Modern politics tells us to forget diversity and focus exclusively on inclusion, but fixating on inclusion without first addressing underrepresentation actually leads to less inclusive workplaces.
Making Great Products
Innovating in Public
When we needed to demonstrate that our century-old company was still innovating, I quipped that we could just show people by building a product in real time at our customer conference like some technological zoo exhibit. Nobody seemed to realize I was joking.
Self-Management
Protect Your Margins
In the chaos of early adulthood, a friend's wise word—protect your margins—became my secret to finding peace amidst the overwhelm.
Productivity
“Be quick, but don’t hurry.” —John Wooden
In the pursuit of speed, many organizations stumble—not from a lack of effort, but from the pressure to rush.
Creativity
Dare to Begin
Returning to my writing roots revealed a truth: the journey of creation starts with a single, imperfect step—daring to make a mark on the blank page.
Justice
Recommitting to Humane Leadership
After decades in tech, exhaustion and escapist fantasies set in—but despite the challenges, my career has always been about one thing: people. As diversity, equity and inclusion come under assault, I continue to fight for people.
Leadership
Tough Love for Leaders
Leaders, it’s time for some tough love: accountability, communication, and respect are not just expectations for others, but for you, too.
Managing People
On Hiring Well
Effective hiring goes beyond filling positions; it's about building relationships and ensuring a positive experience for every candidate.
Leadership
Mistaking Charismatic Laborers for True Leaders
Charismatic laborers may save the day, but true leaders build a future. Sustainable progress thrives not on heroics, but on empowering teams and creating lasting systems.
Managing People
What Does it Mean to be a Manager in Agile?
A framework I created to explain how managers still have a huge role to play in coaching Agile teams' performance
Leadership
Leadership and Manure
Just as a successful garden requires preparation and the right conditions to thrive, true leadership is about cultivating an environment where innovation and growth can flourish.
Communication
The Problem with the Telephone Game
Cascading communication is like a flawed game of telephone: everybody hears a message, but did they hear the right message?
Self-Management
Putting Down the Whack-A-Mole Mallet
Great leaders don’t just react to exceptions—they redesign systems to prevent them. Progress comes from refining workflows, not just playing whack-a-mole with disruptions.
Leadership
Acknowledging Power Distance
Authentic leadership isn’t just about being genuine—it’s about being humane. Leaders must balance their authority with empathy, bridging the gap between their humanity and the power they hold.
