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Insights on Breakthrough Leadership

52 posts

Measure what matters, not what's easy

How I Learned to Track Breakthrough Impact

Picture this scene: And yet… You’re staring at your dashboard, wondering if any of this actually moved the needle on breakthrough impact. When I created a new category in scholarly metrics at Plum Analytics, we faced a measurement problem most product leaders never encounter: How do you track progress toward something that’s never existed before? […]

June 23, 2025·Andrea Michalek
Is your rhythm working?

5 questions that reveal what's killing your team's momentum

Today, I’m giving you diagnostic tools to assess whether your current rhythms are actually working or secretly undermining your team’s effectiveness. Is Your Rhythm Working?5 Critical Questions Most teams think they have good rhythm because they have regular meetings. But having meetings and having effective rhythm are completely different things. Use these questions to assess […]

June 14, 2025·Andrea Michalek
Frameworks are tools, not rules.

Leaders: Are You Optimizing for Process… or Progress?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of blindly following frameworks that ‘everyone’ says work. But what happens when those frameworks hold you back instead of pushing you forward? Frameworks are the training wheels of problem solving. Think about when you first learned to ride a bike. Training wheels helped you get comfortable with balance, […]

January 11, 2025·Andrea Michalek
Creativity comes from understanding

The Role of Leadership in Building a Culture of Innovation

After decades of leading product and tech teams, I’ve learned that great teams don't innovate by accident or rely on one-hit wonders. They create environments where ideas consistently thrive. Great leaders also understand their people as whole humans, not just employees. Here's how to master both. Building a culture of innovation Innovation doesn't just happen; […]

March 4, 2024·Andrea Michalek
Being a leader is not about being in charge

Becoming a leader in everyday life

Leadership where you least expect it This issue I wanted to explore is how we often become leaders when we least expect it. I start off with my coming-of-age story of being ripped from the keyboard and asked to lead for the first time. I also wanted to talk a bit about the areas in […]

February 12, 2024·Andrea Michalek
Leadership with management is vision without execution

It's more than leading authentically…

Are you looking for a way to maximize your team's impact? It's not just the charisma of leadership. It's also the grind of management. You need both for team success. 🌛 The world craves authentic leadership. But what’s leadership without its other half: management? It is vision without execution. It is like dreaming of climbing […]

February 5, 2024·Andrea Michalek