Anyone can write a vision statement but the hard part is making it the reason someone turns down a better offer somewhere else.

I definitely think twice about it when I'm coming up with a file name.

As the cost of writing code trends toward zero, the backlog explodes. Every feature becomes rent you have to pay.

After more than 10 years of building online products as a product person, here's what I've learned:

Everyone is making guesses. The CEO is making guesses about the vision and strategy. Salespeople are guessing what people want. Investors are making guesses about scale. You guess how big an impact it will have and what should be built next.

TAM models, the ICE framework, roadmaps and discovery sprints all sound sophisticated, but they're still just a bet.

Your mentor doesn't know if your feature will improve retention. The 'expert' on LinkedIn can't tell you if your market is big enough. You don't know if this sprint will make customers behave differently.

The only way is to keep shipping and keep the build cost low.

The best way to get alignment is for someone to own the call, make the decision, and move everyone forward. It doesn't come from talking things through forever.

Long discussions feel safe. They even feel (mistakenly) like progress. But they slow everything down. Like a slow-mo scene from The Matrix. I hate it.

Clear decisions are risky and a bit scary. But they give your team the direction it needs.

Do this If you want faster and cleaner decisions:

• End every meeting with one line: “Here's what we're doing.”
• Give every decision a single owner. No committees.
• Set a deadline to review the outcome, not to keep debating.

Some organisations want innovation, but they don't want the risk. They need to show ROI before proceeding.

But that's the true cost of innovation - you don't know if it will result in anything. There's a chance, but it's low.

You can't test, learn, or grow without spending time/money. Without breaking things. Progress looks chaotic up close. And sometimes expensive.

Disagreement is proof you've hired thinkers, not AI bots. If everyone nods along, you've built a cult, not a team.

Debate, decide, act, and make a difference in the world.