Julie Zhuo on accelerating your career, impostor syndrome, writing, building product sense, using intuition vs. data, hiring designers, and moving into management
with Julie Zhuo · Jun 2022
You can know the theory of good management and still struggle to apply it consistently because it's counterintuitive and context-dependent. Being an expert means knowing the theory but also being honest about how hard it is to execute, and continuing to learn how to tailor it to each unique person or situation.
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Julie Zhuo on accelerating your career, impostor syndrome, writing, building product sense, using intuition vs. data, hiring designers, and moving into management
Jun 2022As a manager, Julie developed her ability to critique design but stopped practicing design herself, so her ability to actually make things atrophied. Leadership and IC skills require different practice; you can't assume one sustains the other. Returning to hands-on work revealed gaps she didn't know she had.
This Week #1: Must reads on growth, what PMs should focus on when joining a new team, and the value of an MBA
Sep 2019Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by frameworks and best practices. The folks you're reading have learned a few things by going through the same process you're about to go through. You'll learn most by doing—take a few ideas at a time, discuss them with your team, and try them out in the real world.
This Week #0: Advice on growth, product, and leadership
Sep 2019Your performance will be judged based on how it compared to your manager's expectations, not against an absolute standard. Set realistic expectations upfront, then exceed them—this is more powerful than doing great work against unknown benchmarks.
How to get into product management
Jun 2019A PM who is good at nothing else but execution is valuable to a team, while a team with a PM that can't execute is better off without that PM. Shipping beats strategy when forced to choose.
Jackie Bavaro on getting better at product strategy, what exactly is strategy, PM pitfalls to avoid, advancing your career, getting into management, and much more
Jun 2022Being a manager fundamentally changes relationships with your team—they treat you differently at social events, you carry secrets you can't share, and you're torn between what's best for individuals and what's best for the company. It's a real downside worth acknowledging before assuming management is the natural next step.
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