This essay hits the mark: https://lnkd.in/gaf-uDw6 It's easy for me personally to get stuck attempting to figure out the optimal solution for a given problem. The concept of managing/minimizing complexity is an excellent way to organize the decision process. A lot of potential "optimizations" can actually increase complexity to the point that the long-term costs of managing the complexity outweigh the gains from the optimization. Example applications could be a new convention within a codebase or changes to infrastructure. It could even apply to a new process that's completely offline. Is the new concept adding or reducing complexity? If we have to implement a new concept while simultaneously maintaining an old concept, does that add or remove complexity? Does the improvement justify the complexity? Is the complexity necessary? Furthermore, the concept of engineers & product leaders ultimately being responsible for critically examining and questioning business requirements that may lead to unnecessary complexity is core to how we function as a product & engineering organization. The more effective we are at managing complexity, the more we are able to spend time creating instead of maintaining.

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"Jeffing" is a term that refers to the run/walk coaching technique founded by Jeff Galloway in 1973. Galloway is an Olympian and competed as part of the 1972 US Olympic Team in the 10km event. My blog this week explores how to get inspired by this technique to enhance leadership and management skills. Pace your team, encourage breaks and flexibility, and mix up tasks like alternating between hard running and easier walking. Set achievable goals, be flexible, and create an energized and healthy work environment for long-term success. https://lnkd.in/gWjR4x9U #leadership #management

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What do you think about AI in senior care? Personally, I think we have to be careful with it. When AI presents itself as human, it can be confusing for seniors who may not have strong digital literacy skills. In fact, if they think they're talking to a person and not an AI chatbot, it can be dangerous if they're having a medical emergency or issue. However, there are some helpful use cases. I think Kristen Fischer's exploration of AI here is really interesting. "Artificial intelligence may be a useful communication tool to help older adults with cancer communicate with their doctors and have more of a say in their treatment," she says. AI can provide more context or explanation about certain treatment plans and translate the patient’s needs to clinicians in situations where the patient doesn't feel understood or heard. AI will never replace professionals, but it could help patients and clinicians better understand each other. Feel free to share your thoughts on this—I'd love to know if you think AI would be an effective tool for these situations. #AI #SeniorCare #FutureOfHealthcare

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Take this course! I cannot recommend this enough! Gibson Biddle's DHM model has dramatically improved my executive communication and cemented a number of poorly organized thoughts and observations of my own. He just says it much more clearly, much more concretely, and much more usefully than the mishmash in my head :) (And I'll take this moment to plug my own lightning course on using community to land your next job, happening tomorrow, in the comments.)

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At Next LX, we're building a simulation-based training program that prepares candidates in an AI-powered workplace. We call it a "flight simulator for office work." But we sometimes get asked "Why build a simulator?" Simulations are the best way to learn. Period. Give me 5 minutes to try to convince you. # The Principle of Simulation-Based Training We firmly believe that simulation-based training is the most effective way to acquire *any* skill. The fundamental principle is simple: the best way to learn to do something is to actually do the real thing. For instance, if you wanted to teach someone how to hit a baseball, you wouldn't merely lecture them on the physics of baseballs or have them watch instructional videos. You'd take them to a field and have them hit real baseballs. This hands-on approach is the core of simulation-based training. # What is Simulation-Based Training? Simulation-based training involves performing the skill in an environment that mimics the real-world context as closely as possible. It allows learners to practice the actual skill they're trying to acquire, but in a controlled, safe environment. In fact, simulation can be even more effective than real-world practice for several reasons: 1. Structured Repetition: Simulations allow for repeated practice without real-world consequences. You can retry scenarios multiple times, refining your skills with each attempt. 2. Enhanced Assessment: Simulations can incorporate more comprehensive assessment tools than are possible in real-world settings. For example, a baseball simulation might use high-speed cameras to analyze a player's form in minute detail. 3. Optimal Sequencing: In a simulation, learning experiences can be carefully sequenced to keep learners in the "zone of proximal development" - challenging enough to promote growth, but not so difficult as to cause frustration. 4. Low-Stakes Practice of High-Risk Scenarios: Simulations allow for the safe practice of rare but critical situations that would be too risky or expensive to replicate in the real world. # Current Job Training Methods While there are several popular methods for job training, each has significant limitations compared to simulation-based training: 1. YouTube: "But you can learn for free on the internet!" While an incredible resource, watching videos alone doesn't provide the hands-on experience necessary for skill mastery. 2. Online Courses: "There's a course for everything!" These offer good sequencing and repetition but often lack real-world context and application. 3. Project-Based Learning: "Just build stuff!" While valuable, standalone projects may be disconnected from the real work environment and miss crucial contextual learning. 4. College Education: Traditional higher education often fails to fully prepare graduates for specific job requirements, necessitating additional on-the-job training. Convinced? Thoughts?

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Happy New Year! I put together a list of things product people should invest in for their career in 2025. Head over to my Substack (link in comments) to see the top courses I recommend, plus 3-4 AI tools you should invest in for yourself if your company isn't already paying for them. Two hints: I rarely write tickets anymore without AI, and I'm increasingly using AI for prototyping. Lastly, Jumpstart Your AI Career is back Feb 24! Link to register in the comments along with my latest Substack article and video. #ProductManagement #AI #ProductLeadership

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WIESNER ON HUMANS VS AI: MIT Media Lab co-founder and science advisor to JFK, Jerome B. Wiesner was a unique figure in the history of MIT at the crossroads of science, engineering, and the arts with a lifelong pursuit of world peace. There's a terrific talk he gave at the founding of the MIT "E15" building designed by I.M. Pei — often nicknamed "the bathroom building" — that's worth a watch, especially during these extraordinary times https://lnkd.in/g2zEJRrk and a piece of the talk he gave is below. Information on the talk I'm giving with Jerome B. Wiesner Professor Hiroshi Ishii is here https://lnkd.in/gJpKkeY8 on November 8th (Fri) from 11 am EST, and you can register online for free here https://lnkd.in/gADUyCs7 --- Jerome B. Wiesner at the founding moment of the MIT Media Lab's E15 building https://lnkd.in/g2zEJRrk > ... Now some people will be offended by what I'm going to say, but I think man-made systems use better components. Electrical signals travel a million times faster than signals on nerve fibers. And semiconductor devices also act billions of times faster than neurons, which are the biological information processing elements. Also, manmade elements appear to be more reliable. But nature has a very large edge, maybe a decisive edge. In design complexity involving a number of individual elements, it can use it in a system effectively. And these are advantages man may never match. Nature may always retain this edge, who knows? > But for the moment, it really doesn't matter. The manmade systems that we are involved with enhance human creative capacities, that's what they can do, but so far they cannot displace them. Cognitive and computer scientists are having an exciting time trying to understand and imitate human reasoning with computing systems. And though they can do a few things that would be regarded as thinking if done by a human, they differ violently among themselves on whether or not machines with human thinking and creative abilities are possible. Even the so-called artificial intelligence field, which prompted Walter Rosenblith to say he preferred natural stupidity, his greatest achievement in this field is capturing knowledge and skills of humans -- of human experts. > For now, it’s clear that thinking machines and true creativity don’t exist. We should focus on how tech can expand human creative capacity.

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McKinsey Says that Product Marketing Managers (PMMs) are the Quiet Force Behind Software Success A new McKinsey study (link in the comments, https://lnkd.in/gE9vyDxx) has put PMMs in the spotlight, emphasizing their growing importance in the software industry. Its findings reinforce the ideas I've shared in my previous posts on the evolving role of PMMs in the AI era (https://lnkd.in/ggjfSawh) and their pivotal role in driving personalization and efficient growth (https://lnkd.in/erV6Nipd). Here are some key insights from the study: ► Instrumental in Product Launches - PMMs are essential in launching successful products in today's competitive market. ► Revenue Growth - Companies in the top quartile in revenue growth have a 25-30% higher ratio of PMMs to PMs compared to bottom quartile companies, reinforcing the value of well-resourced PMM teams. ► Bridging Gaps - PMMs align product value with market needs, bridge gaps between teams, and orchestrate launch processes. As Goksu Nebol-Perlman, VP of Business Product Marketing at Meta, said, "Product marketing is the glue that keeps the product, the market, and the customer together." Why are PMMs critical more than ever? ► Market Differentiation - With changing market dynamics and increased competition, PMMs help products stand out and succeed. ► AI-Powered Analytics - As data and AI-powered analytics become essential for decision-making, PMMs use these tools to guide strategies and gain deep customer insights. ► Efficient Growth - AI helps PMMs with analytics to make smart decisions and target efficiently for sustained growth. ► Cross-Functional Collaboration - In a world where teamwork is key, PMMs are at the center of collaboration to create better customer experiences. By leveraging AI to understand customers deeply, make data-driven decisions, and deliver personalized experiences at scale, PMMs are driving efficient growth and success in the software industry. Visionary companies that recognize and invest in empowering their PMMs will be better positioned to thrive in the AI era. Your thoughts? ► How is the role of PMMs evolving in your organization? Are they being recognized as more than just the Masters of the One-Pager and Battle Card Wizards? ► Have you empowered your PMMs to drive strategic initiatives? ► How are they using AI to understand the market, analyze product-market fit, prioritize top segments, craft defensible positioning and messaging, develop personas and buyer's journeys, launch products, enable sales, and align cross-functional teams? Interested in collaborating and learning how to inspire PMMs with what's possible with AI? Please feel free to DM me. #ProductMarketing #PMM #StrategicMarketing #AIInMarketing #AI Michael Conn Product Marketing Alliance Rowan Noronha Product Marketing Community GrowthPath Partners

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In a recent talk, Eric Schmidt lists three #AI features that he believes will have unprecedented impact in the next 1-2 years. 💭 Insanely large context windows gives better short-term working memory. 📚 Self-learning AI agents self-improve by taking their learning, testing it, and then integrating the test feedback. ⚡️Through text-to-action the whole world gets a programmer at their service. Programmers are no longer bottlenecks for turning idea into reality.

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Unstructured text/chat is clearly a terrible interface for AI given how consistently wrong the answers are for some types of queries. But what are the alternatives?

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A handy visual guide for Product folks about to contemplate and communicate, well, just about anything. As with so much in our domain, simple at surface, elaborate to execute, but priceless when proper.

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What's the right level of complexity for business RAG systems? This question has driven our research at Convictional throughout 2024. We've explored everything from knowledge graphs and entity stores to semantic chunking and HyDE. But instead of just theorizing, we put it to the test using Claude 3.5 Sonnet to analyze how business knowledge is actually distributed across our documents. The surprising result? For 95% of topics users ask about, the relevant information exists in a single document. Complex knowledge modeling isn't always necessary - it's only critical for that final 5% of high-entropy topics where information is widely distributed. This challenges the growing industry consensus that sophisticated knowledge modeling is always needed. Sometimes, simpler approaches are not just adequate - they're optimal. Read our full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/gTU8A5iX

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I've been interviewing a lot of people, so I get some variant of this question a lot. What does Remi actually do? I explain our unique business model & opportunity in my latest post. https://lnkd.in/gswR5anB

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AI, Longevity and Love - how are they all connected? They make each other better and are essential to each other’s success Lots of fantastic discussions about how AI will bring out the best in humans including augmenting our time and ability to connect at DOC in Napa and Wisdom 2.0 in SF this past week. Huge thanks to Jordan Shlain, MD, Kevin Ryan and John Battelle for organizing leaders across traditional medicine, longevity, academic research, and biotech and Soren Gordhamer and Mark Hyman, MD for bringing together the best of AI and longevity AI shows incredible promise for healing humans and increasing longevity, here are my key takeaways from these events: We can live to 95 today if we focus on longevity and healthspan, there are biotech solutions using AI to epigenetically reprogram cells to reverse aging and disease that will enable us to extend lifespan by 20+ years but it will take for these to be real Fun to see Mark Hyman, MD interview Eric Verdin, they both discussed how they lowered their biological age by 10+ years and feel the best ever There are so many simple things we can do, walking 30 minutes a day reduces cardiovascular, alzheimer’s and cancer risk by 40% but 80% of the US doesn’t even do this Within 5 years we will have a whole new set of FDA approved psychedelic drugs for depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. Immunotherapies will also expand so we can avoid chemo and living cancer free will be in reach We need the US to move to a functional medicine, integrative care model and get out of this sick care model, this level of innovation is more likely to come from upstarts, the incumbents have too much revenues to lose in this transition AI will not replace physicians, instead those physicians that don’t use AI will be replaced. 50% of physicians are burned out, AI can help! Fantastic connecting with so many brilliant minds, including Mark Hyman, MD, Eric Verdin Neal Khosla Laura Esserman Abby Levy Sheila Lirio Marcelo Leonard Zon Arjun Desai David Eagleman Lois Quam Vinod Khosla Emi Gal and many others #healthcare #longevity #ai

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"Great managers provide stability for their teams, even when the larger organization is experiencing uncertainty." I wrote about this topic for LeadDev: https://lnkd.in/gTt6tN2t Have you ever been caught in the middle of an organizational whirlwind, where constant change seems to be the only constant? It’s in these moments that the value of great managers truly stands out. So, how do these exceptional leaders create stability for their teams amidst chaos? Here are a few key strategies: 1️⃣ Clear communication: Great managers cut through the noise, delivering clear and concise information. They make sure their teams understand objectives and expectations, even when the bigger picture is unclear. While uncertainty can’t always be eliminated, you can often provide valuable context and direction. 2️⃣ Foster trust: By being transparent and approachable, exceptional managers build trust within their teams. This trust creates an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing concerns, asking questions, and seeking guidance, knowing they’ll be met with support. 3️⃣ Agility and adaptability: Outstanding managers embrace change and help their teams do the same. They guide their teams in navigating challenges, turning potential roadblocks into opportunities for growth. 4️⃣ Empower decision-making: Great leaders give their teams the autonomy to make decisions and take ownership of their work. This sense of agency helps teams stay motivated and engaged, even during uncertain times. 5️⃣ Prioritize well-being: In the midst of organizational turbulence, it’s essential for managers to prioritize their team’s well-being. By encouraging work-life balance and addressing burnout, they create a more resilient, focused team. 6️⃣ Celebrate successes: Exceptional managers recognize and celebrate team achievements, no matter how small. This helps boost morale and maintain a sense of stability, even when things are in flux. By using these strategies, great managers act as anchors, providing their teams with steadiness during times of change. The next time you find yourself in a challenging situation, remember the impact that strong leadership can have in creating a sense of stability. I'm lucky to work at Google, where our leadership provides us with that stability, and I enjoy sharing these insights to help others do the same. Illustration credit: Liz Fosslien #management #leadership #teamwork #softwareengineering

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