Dear son, As you embark on your career and join the workforce, allow me to offer you some advice. First, remember the secular values you were brought up on: think for yourself, question everything, don’t follow the herd, be true to your core morals, believe only in the disprovable, don’t follow false idols, respect others, …
Now more than ever, corporate employees know that every email they send, every document they write – and in many cases – every word they utter is likely being recorded and can be traced back and used against them down the road. This comes on top of their fear of being criticized, yelled at, shamed, …
Agile methodologies have been trending up and down (but mostly up) in the last two decades. Agile is no longer for software development only; creative teams “go agile” in businesses ranging from graphic design to semiconductor engineering. I had the opportunity to implement agile processes in various settings and learned that it works well if …
Famous business people like to go on record describing a killer interview question they always use. I have my own question, and I can humbly claim that it’s better than any other I’ve seen so far. The question is very simple: “What would you like to do when you grow up?” Before you keep reading, …
Unless you’re at the very edge of the bell curve, you must have had a chance to work with people who are smarter than you. Chances are, some of them were a tad difficult to work with. It’s easier to deal with a fool who overreacts and blows things out of proportion than with a …
Experienced product managers share several key skills like being good listeners and understanding technical concepts. On top of these, they must shine at specific “vocations”. In the course of a typical day they may practice any number of these. As the years go by they either become competent at all of them or pursue a different career. Technician: In a perfect world …
Nine Professions that Product Managers Would Excel in Read More »
Fear is real. It may instinctively paralyze you or prompt you to fight or run away. In some situations, none of these reactions will get you very far. Being an executive involves making decisions that are not for the faint of heart. I’m constantly evaluating competitive threats, technological challenges and partnership risks. Some of the …
Two qualities matter most when hiring product managers: smart persistence and attention to detail. Everything else is secondary: experience, education, and technical aptitude. Finding out if a candidate is persistent (but not annoyingly stubborn) and fanatically detail-oriented is not trivial in an interview setting. After trying out different approaches I zeroed in on a series …
These are rules to live by for people who aspire for more at work. They may sound pessimistic but I’d rather call them realistic. Focus on what matters Distance yourself from anything that is not part of the core value creation process. Make meaningful things happen. Don’t waste your time and your company’s. Don’t waste your resources and your …