Published inBuilding Winning Products·Feb 11, 2021Now What?Inspired by Viktor Frankl and the Stoics Photo by Paolo Bendandi on Unsplash We like to think we are in control of our own destiny. But we are not. Life happens. …3 min read3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·Feb 9, 2021People Do Judge a Book By Its CoverInspired by Mike Markkula Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash The iPhone is as much art as it is technology. Even the packaging is a joy to use. How did Apple learn to value aesthetics? We are told it was the maniacal focus of the late Steve Jobs, and it…3 min read3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·Feb 6, 2021Go and SeeInspired by Taiichi Ohno — Photo by Stephen Dawson on Unsplash Every business teeters on oblivion. Survival is not assured by virtue of incorporation. Early in an organization’s life, this instability permeates everything — uncertainty is the norm. …2 min read2 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·Jan 28, 2021Obviously Wrong, Might Be Right.Inspired by Paul Graham Photo by Oliver Schwendener on Unsplash Innovation will always be fought. It a cliche, but it’s also true; if you don’t have haters you’re likely not doing much interesting. “If you discover something new, there’s a significant chance you’ll be accused of some form of heresy.”…2 min read2 min read
Jan 21, 2021Be Pulled Into ComplexityPhoto by Steve Johnson on Unsplash Big ideas are exciting — they motivate people. It’s why it’s can be easier to build an ambitious company than a modest one. But once the real work of building begins, we have to constrain ourselves. …3 min read3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·Jan 14, 2021Who + How = ❤️Inspired by Jared Spool and Kim Goodwin Photo by Magdiel Damas on Unsplash Focus diminishes peripheral vision. Our work draws us in — tipping headlong, end over end towards the object of our attention. For makers, it’s an occupational hazard. We’re captivated by what we’re creating — where it can…Design3 min readDesign3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·Jan 7, 2021Communicate MorePhoto by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw We know what we already know. This tautology is one of the major roadblocks to communication. We mistakenly think that since we understand something, everyone else…Communication3 min readCommunication3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·May 20, 2020Create MagicPhoto by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash Everyone in enterprise software talks about ‘Consumerization’. The idea is that the products we use at work are getting easier to use — more like the products we use in our everyday lives. …3 min read3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·May 13, 2020Plan for the PresentInspired by Joel Spolsky Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash Have you ever seen the foundation of a house being poured? A crew shows up for a day with a fleet of cement trucks parading by, one by one, filling framed out wooden squares with molten gray sludge. By the…3 min read3 min read
Published inBuilding Winning Products·May 12, 2020One Screen, One ThingInspired by Ryan Singer Photo by Mike Dorner on Unsplash The team was deep in presentation mode — sharing the new dashboard designs with our Product Leader. After 10 minutes of polite squirming, unable to contain himself, he exclaimed, “People don’t use dashboards!” …2 min read2 min read
