18 Blog Posts You Loved in 2016
I seek adventure in two places: business and wilderness. When the two intersect the result is something special. And as far as adventures go, 2016 certainly offered fodder for some wild topics. I think you can see that reflected in what we wrote about on the Aha! blog this past year.
I love writing about the adventure of finding meaningful work and living a meaningful life. And so do the rest of the Aha! team members who contribute to the blog.
Each post was inspired by our experiences, both good and bad. We took a lot of time to consider how our words might help you in your journey. And we hit a nerve — roughly 1 million pageviews and thousands of comments.
So, let’s look back at some of the most popular Aha! blog posts from 2016 — the ones you read, loved, and shared. Plus maybe a few that you missed. (In that case, consider this your reading list for the first week of 2017.)
And if you find yourself thinking, “What is my next adventure?” Well, you might want to consider joining us for the ride.
Here are the posts you loved, organized by topic:
Product management
1. How Tough Product Managers Pick Fights
Are never-ending product battles beating you down? Stand firm with five tactics for fighting the good fight.
2. The Product Manager vs. the Technical Product Manager
If you are trying to break into product management, you might need a quick refresher on the various roles.
3. Whoa! Product Manager: Your Customer Despises You
So you have an angry customer on your hands. Guess what? This is good news! Find out why.
4. 6 Common Misconceptions About Engineers, Debunked
Most product managers develop a close working relationship with their engineering team. Even still, there are likely a lot of things that you might not know about them.
5. How Much Dev Speak Should Product Managers Know?
Don’t fall into the trap of believing that jargon is the secret password to any given group.
Company building
6. Don’t Outsource Your Brain to Consultants
How can a consultant ever understand your business better than you do?
7. 5 Money Wasters Your Startup Does Not Need
If you have ever ordered the steak and lobster special at a dinner that your startup was paying for, go slap yourself.
8. Your Startup Does Not Need Adult Supervision
You may be off to a quick start, but this is the real proving ground. Do you pop the corks or keep building?
9. Commute? You Could Do All This Without One
Commutes are depressing — they can negatively impact your health, work, and relationships. But there is a better way.
10. Inside the World’s Most Pet-Friendly Tech Company
One of the best parts about working on a fully distributed team? Spending workdays with our four-legged friends.
Career advice
11. How to Be Obnoxious and Get Ahead
Stop living to please others. Start being yourself. Life is just too short to be anyone else.
12. Your Resume Is in the Trash — 5 Questions Tell You Why
Is your resume in the “NO” pile? You might be forgetting something important in your rush to impress.
13. 4 Words That Make Hiring Managers Cringe
The last thing you want is to leave a prospective employer with a negative opinion about your experience and qualifications.
Yes, they are just words. But the words we choose convey a powerful message about what we believe and value.
15. Hey Boss: Stop Trying to Empower Me
With no action behind it, the idea of “employee empowerment” becomes nothing more than an empty promise.
Innovation
16. No One Cares About Your Business Strategy
It is only when you decide to put that strategy into action that it can do its work — transforming your business.
17. Really? Your Office Culture Is Defined by “No”
When “no” becomes the knee-jerk response to new ideas, it builds a culture of fear that stifles innovation.
18. Stop Saying These 15 Business Buzzwords (Please)
Business Morse code forces others to work harder than necessary to comprehend the true meaning behind our words.
What do you want to see more of in 2017? Share your ideas in the comments below.
ABOUT BRIAN AND AHA!
Brian seeks business and wilderness adventure. He has been the founder or early employee of six cloud-based software companies and is the CEO of Aha! -- the world's #1 product roadmap software. His last two companies were acquired by Aruba Networks [ARUN] and Citrix [CTXS].
Signup for a free trial of Aha! and see why 50,000+ users on the world's leading product and engineering teams trust Aha! to build brilliant strategy and visual roadmaps.
We are rapidly growing and hiring. Customer Success Managers. Rails Developers. Digital Marketing Manager. Join a winning team -- work from anywhere in the US and be happy.