A former product manager turned CEO describes how casual comments now move the entire organization, even when he's not an expert. He learned to actively seek candid feedback from his team instead of issuing directives, since employees rarely criticize a CEO directly.
Chapters
Yeah, one of the most shocking things about becoming a CEO after being a product manager, and I was a manager of other people as a product manager, is just the difference in how people treat you and perceive you when you're the CEO. You know, I'm used to as a product person, like, influencing without authority and convincing engineers and, you know, my boss that something was worth doing. And when I became a CEO, like, I would literally just, like, mumble something under my breath and then, like, the entire company changes to adjust to, like, what I thought was just, like, an idea I was throwing out there. And it's really crazy and also, like, not a great way to work because I'm not really that good at anything. And so like, I don't really want people following what I say. For the most part, like, it'll be wrong, especially if it's like design, because I think I'm good at design, but I'm not good at design. So what was important to me was like really changing the way I work and seeking feedback from people and really drawing it out of them. So instead of saying what I think at all, I just ask people what they think about things, realizing that, like, as soon as I say anything, people take it really seriously. And if it's something they disagree with, like, they could get really upset but still feel like they have to do it. So it's just a very different way of working when you're actually the boss. And it's important, I think, to really understand that and like make sure that You are drawing the feedback out of everyone else because they're not going to give it to you proactively in the same way that they felt comfortable, like, shitting on me before my entire career.
