Career Development
PM career growth and interviews
Full ArticleCareer Development
Agency vs Ambition
I want to believe that all product people are both ambitious and have high agency. But recently I’ve come to realize that this is not always the case. It pains me to admit that, and my first instinct was that these are not people that I can help. But I’m not quite ready to give... The post Agency vs Ambition appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·6 min read·Jul 2, 2025
Full ArticleCareer Development
Disruption and Denial
When the Internet emerged in the mid-1990’s, it seemed clear to me and many others that we were entering a new era of technology, one where our devices and our servers would all be connected, and where data would largely be stored in the cloud. The Internet was essentially a new platform, and a large... The post Disruption and Denial appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·3 min read·Jun 15, 2025
Full ArticleCareer Development
Creating Intelligent Products
This is an article about the potential future of the products we will create, and how we will create those products. However, to understand where we’re heading, we need to look back over the past 40 years. Consider this quote: “Applying AI to the software development process is a major research topic. There is tremendous... The post Creating Intelligent Products appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·6 min read·Jun 9, 2025
Full ArticleCareer Development
The Era of the Product Creator
I have been emphasizing that the heart of the product manager job is product creation. The job is not about being a facilitator or cheerleader, it’s not about being a project manager, and it’s definitely not about being a backlog administrator. Rather, the necessary role of a product manager is a product creator, working alongside... The post The Era of the Product Creator appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·4 min read·May 27, 2025
Full ArticleCareer Development
Inside One Startup's Journey to Break Down Hiring (and Funding) Barriers
How can formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society if few companies will hire them? And can businesses afford to exclude the roughly one in three working Americans with criminal records from the economy? In a case study, Paul Gompers explores the challenges a social justice startup encounters in helping the formerly incarcerated, as well as lessons for other entrepreneurs.
HBS Working Knowledge·9 min read·Nov 12, 2024
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What Wartime Service Taught These Historic Leaders
What can corporate leaders learn from executives who served their country during wartime conflicts? Drawing on a series of case studies, Robert Simons shares important lessons from the experiences of Walt Disney, Dwight Eisenhower, and Robert McNamara.
HBS Working Knowledge·8 min read·Nov 8, 2024
Full ArticleCareer Development
Layoffs Surging in a Strong Economy? Advice for Navigating Uncertain Times
Layoffs have been on the rise in some US industries as tech and professional services companies grapple with slowing demand and mixed economic signals. Sandra Sucher, Frances Frei, and Maria Roche offer insights for leaders managing through the turmoil.
HBS Working Knowledge·8 min read·Nov 1, 2024
Full ArticleCareer Development
Prompt Engineering: A Practical Guide
A comprehensive introduction to prompt engineering for professionals. Covers key techniques: zero-shot and few-shot prompting, chain-of-thought reasoning, role prompting, and structured output. Practical examples for content creation, data analysis, and decision support. Increasingly part of digital literacy curricula at universities.
Interaction Design Foundation·10 min read·Jan 1, 2024
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AI and the Future of Work: What Every Leader Needs to Know
Explores how AI is transforming the workplace. Argues that AI won't replace humans, but humans with AI will replace humans without AI. Covers how to prepare teams for AI adoption, which tasks are most susceptible to automation, and how to develop AI-complementary skills. Essential reading for leaders navigating the AI transition.
Harvard Business Review·10 min read·Aug 1, 2023
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The Future of Work Is Human: What Automation Cannot Replace
While automation and AI will transform 60% of current jobs, the most durable human skills, including empathy, creativity, ethical judgment, and complex communication, are gaining rather than losing value. McKinsey's analysis shows that demand for social-emotional skills will grow 24% by 2030, while demand for routine cognitive skills declines. The article maps which capabilities to invest in for long-term career resilience and how organizations should redesign roles to combine human strengths with AI capabilities.
McKinsey & Company·16 min read·Jun 12, 2023
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How to Do Great Work
A comprehensive guide on doing great work across any field — from choosing what to work on, to developing taste, to navigating the gap between ambition and ability.
Classic Articles·58 min read·Jun 1, 2023
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Personal Branding for Knowledge Workers: Standing Out in a Noisy World
Presents a strategic framework for building a personal brand that authentically communicates your unique value proposition. Covers how to audit your current brand perception, define your target audience, craft a consistent narrative, and align your online presence with your career objectives.
Harvard Business Review·12 min read·May 1, 2023
Full ArticleCareer Development
Aristotle's Concept of Excellence and the Pursuit of Mastery at Work
Aristotle's notion of arete — excellence as a habit rather than an act — provides a powerful lens for professional development. This article examines how the Aristotelian virtues of practical wisdom (phronesis), courage, and temperance translate into workplace behaviors. It argues that building mastery is not about talent but about deliberate practice structured around virtuous habits, and provides a framework for teams to cultivate organizational excellence.
Classic Articles·10 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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The Feynman Technique: Learn Anything by Teaching It Simply
Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, developed a remarkably effective learning method: explain a concept in simple language as if teaching a child, identify gaps in your understanding, return to the source material, and simplify again. This article breaks down the four-step Feynman Technique and shows how professionals can use it to master complex domains — from financial modeling to machine learning to regulatory frameworks. It also explores why simplicity is the ultimate sophistication in communication.
Classic Articles·7 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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The Zettelkasten Method: A Knowledge Management System for the Digital Age
The Zettelkasten (slip box) method, pioneered by sociologist Niklas Luhmann who published over 70 books using it, is a note-taking system designed to generate new ideas through the connections between notes. Unlike hierarchical filing systems, the Zettelkasten treats every note as an atomic idea linked to other ideas, creating an emergent web of knowledge. This article explains the principles — atomicity, connectivity, and emergence — and provides practical guidance for implementing a digital Zettelkasten using modern tools.
Classic Articles·13 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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Salary Negotiation: Evidence-Based Strategies for Getting Paid What You're Worth
Research shows that failing to negotiate a starting salary can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career due to compounding base pay differences. Yet most professionals never negotiate, often due to fear and misinformation. This article synthesizes negotiation research to provide a complete salary negotiation framework: preparation (market research, BATNA development, quantifying your value), execution (anchoring high, using ranges, handling objections), and follow-through (getting offers in writing, negotiating beyond base salary). It also addresses the gender and racial negotiation gaps and provides specific strategies for underrepresented professionals.
First Round Review·13 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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Portfolio Careers: Why the Best Professionals Do Multiple Things
The traditional career ladder — climb one organization in one field — is giving way to the portfolio career, where professionals combine multiple roles, income streams, and projects. This article examines why portfolio careers are growing (technology enabling independent work, desire for autonomy, risk diversification) and how to build one intentionally. It covers the portfolio career framework: anchor roles for stability, passion projects for fulfillment, skill-building experiments, and legacy work. Practical guidance includes financial planning, time allocation, personal branding, and navigating the social pressure to have 'one answer' to 'what do you do?'
Harvard Business Review·11 min read·Jan 1, 2023
Full ArticleCareer Development
Compound Interest Thinking: The Most Powerful Force in Career Growth
Einstein allegedly called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world, and the principle extends far beyond finance. This article explores how compounding works in career development: small daily improvements compound into transformative skill growth, relationships built consistently compound into powerful networks, and knowledge accumulated systematically compounds into expertise. It provides practical frameworks for identifying high-compound activities (reading, writing, relationship-building) and avoiding compound-breaking behaviors (job-hopping without learning, burning bridges, neglecting health).
Paul Graham·8 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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Building a Remote-First Culture: Lessons from Distributed Companies
Remote-first is not the same as remote-friendly. A truly remote-first culture designs every process, tool, and norm around distributed work rather than retrofitting office practices. This article draws on lessons from GitLab, Automattic, Basecamp, and Zapier to cover the pillars of remote-first culture: documentation as a default, asynchronous communication norms, intentional relationship building, equitable meeting practices, and transparent decision-making. It also addresses the challenges: isolation, career progression, timezone management, and maintaining culture without physical proximity.
Basecamp·14 min read·Jan 1, 2023
Full ArticleCareer Development
Investment Basics for Professionals: Building Wealth Beyond Your Salary
Most professionals are well-compensated but financially fragile because they never learn the fundamentals of investing. This article provides a clear, jargon-free introduction to investment principles: asset allocation, diversification, the power of index funds, tax-advantaged accounts, and the mathematics of early and consistent investing. It covers common mistakes (timing the market, chasing hot stocks, paying high fees) and provides a simple, evidence-based investment framework that any busy professional can implement in a few hours and maintain with minimal ongoing effort.
Harvard Business Review·12 min read·Jan 1, 2023