Brian de Haaff's Blog, page 7
July 8, 2019
Why This Company Never Asks the Same Interview Question Twice
I have a few questions for you. “Can you tell me about yourself? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why are you interested in our company?” If you are interviewing for a new job, you are likely hearing these questions over and over again. And if you are a late-stage applicant and hearing these from successive interviewers, it can make you wonder if anyone at the company talks to one another.
This is why we do our best to avoid asking repeat questions — we want each conversation to be f...
July 2, 2019
Mentors Are Going Extinct — But We Need Them More Than Ever
Where have all the mentors gone? I think this is a question people are asking today. There was a time when formal mentorship was a fundamental part of many organizations. But not anymore. So folks try networking events and cold-messaging on LinkedIn. I know I get many such messages each day and I do my best to respond. It makes you wonder if the mentor-mentee relationship has gone extinct — or is at least on its way out.
Real mentors are hard to find — but we need expert guidance now more t...
June 25, 2019
How to Build an Agile Content Marketing Roadmap
Marketing teams are falling in love. The object of affection? Agile workflows. A recent study found that 37 percent of marketers have already implemented some form of the methodology. And I can see the appeal. Agile marketing encourages rapid iteration and constant improvement. It is especially attractive to content teams since these folks are continually under pressure to publish, publish, publish.
But I have to wonder — is what these teams are publishing so fast having a real impact?
Of c...
June 24, 2019
The Founder’s Paradox: The Real Value of Venture Capital
The promises come every day. Some delivered straight to my email, some via LinkedIn messages, some through friends of friends of friends. I will admit — the promises are intriguing. There is a bit of flattery. But there is also some earnest admiration for what we are doing at Aha! and an interest in helping us do even more of it.
I will let you in on a little secret — which runs counter to much of the conversation happening in Silicon Valley right now.
Despite what you are pitched by ventur...
June 18, 2019
6 Steps to Develop a Super Go-to-Market Roadmap
You are a superhero. Yep, I am talking to you — product marketing manager. Your superpowers range from understanding how the product really works to a telepathic sense for what your customers really need. You shape-shift seamlessly between your alter-egos as product expert, storyteller, and connector. And you bend time, working backward to plan and launch new products and features. How do you do it? I think I know.
Your secret weapon is your planning prowess and your go-to-market roadmaps....
June 17, 2019
The One Skill Most Product Managers Ignore
Writer. Actor. Poet. These roles are universally thought of as creative. But what if I told you that “product manager” should be on the same list? You might not agree at first, thinking product management is too technical to be aligned with artists. And while technical work does play a large part, product management goes deeper than that.
The best product managers not only lead with practical solutions — they also lead with creativity.
After all, you need imagination to build what has not...
June 11, 2019
How to Create an Integrated Marketing Roadmap
Personas. Buyer journey. Omni-channel strategy. If you work in marketing, you have likely heard these buzzwords in the last few years. And you most definitely sat through a few conference presenters droning on about the importance of creating “360 marketing campaigns.” But the chatter has died down. Not because these concepts are no longer important, but because most forward-looking teams are implementing integrated marketing into their everyday work.
There is no other way — you need consis...
June 6, 2019
How 100 Remote Workers Connect Every Week
There is a dog barking incessantly in the background. And the not-so-stealthy typer who is audibly multitasking during the meeting. Yes, most remote workers are probably giving a rueful chuckle. We have all been there. But what about when you take your typical virtual meeting and increase it to 10, 20, even 100 people?
Video conference madness, filled with chaos and distraction. You might think so, right?
Not quite. Aha! is an entirely distributed company. Right now, we are approaching 10...
June 4, 2019
The Marketing Roadmap vs. the Program Plan
The product roadmap vs. the release plan. I recently wrote about this topic for product managers — detailing how you need the first to set the product direction and then build releases to detail the work. But when I saw some marketing managers commenting on the post, it got me thinking. What is the equivalent for marketing teams?
I would argue it is similar. A marketing roadmap sets the overall direction — while the program plan details the work that needs to get done.
For many marketing...
May 28, 2019
3 Signs Your Teammate Will Claim Your Work
I bet you will recognize this person. Let’s call them Cary. You know, the one who lurks at the corner of every project. Cary claims the team’s work as their own, without any real effort put forth. They have plenty to say too. But when you ask for deeper detail or the thinking behind the work, they get flustered. It is not so easy to go off script. Why?
The reason Cary cannot explain the work is because they did not do the work in the first place.
Where do you find Cary? Usually at big, slow...
