It’s January, and millions of people have made the same resolution: “Eat better.” By February, most will have […]
Your Resolution Isn’t the Problem. Your Measurement Is.
What Sam Altman Just Taught Us About OKRs
Yesterday, Sam Altman declared a “code red” at OpenAI. According to leaked memos, he’s pausing advertising experiments, AI […]
KPIs Are Your Dashboard. OKRs Are Your GPS to Somewhere New.
I got asked again last week: “What’s the difference between KPIs and OKRs?” The person asking was a […]
Sketching With AI: Why Physical Thinking Still Matters in the Age of Generated Everything
Last week, I watched a product designer spend 45 minutes crafting the perfect prompt for DALL-E. “Make it […]
The Counterintuitive Hiring Strategy for the AI Era: Getting Maximum ROI from Minimal Headcount
Let’s be honest about where we are. Hiring freezes everywhere. Headcount reductions masquerading as “AI optimization.” An administration […]
Prototypes, Turf Wars, and Vibe Coding: Who Does What Now?
Designers and PMs have always stepped on each other’s toes, especially when it’s a user-centered PM and a […]
The Recovery OKR: Goals for Healing After Burnout
We usually think of OKRs as tools for growth: ambitious, aspirational, designed to push us beyond what we […]
What I’ve Learned from 15 Years of Doing OKRs
Fifteen years ago, I began experimenting with OKRs, starting at Zynga and then as I worked with startups […]
Metrics Are Easy—Impact Is Hard
Metrics are the corporate world’s comfort blanket: soft, familiar, and dangerously good at lulling us to sleep. We […]
Default Mode Is a Decision—Just Not Yours
You ever look up from your desk, your inbox, your endless errands, and think—“Wait, how did I end […]
Why Use Personal OKRs
Back in 2012, I stumbled onto Objectives and Key Results not as a corporate mandate, but as a […]
How to Use GenAI with OKRs (Without Letting It Think for You)
There’s a dangerous temptation with AI right now: outsourcing your thinking. Don’t. Your brain is still your most […]
When (and When Not) to Use AI in Digital Product Development
In Co-Intelligence, Ethan Mollick points out that we often turn to AI for a first draft to escape […]
From Jobs to Careers to a Calling
There was a time when I thought I’d be a painter. I went to art school, spent hours […]
Manage your Life Like You Manage a Product: Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exit—and Reflect
“Life doesn’t follow a straight path” is a cliché, but as my mama always says, “They’re called truisms […]
Decoupling OKRs: It’s Time to Let Go
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are supposed to make everything faster, clearer, and more focused. And when you’re […]
Building a Strategy: Answering the Five Essential Questions
When it comes to building a successful strategy, start with clarity around your mission and vision. Your mission […]
The Importance of Giving Feedback Early: Don’t Let Resentment Fester
Giving feedback can be uncomfortable. But holding back and letting small frustrations simmer is far worse. When we […]
Getting Started with Outcome Thinking
One of the biggest challenges people face when adopting OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is shifting from output […]
Switcheroo for Practicing Difficult Conversations
A great role-playing exercise for practicing difficult conversations is The Switcheroo, which helps participants step into different perspectives […]
Why We Struggle to Get Things Done: Common Pitfalls
We all have things we want to achieve—whether it’s personal goals like getting fit or professional milestones like […]
Building a Product Management Class
When I set out to create a course on product management three years ago, I knew it would […]
Five Effective Ways to Quiet a Room After a Workshop Exercise
Getting a room of workshop participants or students to settle down after a lively exercise can be tricky. […]
The Easiest Way to Start Working with OKRs
If you’ve ever found yourself knee-deep in a project and wondering, “What the hell are we really trying […]
What You Want isn’t Always What You Want
I was sitting on a patio with two of my dearest friends, polishing off a second bottle of […]
The Product Journey and the Product Portfolio
A product’s journey from inception to decline involves several distinct phases. Understanding these phases is crucial for anyone […]
Fast Ways to Estimate Capacity
Estimating the capacity of your organization or team quickly is crucial for setting realistic goals and effectively planning […]
Understanding Organizational Capacity: Why It Matters in OKR Practice
Setting goals is crucial for any organization, and one effective method for doing this is through OKRs (Objectives […]
Building an Instinct for Metrics
In any organization, informed decision-making relies heavily on the use of analytics. Analytics is the systematic analysis of […]
Why We Struggle to Prioritize
Why We Struggle to Prioritize: Insights from My Work Prioritization is one of the most challenging tasks we […]