Brian de Haaff's Blog, page 12

LinkedIn Names Aha! #2 on 2018 Top Voices List

It has been another terrific year at Aha! — I am grateful. Grateful for our team’s growth and that our product is solving a very real problem for more than 5,000 companies. And I am grateful that so many of you take the time to follow our writing here and on LinkedIn where I have contributed hundreds of articles. In the spirit of sharing appreciation, I want to thank you.

Once again, LinkedIn named me to their list of the best writers on management and workplace topics.

Being consistently rec...

How Our Entirely Remote Team Shares Gratitude Every Day

When is the last time you expressed gratitude to a co-worker? I am not talking about a quick “thanks” in an email. I am talking about taking a moment to tell them why you are grateful — for how they contribute to the team and how they make your own work better.

I have always believed that the happiest teams show gratitude every day.

Since everyone at Aha! works remotely, we have a structure in place for this. We call it “hatitude.” Let me explain how it started.

In 2014, when our fully distri...

Aha! Is Recognized as One of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500

2018 has been tremendous for the Aha! team. We started the company in 2013 and now have nearly 100 teammates. It is awe-inspiring to look back on our extraordinary trajectory. And today, our rapid rise has another milestone — we landed at #50 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list.

This is an amazing acknowledgment of all that we at Aha! have accomplished together.

For more than 20 years, Deloitte has ranked the 500 fastest-growing companies in North America. The list includes public and pri...

The Real Value of a Product Marketing Manager

I wrote a post about the real value of a product manager last year. The love was not surprising — I have always had a special place in my heart for product managers. These are among the most under-appreciated people in technology. But there is another role that does not seem to get enough appreciation. And I feel equally passionate about these folks. Why?

Behind every successful product and all great launches is a product marketing manager.

I know this because, at the start of my career, I w...

The Founder’s Paradox: How to Add Complexity and Avoid It

More customers, more people, more process, more technology — leading to more success. And success leads to financial gains which can be reinvested to grow more customers, more people, more process, more technology. If you are fortunate, this merry-go-round continues. But at times, it can be a bit dizzying the more spins you complete.

The cycle of success, challenge, investment, and more success is every founder’s aim — it means the business is growing.

From the product to the team — with tre...

The Founder’s Paradox: How to Add Complexity and Avoid it

More customers, more people, more process, more technology — leading to more success. And success leads to financial gains which can be reinvested to grow more customers, more people, more process, more technology. If you are fortunate, this merry-go-round continues. But at times, it can be a bit dizzying the more spins you complete.

The cycle of success, challenge, investment, and more success is every founder’s aim — it means the business is growing.

From the product to the team — with tre...

What Product Managers Should Do When the Sales Team Is Hostile

You rely heavily on other teams for product success. That is the story of being a product manager. So naturally, it makes your job a lot tougher when other teams are not supportive. Criticizing the roadmap. Trash-talking product decisions behind your back. Pushing different messages and functionality when meeting with customers. And it often seems to come from one group more than others — the sales team.

Deep conflict between product and sales always damages the product, customers, and the bu...

The Unfortunate Trend of Workplace “Ghosting”

Shhh. Do you hear anything? That silence is the sound of somebody not communicating with you at work. You pinged them with a question. You invited them to a meeting. But you received no response. You have been ghosted.

You might not be familiar with the term “ghosting.” Basically, it refers to when somebody abruptly cuts off all communication with another person. If you have heard this term it was probably in reference to personal relationships.

But ghosting happens in the workplace as well....

Hey Product Manager: Are You Fighting for Engineering Resources?

Three product teams enter. One product team leaves triumphant, two stumble away bruised. Do your resource allocation meetings ever feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight? When there are not clear priorities to guide what needs the most investment, it can feel as though you have to grab anything you can — even if it means another team will have less. This is a zero-sum game.

Remember, this is your own company we are talking about — not some external threat.

The culprit for these nasty resource...

How to Keep Learning at Work — Despite an Unhelpful Boss

The Dunning-Kruger effect. It is a mouthful to say, but the concept itself is pretty simple. It refers to a cognitive bias where people confidently assess themselves as much smarter than they really are. And research shows that is more common than you think. As humans, we tend to make up our minds about something and discard contrary facts that get in the way.

It is easy to stick with what you know — it is much harder to embrace something new.

After all, it takes humility to know what you d...