The Hard Parts of Growth

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Panels and fireside chats have become my favorite kind of public speaking — they require so little prep! — and moderating can be even more fun than…
Ami Vora
A few years ago, I was talking with a colleague about a high-profile project at work. I said offhand, “That project looks so exciting — I wish I could…
Ami Vora
4

February 2023

Earlier in my career, it felt like there was a well-trodden path for what career growth looked like. For instance, as a PM, first I was responsible for…
Ami Vora
10

January 2023

When I was first promoted to VP, my manager gave me their standard tongue-in-cheek promotion speech: “Congratulations! Also, my condolences. You’ll be…
Ami Vora
3
In 2007, I joined Facebook as a temp. I wasn't tied to a role; I just wanted to work on something that mattered. Over 15 years, I followed interesting…
Ami Vora
10
In a performance review several years ago, my manager sat me down, took a deep breath, and gave it to me straight: “You’ve got to be friendlier. It…
Ami Vora
14

December 2022

As someone who recently started a new job, I have to learn how to make decisions in a brand new space. It’s tempting to jump into decision-making right…
Ami Vora
7

November 2022

For a long time, I got feedback that I was “too aggressive” in how I communicated — too much, too fast, too bold. (How many women have gotten similar…
Ami Vora
3

October 2022

When I first started having skip-level 1:1s with my manager’s manager, I always found them a little scary. What could I possibly tell them that would be…
Ami Vora
6
When I see a feature doing well, it’s tempting to feel an instinctive desire to copy and paste that feature onto whatever I’m working on. After all…
Ami Vora
2

September 2022

When I first joined WhatsApp as head of product, I was terrified. I had a once-in-a-career opportunity — to work on a product I loved and learn from a…
Ami Vora
9
“You need to tell me something I’m doing well!” I said to my close colleague a few years ago. “I’ve only heard about what’s not working lately. I need…
Ami Vora
2
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