The best thing studying computer science gave me, The Three-Body Problem, and am I right? — Hello readers! This week’s tidbits: The loudest way to lead The best thing studying computer science gave me The Three-Body Problem Am I right? From the Archives: How to Make Things High-Quality For paid subscribers: Subscriber mailbag: What do you think the creative process will look like for designers leveraging…

Dear Readers, This week’s tidbits: Reader empathy WEIRD people The desire to be right From the Archives: The Curse of Perfect For paid subscribers: Subscriber mailbag: What does a healthy cross-functional team look like? I don’t want to win Kissing my baby The root of ambition Paying for a subscription…

Prioritize until it hurts, and how design will change — Dear Readers, This week’s tidbits: Prioritize until it hurts Design for Small Stresses Freedom Designing in an AI World From the Archives: The Ladder of Ownership For subscribers: Subscriber mailbag: Cultivating a sponsor further up in the org The Paradox of Sleep (and other anxieties) Listening to myself talk What…

Dear Readers, This week’s tidbits: The 2 Flavors of Motivation Why It’s Hard to Diagnose Ineffective Executives Quickly Why There is No Absolute Truth If you don’t have a job right now From the Archives: the Meta-Conversation For subscribers: Subscriber mailbag: How to advance in a company where your managers…

Tidbits from the past week — Dear Readers, This is what I hope will be a weekly collection of bite-sized ideas and Q&A from my daily journal. Some of the rawer ones are gated to paid subscribers (thank you for the support! …

Start-up lessons, the importance of self-honesty, raw journals, pitching products. — Dear Readers, I hope your entry into the new year was just what you intended — whether reflective, relaxed, jubilant, or simply relieved. My 2022 was full of growth. What does that mean? A few visits to the Pit. A few summits to the peak. A whole lot of learning. …

How we err, and how we must learn. — Dear readers, It is truly impressive how quickly the worlds’ sands shift nowadays. I mean, November must be a record in tech drama! Since the last letter, we saw FTX crash and burn, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake, more mass layoffs, and Elon rocking the boat hard…

A few weeks ago in our Manifesto for the Data Informed, one of the five beliefs presented was Company-wide familiarity with metrics rather than outsourcing to ‘data people.’ Immediately, we were pummeled with questions: Does this really matter? Is this a realistic expectation? How can an organization achieve this? So…

A famous Indian parable describes five blind men encountering an elephant for the first time. They each decide to touch the elephant to understand what the animal is like. “An elephant is smooth and hard, like bone,” says the man who grasped its tusk “Nonsense, an elephant is soft like…