Most senior product leaders are one promotion away from losing the passion that made them successful. In over 100 leadership coaching sessions, I’ve seen the same shift: more meetings, less making. Here’s how to break that cycle. When I was a first-time founder learning about venture capital, I dove into […]
Andrea Michalek
48 posts
Ever feel like you’re doing great work but still not getting noticed? You’re not alone, and the fix isn’t a new title. It’s something deeper. I once had a mentee who wanted a promotion and a bigger team. I asked why. What about his current role wasn’t satisfying? Was it […]
Most product leaders think their job is to have answers. It’s not. Your real job is to ask better questions: the kind that unlock ideas your team hasn’t thought of yet. You’ll hear some version of ‘test your ideas’ from entrepreneurs, scientists, and product leaders alike. It can come in […]
The most valuable asset I’ve built in my career? Not a product. Not IP. Not revenue. It’s a network of people who still want to work with me again. Years ago, I posted that I want to create an environment where I’d be proud to have my family come to […]
Why some teams ship game-changing features in six weeks while others stall for six months. I’ve been obsessing over a question lately: Why do some teams move impossibly fast while others grind through endless cycles? I’ve worked with teams at every stage: early startups, high-growth scaleups, and mature product orgs. […]
What you’ll learn in 5 minutes: How to move from managing tasks to multiplying talent through proven frameworks used by product leaders at high-growth companies. As a new leader, leadership felt like being strapped into a roller coaster that launched before I found my safety harness. One moment, I was […]
I’ve told the story of founding Plum Analytics many times, but I rarely mention what happened three weeks after I started the company: my father was diagnosed with cancer. We had started Plum Analytics based on what we thought our target customers wanted: better metrics for research evaluation. We began with […]
You don’t need more time, you need better rhythm. Your product team has all the necessary meetings, and yet you’re always scrambling. 1:1 meetings only happen when you can find the time. Strategic thinking gets pushed aside by urgent requests. You’re shipping, sure. But it feels chaotic and disconnected from […]
Picture this scene: And yet… You’re staring at your dashboard, wondering if any of this actually moved the needle on breakthrough impact. When I created a new category in scholarly metrics at Plum Analytics, we faced a measurement problem most product leaders never encounter: How do you track progress toward […]
Today, I’m giving you diagnostic tools to assess whether your current rhythms are actually working or secretly undermining your team’s effectiveness. Is Your Rhythm Working?5 Critical Questions Most teams think they have good rhythm because they have regular meetings. But having meetings and having effective rhythm are completely different things. […]
Imagine the scene: If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. As a leader, this is the battle that we all face. But can I be truthful here? The problem most likely lies with your approach. The easiest path is usually to: But simply working harder will not end this cycle, […]
When I look back on the most pivotal moments of my career, there’s one thing that stands out above all else: the relationships I’ve built. It wasn’t my education, technical skills, or just being in the right place at the right time. It’s the people I’ve connected with. It’s the […]