Async creates space for sharper thinking.

So before booking your next meeting, try writing instead. Start with a proposal. Add context. Share trade-offs. Then pause. Let people digest, reflect and reply in their own time. The best ideas often come from the second draft, not the first reaction.

Paper Promises

Verbal yeses mean nothing.

People hide behind them because there's no receipt. No audit trail. No follow-up. Just vibes. Verbal commitments are slippery by design - they give the illusion of agreement without the weight of action. They make it easy to nod, avoid conflict, and walk away uncommitted.

Written words change the game. They lock the conversation in place. A two-line follow-up after a chat becomes a timestamp. A shared truth. A trigger for action. Because once it's written, it's real. There's a name. A date. A decision. Suddenly, that “yes” carries weight. Accountability kicks in.

That's why some avoid writing things down. It removes the wiggle room. It kills plausible deniability. But if you're serious about progress - write it. Even if it's rough. Especially if it's uncomfortable. Written words drive the work.

How to Get to Better Answers

How to get better answers from your peers.

Instead of asking your peers to weigh in on different options and the best solution, just give them a solution. Stake a claim. Make it visible. Then let them shoot holes in it.

Framing it as “Here's my current thinking, based on the information I have today” does two things. It keeps you from sounding arrogant. And it opens the door for others to improve it. Feedback gets sharper. Responses come faster. The conversation shifts from “What should we do?” to “What's wrong with this?”

That's how you get to better answers...faster.

P.S. Not for every situation - just the ones where speed matters and your peers already trust you.

From draft to finished

The point isn't to get it right. It's to get it moving. You shape, share, and sharpen through feedback. That's how the rough idea turns into something worth showing.
Start with a mess. End with a star.

Feedback That Builds

Feedback lands best when the walls are down.

But too often, it does the opposite. It raises shields. Because even when intentions are good, the words feel sharp. The tone feels off. And the brain - wired for survival, not nuance - reads threat where you meant support.

It doesn't matter how thoughtful or constructive the feedback is. If the other person is in defence mode, they won't hear a word of it. They'll hear judgment. They'll hear risk. They'll hear “you're not good enough.” That's why intention isn't enough. Clarity is what cuts through.

So be clear.

​Not in a vague, corporate tone. In plain language. “You're doing well. I want to help you do even better.” Or, “This is something I wish someone told me earlier in my career - I think it might help.” You're not correcting.

Feedback delivered too late becomes irrelevant or awkward. Deliver it while the moment's fresh and the actions are remembered. But always with context. Always with care.

Because the goal of feedback isn't to win an argument. It's to build someone up without them feeling torn down.

If you're trying to improve how feedback lands, a product management coach can help you practise framing it in a way that actually builds trust.

Frame it right, and feedback becomes a shield. Not a weapon.

The secret to a message that sticks

Success comes from repeating the right words, not just saying them once.

Write It Down Before Misalignment Costs You

Misalignment is one of the most common (and costly) issues in product development, project planning and team collaboration. Whether it's about the problem you're solving, the solution you're building or simply the language you're using, assumptions often go unnoticed until it's too late.

Who This Is For

• Product Managers, Product Designers, engineers and team leads who are struggling with unclear priorities or conflicting understandings.
• Anyone working in cross-functional teams who wants to reduce rework, missed expectations and confusion.

Common Questions This Addresses

• “Why does everyone think we agreed, but we all had different ideas?”
• “How can I surface misalignment before it causes delays?”
• “What's the fastest way to get everyone on the same page?”

Why Writing Down Your Thinking Matters

Practical Tip: Use User Story Mapping

• Capture what users are trying to achieve
• Break down features into meaningful slices
• Highlight disagreements early

How to Start

• Write it down. Even a rough sketch or bullet list is better than nothing.
• Invite collaboration. Ask others to review, question, and contribute.
• Don't assume agreement. Check for true understanding, not just nodding heads.

Framing is Everything

Recently I wrote about the most important skill for Product Managers.

Regardless of whether you are a Product Manager or not, the communication will help you with all aspects of your career. If you want to manage or be a leader, you have to be a good communicator. Specifically, you need to get better at framing.

What's your goal? Are you looking for feedback, sharing information, wanting to influence, asking for approval or something else entirely?

What are you sharing? Is it a problem? Maybe a solution? A vision? Or a mix?

How much detail are you planning to share? Is this a helicopter or detailed view? Or perhapse, both?

Who's your audience? Your team, the entire organisation or the executive group?

Your communication needs to be adjusted depending on the answers.

Early in your career, you use the same message no matter the context.

To grow, you need to get better at tailoring your message - what you say, how you say it and when to say it.

Blank meeting invites waste time

Don't leave your meeting description blank - it's a pain for everyone! Respect your team's time.

1. Start with the purpose - explain why the meeting exists and what the team needs to do.
2. If you're using FigJam, Zoom or anything else include it upfront so no one's scrambling.
3. Share pre-reading and start your meeting with 5–10 minutes of reading time.
4. Is this for brainstorming, updates or decision-making? Let everyone know what to expect.
5. If someone can't attend, let them know they can share their feedback later.

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.

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.

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.

Broken Isn’t Always Yours

If you've ever felt like something's off in your team...a process dragging, communication breaking down or decisions getting delayed but didn't say anything because “it's not your job to fix it,” you're not alone. This is where most teams get stuck. The problem is visible, even painful, but no one names it.
Not everything broken is yours to fix. But seeing the cracks (and calling them out) is your responsibility.
Silence protects dysfunction. If ... read more

SCQA Framework: Examples and How to Use It

The SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer) framework, also known as the Minto Pyramid Principle, is a communication and problem-solving tool that breaks down complex ideas into simpler, more manageable parts.
SCQA is often used in a business context where time is limited and decision-makers have to quickly grasp important information.
The SCQA format has four components:

Here are some of the benefits that you can enjoy by using th... read more

Building Trust with a Founder

First of all, make sure that you understand the founder's context, the things the founder cares about and worries about, and the overall vision.
One of the most important things is to get to the bottom of what the business goals are. In a startup, you'll typically have a short runway and run out of cash. Understanding that runway is super important because it defines how much time you've got, creates a constraint, and limits some options because... read more