Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

by Tony Fadell

I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn from the best—from bold, passionate people who made a dent in the world.

Adulthood is your opportunity to screw up continually until you learn how to screw up a little bit less.

And if you fail, you learn.

In fact, in most cases, it’s the only way to learn—especially if you’re creating something the world has never seen before.

So when you’re looking at the array of potential careers before you, the correct place to start is th...

The best way to find a job you’ll love and a career that will eventually make you successful is to follow what you’re naturally interested in, then take risks when choosing where to work.

Do, fail, learn.

“The only failure in your twenties is inaction. The rest is trial and error.”

I needed to learn. And the best way to do that was to surround myself with people who knew exactly how hard it was to make something great—who had the scars to prove it. And if it turned out to be the wrong move, well, making a mistake is the best way to not make that mistake again. Do, fail, learn.

If you’re going to throw your time, energy, and youth at a company, try to join one that’s not just making a better mousetrap. Find a business that’s starting a revolution.

A company that’s likely to make a substantial change in the status quo

This product solves a problem—a real pain point—that a lot of customers experience daily. There should be an existing large market.

It’s thinking about a problem or a customer need in a way you’ve never heard before, but which makes perfect sense once you hear it.

Too many people throw themselves blindly at hot trends, anticipating a gold rush, and end up falling off a cliff.

Customers need to see that your product solves a real problem they have today—not one that they may have in some distant future.

so Palm was the right solution for the time. It made sense. It had a reason to exist.

If you’re not solving a real problem, you can’t start a revolution.

But the company’s timing was perfect—the sudden ubiquity of smartphones provided Uber with a platform and put customers into the right mindset to accept their solution.

To do great things, to really learn, you can’t shout suggestions from the rooftop then move on while someone else does the work. You have to get your hands dirty. You have to care about every step, lovingly craft every detail.

You have to be there when it falls apart so you can put it back together.

If you’re passionate about something—something that could be solving a huge problem one day—then stick with it.

Look around and find the community of people who are passionate about it, too.

But getting a job is your opportunity to make a dent in the world.

You should know where you want to go, who you want to work with, what you want to learn, who you want to become. And from there, hopefully you’ll start to understand how to build what you want to build.

“I can’t make you the smartest or the brightest, but it’s doable to be the most knowledgeable. It’s possible to gather more information than somebody else.”

Make a connection. That’s the best way to get a job anywhere.

The key is persistence and being helpful. Not just asking for something, but offering something. You always have something to offer if you’re curious and engaged. You can always trade and barter good ideas; you can always be kind and find a way to help.

there is nothing in the world that feels better than helping your hero in a meaningful way and earning their trust—watching them realize you know what you’re talking about, that you can be relied on, that you’re someone to remember. And then seeing how that respect evolves as you move on to the next job, and the next.

It’s also to think like your manager or CEO.

Not only was she worried that the features we were building were charming but useless, she was also worried we wouldn’t actually build them.

Try to understand what their roadblocks are and what they’re excited about.

And talk to the people who are closest to the customer, like marketing and support—find teams who communicate with customers day in and day out and hear their feedback directly.

have similar amounts of influence, and possibly be happier overall.

Your job will now be communication, communication, communication, recruiting, hiring and firing, setting budgets, reviews, one-on-one meetings (1:1s), meetings with your team and other teams and leadership, representing your team in those meetings, setting goals and keeping people on track, conflict resolution, helping to find creative solutions to intractable problems, blocking and tackling political BS, mentoring your team, and asking “how can I help you?” all the time.

You can be successful with any style as long as you never shy away from respectfully telling the team the uncomfortable, hard truth that needs to be said.

When you’re a manager, you’re no longer just responsible for the work. You’re responsible for human beings.

believe the management ladder is the only way to move up in your career.

someone who people across the company will seek out for advice and mentorship.

One of the hardest parts of management is letting go.

You have to trust your team—give them breathing room to be creative and opportunities to shine.

As a manager, you should be focused on making sure the team is producing the best possible product.

Try to see the situation from their point of view—talk about their fears and your own concerns out loud, reframe your thoughts so they can hear the feedback, understand the goals, clear up ambiguities or concerns.

It’s important to remember that even if you have to criticize someone’s work or their behavior, you’re not doing it to hurt them.

You’re there to help. Every word should come from a place of caring. So tell them what’s holding them back. Then make a plan to work on it together.

identifying when my own actions were causing frustrations on the team versus knowing that some things were entirely out of my control.

You need to let go of taking pride in your individual daily accomplishments and start taking pride in the accrued wins of your team.

Because if someone under you does something spectacular, that just shows the company that you’ve built a great team.

So tell the team your thought process.

I want to make it very clear: hating your job is never worth the money.

hating your job is never worth whatever raise, title, or perks they throw at you to stay.