I’m Max, a father of two, Product Director & Product Coach from Sydney. I write about leadership, product management and life.
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  1. Big ideas need action to become real.

    Break them into small, clear steps. Each win builds momentum and keeps you moving.

    Perfection doesn’t matter - progress does. Test, learn, improve, repeat.

    No one will remember your first crappy step but they will when you cross the finish line.

  2. Dec 28, 2024

    Cultivate and Cut

    Leadership thrives on creating fertile ground for growth. The right conditions allow potential to flourish, much like farming.

    Not every seed yields the harvest you expect. Some turn out to be weeds, others the wrong crop for the soil. Identifying and addressing those misfits is just as critical as nurturing the right ones. Leadership isn't just about cultivating—it’s about culling when necessary.

    Growth depends on balance. The wrong elements choke the good ones but thoughtful pruning strengthens the whole.

    Leadership is about nurturing growth and knowing when to prune for balance and strength.

  3. Dec 28, 2024

    The first workout after a 4-week break and being sick - definitely felt the drop in fitness but the goal today was just to push through the Hyrox stations at around 70% effort.

    Session Summary
    Total Time: 1h 2m
    Calories Burned: 730

    Workout Breakdown

    • 1km easy run
    • SkiErg: 500m
    • Sled Push: 180kg, 40m
    • Sled Pull: 140kg, 40m
    • Burpee Broad Jumps: 40m
    • Rowing: 500m
    • Farmer’s Carry: 20kg x 2, 100m
    • Lunges: 24kg, 20m
    • Wall Balls: 7kg x 20
    • 1km easy run

    Happy to have completed it - just building back step by step!

    Workout 28 Dec 2024

  4. Create, Don’t Wait for Ideas

    Great ideas are crafted, not found.

    They come from clear problems, real insights, diverse perspectives and bold inspiration. Ideation sessions — prep, sketch and develop. Turn this mix into better solutions and stronger buy-in.

    Prep sets the stage. Sketching sparks creativity. Development refines ideas into actionable next steps. Keep it sharp and ideas will shine.

  5. Dec 27, 2024

    We treated ourselves to a Christmas present— the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra! It should make keeping up with all the cat hair so much easier. 🎄✨

    Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

  6. Trim the Dead Weight

    Removing a feature signals a mistake. Few people feel comfortable admitting that.

    This hesitation keeps bad features alive. Teams cling to them, fearing the optics of walking back a decision. But doubling down on something that doesn't work costs more in the long run—time, energy and user trust. Recognising when something doesn’t fit and cutting it isn’t failure. It’s progress.

    Users notice when products improve. Removing what's broken clears space for what works.

  7. Dec 24, 2024

    Went for an "easy" 3km run today. After three weeks off—thanks to holidays, being sick, and enjoying way too many snacks in Japan—I’ve definitely lost some fitness. Oh, and I gained an extra 3kg of "holiday goodness."

    The first few runs and workouts after a break always feel tough, like you’ll never get back to where you were. But it’s just temporary. I love the grind. Step by step, you get better than the week before.

    Next up: UTA50 - an ultramarathon in the Blue Mountains this May. Time to focus on leg strength and hill training. Bring it on!

    Easy Run December 2024

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. Dec 21, 2024

    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.

  11. Dec 20, 2024

    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.

  12. Dec 19, 2024

    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.

  13. 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.

  14. Dec 18, 2024

    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.

  15. Dec 17, 2024

    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.

    Japan - no dog shit please

    Japan. Watch your fingers

    Japan. Delivery company

  16. Dec 17, 2024

    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.

  17. Dec 17, 2024

    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.

    Leadership is standing alone long enough for others to see the path forward

  18. Dec 15, 2024

    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.

  19. Dec 15, 2024

    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.

  20. Dec 14, 2024

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

    And I got sick in Japan

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