Drawer 14 · 395 notes · 75 people · 2005–2026

Communication & influence

Writing, storytelling, stakeholder management, and influence

Q:
Answers from Communication & influence notes, cited
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 384

How to become a supermanager with AI

Nov 19, 2024 · 17 min
Subscriber post — summary only

Hilary Gridley, a WHOOP product director, argues that AI can help managers become "supermanagers" by scaling their coaching and feedback. She shares five practical strategies, from building custom GPTs that replicate…

SVPG · Marty CaganApr 22, 2019

Coaching Tools – The Plan

Apr 22, 2019 · 15 min

Marty Cagan continues his coaching series by describing how managers can help product managers close specific skill gaps identified in an earlier assessment. He covers product knowledge (users, data, industry, business…

SVPG · Marty CaganJan 7, 2009

Getting Past The Gatekeepers

Jan 7, 2009 · 3 min

Marty Cagan argues that the most important thing a product manager can do is get ideas in front of real target users, since that is where real learning happens. He addresses two kinds of gatekeepers who try to stand in…

SVPG · Marty CaganJan 30, 2011

Consensus vs. Collaboration

Jan 30, 2011 · 4 min

Marty Cagan argues that many product companies pride themselves on a 'consensus culture', but in practice this breeds frustration, slowness, risk-aversion and unimpressive products. The root problem, he says, is…

SVPG · Marty CaganOct 31, 2007

Product Management vs. Engineering

Oct 31, 2007 · 3 min

Cagan argues that a great product comes from pairing a real customer need with a solution that has just become technically possible, which makes the product manager and engineer relationship critical. He frames the two…

SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 28, 2011

Why Traditional Messaging Fails

Feb 28, 2011 · 4 min

Cagan argues that the old model of carefully controlled, consistent product messaging no longer works, because most people first hear about a product from others outside the company's control. Messaging must now engage…

Lenny’s Podcast119 min

Hot takes and techno-optimism from tech’s top power couple

Sriram and Aarthi · Mar 12, 2023
Key learnings
  • Meet peers across your org for coffee with no agenda, asking about their work and who else to meet; two coffees a week compounds…
  • Follow up after good first meetings and check in every six months or so; most people never follow through, which wastes the…
  • Put your work out publicly (threads, posts, talks, GitHub, video); it acts as a signal that attracts serendipitous opportunities…
SVPG · Marty CaganMay 11, 2010

An Open Letter To The Design Community

May 11, 2010 · 8 min

Marty Cagan, a consultant who works mainly with CEOs and product leaders, writes an open letter to designers about common mistakes that undermine their impact on products. He argues that designers should be involved…

SVPG · Marty CaganDec 11, 2014

Shared Learning

Dec 11, 2014

Marty Cagan argues that a common and avoidable form of waste in product teams is when one member, often a user researcher, learns something important about customers but the rest of the team doesn't absorb it. Findings…

SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 9, 2010

Knocking Down Walls

Feb 9, 2010

Marty Cagan argues that as startups grow and split into functional groups, walls form between product, technology, marketing and design, with product-technology being the most damaging. Teams loyal to their function…

Lenny’s Podcast88 min

Leveraging mentors to uplevel your career

Jules Walter · Jan 5, 2023
Key learnings
  • Build skills one at a time, dedicating a few months to each with weekly practice tied to a concrete outcome rather than just…
  • Create a forcing-function outcome when learning something new, then work backwards to the questions you need answered and seek…
  • Practice interviewing with dozens of mock interviews, ideally with people skilled at interviewing, since interviewers rarely give…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 252

On saying no

May 21, 2024 · 13 min
Subscriber post — summary only

Lenny Rachitsky shares how he learned to say no to the constant flow of requests as a solopreneur, arguing that protecting focus on the few things that made you successful is essential. He offers a decision framework…

Lenny’s Podcast132 min

How to get press for your product

Jason Feifer · Oct 12, 2023
Key learnings
  • Before pursuing press, define what you need it for, such as awareness, investor credibility, or a new customer segment, the same…
  • Choose outlets whose readers can actually buy or use your product; a local business gains little from a national outlet, so…
  • Study how a publication covers your category and competitors, then identify the specific writer or editor, since the…
Lenny’s Podcast155 min

How to build a team that can “take a punch”: A playbook for building resilient, high-performing teams

Hilary Gridley · Jun 15, 2025
Key learnings
  • When you feel criticized, skip litigating what others think and instead take one small action that demonstrates the opposite of…
  • Use behavioral activation: act first on a small, concrete step, since action tends to lift mood and break negative spirals rather…
  • Speak up in meetings with valuable input; fear of saying the wrong thing is the main blocker, and building the skill to take a…
SVPG · Marty CaganSep 3, 2024

Coaching Feedback

Sep 3, 2024 · 4 min

The article introduces a two-way feedback model that the author credits with changing how she coaches people. It argues that one-way "radical candor" style criticism can demotivate, so feedback should give both parties…

Lenny’s Podcast85 min

The surprising truth about what closes deals: Insights from 2.5m sales conversations

Matt Dixon · May 30, 2024
Key learnings
  • Most lost qualified deals end in 'no decision' rather than to competitors, so diagnosing indecision is a core sales skill.
  • Customers fear being blamed for a bad choice (messing up) more than missing out, so pushing FOMO late in a deal often backfires.
  • Before pushing, judge the buyer's level of indecision using 'pings' that surface whether the hesitation is about choice overload…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 26

Autonomy vs. direction - Issue 35

Jul 21, 2020 · 9 min
Subscriber post — summary only

Lenny Rachitsky addresses the tension managers face between incorporating team input and making firm decisions themselves. He argues that managers must often overrule their teams, and offers five strategies to balance…

Product Talk · Teresa TorresApr 7, 2014

The Challenges of Releasing Early and Often

Apr 7, 2014 · 5 min

Teresa Torres recounts a poorly timed home-page redesign that disrupted a live sales demo, and uses it to examine the tension between continuous deployment and the disruption frequent product change causes. She argues…