One or two development areas, not a laundry list
More than two development areas makes it very hard to make meaningful progress on any of them. Specificity and constraint force clarity about what actually matters most for the next level.
The Power of Performance Reviews: Use This System to Become a Better Manager 🤝
Jul 2019
More than two development areas makes it very hard to make meaningful progress on any of them. Specificity and constraint force clarity about what actually matters most for the next level.
Related
Ideas from across Lenny's archive that connect to this one
What Seven Years at Airbnb Taught Me About Building a Business
Jun 2019Simple projects with vague problem statements circle for weeks; complex projects with strong problem statements sail smoothly. Crystallizing the problem you're solving is the single most important step before solving anything. Misalignment on the problem is invisible waste.
A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019Nothing helps reduce scope creep more than repeatedly coming back to the problem statement and success metrics. As projects grow in complexity, teams naturally drift from the original intent. The antidote is a simple habit: review the problem statement in every design review, every stakeholder update, and before finalizing any work.
This Week #2: Tackling the chicken-and-egg problem, building a growth team from scratch, and addressing overlap with PM peers 🤔
Sep 2019Don't wait for all details to be worked out before making organizational changes—this can take months or years. Identify the biggest issues, align on a few key improvements, and implement them while continuing to refine.
This Week #1: Must reads on growth, what PMs should focus on when joining a new team, and the value of an MBA
Sep 2019Before developing strategy, ensure everyone knows what they should be doing, unnecessary meetings are eliminated, blockers are addressed quickly, and deadlines are clear. You can't build a compelling vision on top of a chaotic foundation.
Gokul Rajaram on designing your product development process, when and how to hire your first PM, a playbook for hiring leaders, getting ahead in you career, how to get started angel investing, more
Jun 2022The biggest pitfall is founders becoming too tactical and dictating features instead of presenting problems. Present the goal—'increase weekly usage from 2x to 5x'—and let the team brainstorm solutions. This creates ownership and prevents the feature factory trap.
Import your highlights, and we'll find the connections you've been missing.