What you and your biggest work adversary have in common; the magic incantation in times of conflict; and 5 steps for disagreeing effectively — Dear readers, For years and years, the greatest stress from my job came from conflict. Being in a heated argument felt like flipping on an emergency siren in my brain. I hated the feeling. Why did I hate it? The answer is layered in many mistaken beliefs and that pesky…

A long-form piece on some age-old misconceptions — So you want to write a book? Or you want to start a blog? Or your humble hope is simply to write better? If I got a nickel for every time someone told me with shining eyes about their writing dreams, I would be able to build a library vast…

The most important thing my manager ever told me; we vs. me mentality; the future of AI-powered user experiences — Hello readers! One of the things I get unreasonably excited about is drawing threads across different learnings. I get the same satisfaction out of it as introducing two good friends at a dinner party who you just KNOW will hit it off. Except in this case, it’s two ideas and…

Journeys before features; how to nurture fragile ideas; when to document; and absolutely unambiguous outcomes — Hello readers! Funny things can happen when you do something for long enough. Maybe you started your career in tech because the offer package showed some lovely numbers. Maybe your besties and seniors from college were migrating west in droves. Maybe frontier life seemed hot and exciting.

How to present information convincingly; 7 questions to improve clarity; and why the words count — Hello readers! When I was a kid high off of X-Men episodes, I’d play this game with myself all the time: What superpower would I choose, if I could choose? Flying seemed neat. But duh telekenesis was the smarter choice (it is a superset of flying, after all!) And don’t…

Hello readers! This week’s tidbits: Honesty The deepest truth Lies builders tell themselves From the Archives: Seven incredibly non-intuitive things about growing your career For paid subscribers: Subscriber Mailbag: Follow-up questions to Higher Level Design How do I know if I am truly honest with myself? The well goes deep …

A long-form post: what does it mean to achieve higher and higher levels of design? — I’ve gotten asked a few times what I thought of Brian Chesky’s talk on leading through uncertainty: a design-led company. So I’m shoving aside the regularly scheduled issue for a spicy take on Should we get just get rid of all those pms? Just kidding! This essay isn’t about that…

How to convince someone in <50 words; remember what you pushed for; freedom to decide is an illusion — Hello dear readers! Introducing the influence edition — tidbits on the beating heart of collaboration and the art of getting others to agree with you. How to convince someone in <50 words Remember what you pushed for Freedom to decide is an illusion From the archives: Advisor mindset versus solver…

3 mantras, your early-stage start-up is not a good fit, and my asian heart — Hello readers! This week’s tidbits: Love the problem Your early-stage start-up is probably not a good fit for someone who… A design + data person From the archives: On taste (part 1) For paid subscribers: Subscriber mailbag: What mantra(s) do you live by? Loving someone My asian heart It’s June…