Confessions of a Creative Leader

Life at the Speed of Play - Chapter 2: Instincts Versus Ideas

Continuing our summer read-along of Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_e] by Zynga founder Mark Pincus, this week I’m digging into Chapter Two: Instincts vs. Ideas. Pincus’s claim that stopped me cold: our instincts are right about 95% of the time, but our ideas are only right about 25% of the time. Once I sat with that, it changed how I think about my own ideas — and the ones my team is generating right now while we build a new product at my company. What you’ll learn: * Pincus’s case for treating your instinct (the founding problem you’re trying to solve) as separate from your idea (any single version of the solution). I connected this to a conversation with my colleague — we killed one of our early ideas for the product (a dashboard, which I don’t believe in anyway) but the instinct underneath it just re-manifested somewhere else entirely * His concept of “the right body of water” — picking a market with room to grow matters as much as the quality of your idea. He lays out four criteria (market entry potential, proven business, opportunity to innovate, long-term potential) that I’m now quietly running our higher ed market against * The Tower Records story about killing a losing idea before ever building it, and why that matters more, not less, in the age of AI — just because you can vibe-code a prototype in an afternoon doesn’t mean you’ve earned the right to skip talking to people first * The “cocktail party” section, my favorite in this chapter. Pincus argues the best ideas come from gatherings with trust, purpose, and a little fun — which is exactly what I’m trying to build into as I launch my new product at work, and honestly why I’ve always run the West Michigan product community the way I do * “B+ is the enemy of A” — his argument that most people pick a B+ idea because it feels safe, not because it’s actually good. Confessions of a Creative Leader is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Life at the Speed of Play - Chapter 1: Book of Life

Life at the Speed of Play, Chapter One: The Book of LifeHow creating a Book of Life makes your life worth living, and scaffolds you as a strategic leader Continuing our summer read-along of https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_eLife at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_e] by Zynga founder Mark Pincus [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_e], this week I’m digging into Chapter One: The Book of Life. Pincus’s core idea, “know your goal or suffer death by 1,000 compromises,” comes from his own annual ritual of writing in the same physical book every year during the Jewish high holidays. I’m curating the insights I found most useful for anyone building a strategic practice, not just product folks. What you’ll learn: * Why Pincus’s “Book of Life” ritual, taking stock, reviewing the past year against goals, and setting intentions for the next, works as a personal North Star practice. I’m adopting a version of it even though I currently just journal and burn my notebooks every few months * His framework for choosing two types of yearly goals: something fully in your control, like a daily habit, paired with something bigger and less certain. Proving you can control the small thing builds belief you can pull off the big one * The “abyss” concept, the disorienting, unproductive-feeling space before and after a big venture or job. He argues it’s where real instincts, pattern recognition, and taste actually get built. I connected this back to my own five years of feeling lost before landing back in product * The “imagination chessboard” exercise, starting strategy conversations by asking “what if everything goes right?” instead of leading with constraints. He notes that AI can now help you build that exercise out in minutes Confessions of a Creative Leader is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Let's Read Life at the Speed of Play

Let’s get started with our new book series. I’m kicking off the Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_e] https://www.amazon.com/s?k=life%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bspeed%2Bof%2Bplay&adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_4i7cfmd53g_eread-along, starting with Reid Hoffman’s foreword and Mark Pincus’s introduction. This is a short intro episode to help you decide if you want to journey through the book with me. I’ll be doing roughly one chapter a week through the end of September. What you’ll learn: * Why I’m anchoring this next stretch of episodes in Mark Pincus’s book, and my loose reading cadence (about one chapter a week, wrapped by end of Q3) * Reid Hoffman’s foreword idea of “what game are you playing” and “what’s your theory of the game,” and why that framing hit home for me as both a product leader and a recovering serial idea-generator * Why generating ideas isn’t the hard part for me… killing them is, and why I think that’s the real skill this book is going to help me build * My take on Pincus’s line that “corporate” really means “lack of thought or intent,” and why I push back on that a little, because being intentional and thoughtful in a corporate role is exactly what I get paid to do Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How my entrepreneur journey has made me a better leader!

I’m back after an unplanned couple-months break, and I wanted to catch you up on life! I’m talking about what I’ve brought back into my full-time Senior Director of Product Growth role after my stint as a part-time entrepreneur. I’m in throws of building a new AI-native product, and about to soft launch it next week. Also, the new book I’m picking up as my next read-along is Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1] by Zynga founder Mark Pincus [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1]. I also get into some personal updates about my family, health, the whole mess of it. What you’ll learn: * How I’m bringing product-led growth strategy (Wes Bush’s “bowling alley” framework) into a B2B SaaS environment that’s used to long sales cycles * The Russell Brunson-style webinar format I used for both an internal team training and an upcoming external product pre-launch webinar * Why I picked Life at the Speed of Play [https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1] https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=184262060617&channelId=4&clpRedir=Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Evb_U93AoaMtG-9HvyMOmIeM15G58V7h2s5vY4xTZbvLalI69y33s4EM6oZYf9V0yLUAriCKvxYkFAALgxnDCwkQypgN8KmYuSWtsDQXZtKUxuYt_EEff-0P4bkO28F8OotMQZD76lV-We8EhbHTmEvBnwTU0-Arzpn1EEst0WhKqUwNBwOB4gWrCugPTCbZSBCAyeOD0eVmEPiHcn03uIFbpU7RXl1abL4in6e4eNE.wE61fD8bp8v9ZWUF4z4NlkT8ynogqst8dvO30UWh6ZU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779578873675&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017427&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15260571418118184131--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15260571418118184131&hvtargid=kwd-2478764662973&hydadcr=22565_13531269_8697&keywords=life+at+the+speed+of+play&mcid=81c6351bed083c7ba8616557cb4b8507&plpRedirect=mhFallback&qid=1783814167&sr=8-1as my next read-along, and what I’m hoping to pull from it for facilitation and self-development * A candid life update: my family, my health, a summer with two kids underfoot, and how I’m protecting my own energy (daily walks, more fiction, less guilt about the podcast schedule) Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

I avoided opening this box for 3 months!

Hello! Really short podcast today. I cleaned my office today, and opened up a box I have been avoiding for nearly 3 months! Listen to learn more, and I have a little video of the unboxing below. Unboxing Video 1 Unboxing Video 2 The Guides Hat Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe [https://creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]