Getting things done Part 4: Manage the emotions
This is the third of a four part series, in Part 1 I introduced the framework, Part 2 was about understanding the people and situation and Part 3 was about preparation. In the final...
Category: People
Getting things done Part 3: Prepare Yourself
This is the third of a four part series, in Part 1 we introduced the framework, Part 2 was about understanding the people and situation. Let’s say you have a great idea for a...
Getting things done Part 2: Accept the weird and irrational
If you think saying something smart is all you need to make your idea a reality, you will have a career filled with disappointment and frustration. You need help, money, permission and support and...
Getting things done Part 1: When you don’t have authority
I’ve spent my career trying to get things done or change things with no authority, no budget and no reports. Sometimes you have to make it work when all you have is charm, determination,...
My favorite posts of 2016
2016 was a big year for me. I was asked to lead and transform the Product Consulting team at 3Pillar. It’s been great to bring such a talented, adaptable and fun group of people...
When we meet in person, I may not look in your eyes
When I was seven, I passed out. Understandably my parents and doctors were concerned so they ran a battery of tests. Eventually I was diagnosed with ADHD because I didn’t make eye contact with the...
10 books to help you make your company and product better
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses Eric Ries It’s a must read at my company and we’re not alone. Lean Customer Development: Building Products Your Customers...
Pre-Mortems are great for kickoffs
The first few weeks of any product development effort are tricky. You are trying to figure out what you’re doing and how to work together. The expectations are always high and the timeline short....
Why domain expertise is dangerous in a product manager
Recently I was talking with a worried head of product management whose team is afraid to ask customers how they used the product because they didn’t want to be seen as not knowing the answers....
Teams and roles part 2: What the research says
Just about all the work we do and our clients do are in cross-functional teams. I see teams struggling with roles and ownership so I’ve been searching for answers in academic research. Roles are...
