Archive - The Hard Parts of Growth

Making progress on controversial problems

Have you ever been pulled into a controversial strategy or team problem — one where every person involved has an opinion, no one agrees, and no one has…

Jun 4 •

April 2025

Owning my wins means learning to own my failures

“I wouldn’t do it.

Apr 30 •

Use leadership reviews to get principles, not (just) answers

How many times have you been in a brainstorm or jam session and heard someone say “Let’s take this idea to a leadership review!

Apr 2 •

March 2025

The 3 biggest mistakes leaders make when hiring their first PMs

One of the most common questions I get asked by founders is: "What should I look for in my first PM?"

Mar 19 •

The “red pen” trick to improving my writing

I once had a manager who reviewed my work in an unusual (and honestly kind of frustrating!) way.

Mar 5 •

February 2025

An introvert’s 3 secrets to networking

I hate networking.

Feb 19 •

Unlocking simplicity: Customer empathy as a (not-so-secret) weapon

My last couple posts have been about how simplicity in strategy and design is a competitive edge.

Feb 5 •

January 2025

Simplify your product design — borrow familiar patterns

Last week’s post was about how simplicity is a competitive advantage when the world feels so complicated.

Jan 30 •

Simplifying your product strategy is a competitive advantage

One of my most important lessons from years of working on WhatsApp is that simplicity isn’t just a design choice — it’s a competitive advantage.

Jan 22 •

October 2024

Seeing Yourself through Others’ Eyes (guest post by Deb Liu)

How to view yourself the way your advocates do

Oct 30, 2024 •

How to stop getting interrupted (aka, turn the worst offenders into the best defenders)

“I have an idea here,” I said. “If we choose 5 of our largest customers to pilot a new program with—”

Oct 9, 2024 •

September 2024

5 tips to plan my career like I plan my product

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard for career growth is “Build your career like you would your product.” We’ve built up all these skills when…

Sep 25, 2024 •

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