From Chaos to Clarity

The exec team was drifting, priorities misaligned, goals scattered. With OKRs, we trimmed 50 key results to 15, forcing clarity on what mattered most. The tough trade-off conversations exposed clashing perspectives but created alignment. Had to be done.

Fast Fades, Purpose Wins

In product management, it’s tempting to move fast and break things. Sometimes, that works.

But moving with purpose works better. It means focusing on what matters, making smart choices, and building something valuable. Speed without direction leads to wasted effort. Purposeful action builds progress that lasts.

Fast fades. Purpose wins.

Care is in the Challenge

Trust grows when care takes the form of action.

Teams don’t excel in comfort; they grow through accountability. A challenge, a nudge or a push is a signal of shared commitment. Speaking up shows someone values the team enough to stay invested and engaged.

Without trust, feedback sounds like conflict. With trust, it becomes progress.

The Feedback Fix

Our behaviours shape how others perceive us.

Some things we do, we want that to be part of who we are.

Some other actions remain hidden to us until someone tells us about them.

If you notice something inappropriate, a direct and genuine conversation is the best approach.

Try the Situation-Behaviour-Impact framework. It makes these conversations easier and less awkward.

Agility Without Strategy Is Just Noise

The word "agility" has lost its meaning.

The word itself went on a journey from being cool to becoming a buzzword. Teams seem to avoid using the word "agile" because it's no longer considered cool.

The reason for this is that quite often, agility is used as a way to mimic strategy.

It becomes a way to justify changes in direction - simply because you're agile.

The underlying problem, however, is the lack of strategy driving that movement.

Strategy is like a map. With broad strokes, you can outline your obstacles - the mountains, so to speak - that you need to navigate to reach your destination, your vision.

Interestingly, anything close by might appear foggy. You can’t see it clearly but you can see the destination.

Sometimes, as you move forward, you encounter obstacles you didn’t foresee, things that were hidden. It could be something small, like a lake. So you pause, check out the lake and consider the best way to handle it.

That’s your agility - helping you navigate these small obstacles and unforeseen challenges without losing sight of the destination.

Is Agile dead?

The word might be dead but businesses that succeed combine an explicit strategy with a willingness to adapt. These businesses will move much faster than those relying solely on strategy or agility. You need both to succeed.

Clearing Space with No

Saying no is a leadership skill.

It’s not about rejecting ideas, it’s about protecting focus. When everything feels important, nothing is. Saying no clears space for what truly matters—what drives impact, not just activity.

Yes, it will sting. People will take it personally. But prioritisation isn’t about popularity; it’s about progress.

Every “no” to distractions is a “yes” to momentum.

Safe to Ask

Asking for help drives progress.

The strongest teams thrive on trust, communication and self-awareness. Silence in struggle delays outcomes and keeps answers out of reach.

Great leaders create environments where asking for help feels safe. Confident individuals know when to lead, when to listen and when to ask.

If you visit Japan, don’t expect to find almond milk for your coffee or rubbish bins on every corner. But what you will find are plenty of adorable logos and cute instructions.

Confusion Kills Strategy

A strategy document should guide, not confuse.

The purpose of strategy is to align and direct an organisation toward shared goals. When it's overly complicated, it fails its primary mission. Strategy should be simple, clear and actionable.

As a product manager, your role is to create alignment. Work with your team and stakeholders to ensure clarity. If the strategy you're handed is unclear, don't sit with confusion. Simplify it.

Leading Without a Crowd

A leader’s journey starts alone.

Leadership needs the courage to push boundaries and challenge norms. It feels great and is fulfilling and, at the same time, isolating.

When driving change, the slow pace of buy-in or lack of immediate support can feel like standing alone. But that solitude is a marker of progress. This is how it should feel at first.

That's when you need patience. You are just creating space for others to join when they are ready. They just need time to process.

Feeling lonely as a leader isn’t failure. Every great idea starts with someone bold enough to stand alone until others see the path forward.

Alignment Starts with You

Clarity is a PM’s superpower. Early in a career, speed feels like the ultimate skill. Later, strategy seems like the key. Over time, it becomes clear - strong communication makes the difference.

Brilliant strategies crumble without understanding. Clear communication creates alignment. Alignment builds trust. A team that trusts your judgement will follow your lead, and leadership confident in your clarity will give you room to excel.

Great PMs don’t just build products. They build trust by making the complex simple and the ambiguous clear.

Weird Works Wonders

Hesitating to share a weird idea kills creativity. Fear of judgement silences potential brilliance.

Most unconventional ideas won’t work. But the rare one that does can change everything. What seems absurd in one moment might solve a problem in another. Creativity thrives on the unexpected and bold ideas are the spark for breakthroughs.

By embracing the bizarre, teams unlock new possibilities. Instead of dismissing “stupid” ideas, explore them. Confidence to share fuels progress and every idea becomes a seed for innovation.

Tell me you got sick without telling me you got sick...

A successful product balances execution and vision. As Melissa Perri highlights, it’s not just about delivering but steering in the right direction. Markets shift. Challenges arise. Opportunities emerge. Pivoting with purpose defines lasting success.

A good company strategy should be made up of two parts: the operational framework, or how to keep the day-to-day activities of a company moving; and the strategic framework, or how the company realizes the vision through product and service development in the market.

Push the Limits

Bold ideas unlock progress.

When crafting new products or features, it's easy to focus on safe, incremental improvements. These solutions feel achievable and practical but they rarely break new ground.

Adding a bold concept into the mix forces the team to think beyond limitations. Even if the daring idea doesn’t make it to launch, it creates a spark. It pushes boundaries, reshapes how problems are viewed and reveals opportunities overlooked in safer designs.

A bold solution isn’t just a backup plan. It’s a catalyst for better work.

Osaka at night feels alive. The big glowing Running Man sign in Dotonbori lights up the busy streets. Food stalls fill the air with yummy smells.

Step Back to Lead

Good managers know when to step back.

Intervening too often stifles creativity, ownership and morale. Teams thrive when leaders provide clear direction, trust their abilities and give them space to execute. Micromanagement creates bottlenecks, while autonomy pushes innovation and accountability.

The best work happens when leaders empower, not overshadow.

Visited Osaka Castle. The castle has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times due to wars, lightning strikes and natural disasters. The current structure dates back to 1931.

A short post about trust between a founder and their first Head of Product: Scaling with a Head of Product.

Scaling with a Head of Product

Trust between a founder and their first Head of Product defines whether a startup scales or stalls.

Founders often start as the Head of Product, driving vision, roadmaps and hiring. But as a company grows, splitting attention across fundraising, culture, operations and strategy leaves product leadership exposed. Bringing in a Head of Product isn’t just inevitable—it’s essential. The challenge is doing it without breaking the momentum or diluting the founder’s vision.

Alignment is the foundation. A great Head of Product doesn’t just execute—they embody and challenge the founder’s instincts, building scalable systems around them.