Ego is rust. So much value and potential are destroyed in its slow decay. Achievement rarely ages well, unless you keep sanding it down.

Across so many teams I’ve worked with, I’ve marveled at just how quickly an idea takes hold when someone proactively does the underlying work no one else clearly owned. There is rarely a scarcity of process or ideas but there is often a scarcity of people willing to work outside the lines. Those who take initiative to contribute when it wasn’t

On an interview for the Song Exploder podcast series, where artists unpack the creation of one of their songs, Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo described the creative process behind the song “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori,” for which he wrote the original draft of the lyrics and score. I was struck by the handoff he described, in which he let his

Take a dose of OBECALP and suspend your disbeliefs in yourself.

Everyone perceives you differently, so acknowledge the blind spot. In order to become aware of what you can’t see, attempt to determine how you’re coming across. For example, ask people, “If you were me right now, what would you be doing differently?” This question not only yields advice but also gives you a sense of how others view your position

While working with Steve, I learned about the 70/20/10 model for leadership development. The model suggests that when it comes to training leaders, only 10 percent happens in a classroom through formal instruction, 20 percent is all about feedback exchange and coaching, and a whopping 70 percent is experiential. Following this premise, some

I’d argue that more than 30 percent of your energy should be allocated to the first mile of your product—even when you’re well into your journey. It’s the very top of your funnel for new users, and it therefore needs to be one of the most thought-out parts of your product, not an afterthought.

A mock-up or prototype is worth countless meetings and debates. A mock-up turns the lights on.

The best advice doesn’t instruct—it provokes. The benefits of soliciting wisdom from others is indisputable, but the real value of advice comes from reconciling its contradictions.