Brian de Haaff's Blog, page 27

Hey Boss: My First Day Really Stunk

I will never forget that day. I had just started a new job after finishing graduate school and moving back to the San Francisco Bay area. I showed up at the specified time and aimlessly walked around the office, looking for my new boss. He was at a “breakfast meeting,” I was told. “Go ahead and wait in the lobby.” I waited — and waited. Sad.

Remember your first day? You probably felt a mix of emotions — nervousness, excitement, maybe apprehension. Your goal was to meet the team, understand w...

I Said “No More Salespeople, Please”

I bet at some point, you have done it — you hid from a salesperson. You did not want to be rude, but you also did not want to be bothered with the hard sell. The goal was to get done and be gone before they could harass you. This happened to me recently when I was test-driving a new car.

When we arrived back to the lot, the salesperson was agitated that we were not ready to purchase. He actually asked why we were there. “To test-drive the car,” my oldest son calmly responded.

Most people do...

“Do You Need an Office?” My Mother-in-Law Wants to Know

My mother-in-law was recently in town visiting. When the conversation turned to work, I filled her in on how things were going with Aha! and how our fully distributed team is rapidly growing. She looked at me quizzically and asked, “Do you need an office?”

She is not the only one — I hear it so often that I can recognize the question before it is fully formed. And my answer is always the same, “Nope.”

This response usually throws people off. They often fire back, “Sure, that might have work...

Your Boss Should Never Tell You to “Care Less”

“Why do you care so much?” “Stop trying so hard.” You may have heard this from a well-meaning colleague or, even worse, from your own boss. But why would someone want you to care less?

This type of response generally comes after you ask a question or suggest a new way to do something. And it is often related to another common response, “We have never done it like that.”

If you hear it often enough, you might start to ponder your own motivation. You may think, “Why do I care so much anyways?...

Technology vs. Humanity — Your Next Job

My career will be defined by the prevalence of the internet. Yours likely will be too. And we are still experiencing an incredible acceleration of the use of technology. But one thing remains the same — we are human. We still crave personal connection, even when so many of our interactions are now made possible by technology.

You might think technology and humanity is an odd juxtaposition, especially coming from the founder and CEO of a software company.

So, let’s talk about companies like...

Product Manager: Don’t Be a Data Fool

Pop quiz: How many minutes a day do customers use your product? What screens do they visit most? How much data do they enter? These questions might have you dreaming of an analytics dashboard that would bring you nirvana. But beware — you will never fully understand your customers if you fall into the “data-only trap.”

Numbers only give you part of the answer when it comes to understanding what your customers really think about your product.

This data-only trap can be easy for product builde...

These Honest People Are Not Impediments to Profit

Have you seen the real “real” news? A few well-known companies are behaving badly. They made some money in the short term and felt like long-term winners. People were celebrating their success loudly. And the companies themselves were banging their collective chest with pride — look at us. Yet when their lack of integrity and questionable tactics were revealed, all that hype was replaced by scorn. Sound familiar?

You know the kind of company and founder I am talking about — interesting produ...

Why This CEO Says “No” to Venture Capital

“Can we grab coffee on Tuesday or Thursday next week?” This is the sign-off on so many email pitches from associates at venture capital firms who are sourcing deals. Deals — yep, companies with real products and growing customer bases who are going places.

Aha! looks like one of those companies now. If I accepted, my calendar would be filled with coffee dates. I am humbled by the velocity of these requests, but I must decline. (Besides, I do not even really drink coffee.)

Saying “no” to pro...

Only Obsessive Egomaniacs Create Tech Breakthroughs

I once worked for a CEO who thought he was the next Larry Ellison. He was an early Oracle employee but did not go so far as owning a yacht or racing team. What he did do was adopt Ellison’s intense leadership style — ultimately creating a workplace of unhappiness and fear. He owned the company so he could do what he wanted. But he pushed out almost everyone who ever worked there.  

Yes, Ellison and others like him pushed a “business-is-a-war” philosophy. Steve Jobs was certainly famous for h...

Product Managers: You Are What You Build

If you are like me, the following has happened to you. And if you are lucky, it has only happened once — but that is unlikely.

You are starting a new project, and you want to bring your very best, but you slip up at some point. Maybe you cannot get back on track. You are disappointed. The end result did not meet the greatness of your early ambitions.

As a defense mechanism, you might throw up your arms and say, “Who cares? I was not trying my hardest anyway.” But I bet you still wake up in...