1️⃣ You can't preach focus while having a calendar that blocks every pixel of daylight.
You're the role model. Act like it. 👀
2️⃣ What you work on matters more than how hard you work.
Hard work is likely to cause burnout. Find the high-leverage options and focus on them, one at a time. 🎯
3️⃣ Your CEO didn't hire you to fix the entire company.
Focus first on what you were hired to do. Demonstrate your effectiveness. Then, your leaders might listen to your broader ideas. 🤸🏻
4️⃣ You won't understand the problems after two weeks.
That doesn't mean you can't be helpful, but overconfidence is damaging. Talk to your team and understand their context first. 🌀
5️⃣ Just because you see an issue doesn't mean others want your help fixing it.
Avoid unsolicited advice. Offer help first, and wait for a yes. Stop inflicting help 🚫
6️⃣ A practical approach beats dogma. Every. Single. Day.
Enter a religious war, and you've already lost. Focus on the doing, not the theory.
7️⃣ Making suggestions before you establish trust is a recipe for disaster.
Without trust, you can't initiate or influence. 🧲 Folks will be skeptical of your motives. First support their goals.
8️⃣ Things you learn in a course or book will cause confirmation bias.
Be careful of thinking you've found the truth every time you experience something new. 🤞🏼People will get tired of your shiny toy syndrome.
9️⃣ Sometimes, the best idea must be ignored.
Perfection gets in the way of getting things done — go where there's agreement and keep the momentum ✅.
Don't get distracted looking for silver bullets.
🔟 Regardless of how hard you work, things will never be perfect.
That's the nature of product development 🚧. Learn to embrace it, or you'll feel constantly demotivated.
🎤 What would you add?
🎤 Which is your favorite?
PS. While I mention Agilists specifically, I think this applies regardless of your role.
