<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Spencer Goldade</title><description>Portfolio of Spencer Goldade, a product and design leader in Calgary. Case studies, writing, and open-source work centred on product ethics and user experience. Games, illustrations, and talks on the side.</description><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/</link><language>en-CA</language><item><title>AI coding tools are becoming inescapable. That’s why we need to use them better.</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/ai-coding-tools-are-becoming-inescapable-thats-why-we-need-to-use-them-better/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/ai-coding-tools-are-becoming-inescapable-thats-why-we-need-to-use-them-better/</guid><description>I use Claude Code for hours every day. Over the past two weeks I’ve run 176 sessions, made 265 commits, and hit an 88% achievement rate across tasks. A strange thing to admit when I’d still consider myself anti-AI in many respects. You see, I started to take the ol’ “If you can’t beat ’em, […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:07:44 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>We Need Better Guardrails On AI, Yesterday</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/we-need-better-guardrails-on-ai-yesterday/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/we-need-better-guardrails-on-ai-yesterday/</guid><description>“We’ll use AI responsibly.” Have you heard a statement like this from leadership or a colleague? Maybe you haven’t even experienced those hollow words and were dismissed or ignored when trying to raise this topic. Worse, maybe you work for an AI company and know sufficient guardrails aren’t being built in? Last month, an AI-related […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:21:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Good Design Is Iterative</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/good-design-is-iterative/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/good-design-is-iterative/</guid><description>Good design is iterative. Yes, I made a blanket statement, and yes, I am standing by it. What do I mean? Iterative design builds better products through repeated cycles of prototyping, testing, and refining based on feedback. The success of a design is also contextual, based on the current end-users, their problems they need help […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:08:01 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Six Years Later, I Finally Fixed My Ethics Framework</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/six-years-later-i-finally-fixed-my-ethics-framework/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/six-years-later-i-finally-fixed-my-ethics-framework/</guid><description>I started building these principles in 2018. That’s not a brag, it’s a confession. Because if it took six years to get them right, I clearly didn’t have them right the first time. Version 1 launched in October 2020. Twelve principles, each described in a single sentence. Things like “the system should invite diversity of […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:59:16 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>5 Down, 17 to Go: My March Product Madness</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/5-down-17-to-go-my-march-product-madness/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/5-down-17-to-go-my-march-product-madness/</guid><description>I’m challenging myself to ship 22 MVPs this March, one every weekday, fueled by my love for TTRPGs, design systems, and rapid prototyping. While I do allow myself to work on some of them for multiple days, at least two a week I am trying to start and finish in just one day. Week 1 […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 23:06:38 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Design Hand-Off Files, and A Font</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/design-hand-off-files-and-a-font/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/design-hand-off-files-and-a-font/</guid><description>Design hand-off I used to do a lot of freelance/consulting work. I had a system down for negotiating contracts, aligning on final agreements, and ensuring clients understood what they were receiving and what to do with it next. I took several years off from that type of work, but lately I’ve been re-exploring it, starting […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:44:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Reflection and Self-Improvement</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/reflection-and-self-improvement/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/reflection-and-self-improvement/</guid><description>Recently, during a group product discussion, several folks asked me to elaborate on how I approach retrospectives and reflection. What they didn’t expect was that part of what has led to a pretty successful career is less about my professional nature than about how I approach reflection and self-improvement in general. No matter the walk […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:40:04 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Patterns In Low-Design-Maturity Orgs</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/patterns-in-low-design-maturity-orgs/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/patterns-in-low-design-maturity-orgs/</guid><description>Lately, as I’ve been giving or forming new industry talks, continuing to coach folks, and interviewing at various orgs, I’ve been chatting with UX and Product Designers across the board: individual contributors, leads, heads of design. The whole gamut! There’s a pattern emerging. Common struggles I keep hearing: Product decisions made without user input (or […]</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:21:47 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What makes a good strategy?</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/what-makes-a-good-strategy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/what-makes-a-good-strategy/</guid><description>I have worked with several agencies, consulted independently for 20 years, and held full-time roles at numerous organizations, big and small, creating and executing business and product strategies that have led to success and meaningful growth. I frequently encounter the same pitfalls from leaders and teams trying to build or execute strategy, and I also […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 11:52:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>When Pygmalion Met Galatea</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/when-pygmalion-met-galatea/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/when-pygmalion-met-galatea/</guid><description>Pygmalion had an unusual name. It was one of the many things he felt judged for, and had begun to think people may be right about. As he walked to the cafe, he repeated in his head, over and over, how his boss had given his name a disappointing intonation. Oh, Pig-mawleeyawn, she’d say, drolling it […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:51:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>From Autistic Masking to Resiliency and Self-Awareness</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/from-autistic-masking-to-resiliency-and-self-awareness/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/from-autistic-masking-to-resiliency-and-self-awareness/</guid><description>We’ve all taken personality tests in some form or another. During my career, I’ve taken DiSC and Myers-Briggs more times than I can count, often multiple times within the same organization. Something I have prided myself on is that every time I take one of these tests, I get an entirely different result. One time, much to the frustration […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:51:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Catharsis or complicity?</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/catharsis-or-complicity/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/catharsis-or-complicity/</guid><description>A good friend sent me the song Complicit, Repeat by Bambu, in between us talking about Apple’s TV show, Pluribus, and it got my mind churning. “The most miserable person in the world must save the world from happiness.” That’s Apple’s tagline for the new show, where all of humanity save for 12 people are infected with […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:50:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Using AI for Slop Answers In Education</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/using-ai-for-slop-answers-in-education/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/using-ai-for-slop-answers-in-education/</guid><description>Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash I’m always learning something. Recently, I’ve been taking several drawing classes, as well as product management courses. What has surprised me is the amount of AI-slop responses that other students submit as answers to the optional group questions or peer-reviewed assignments. One of the platforms I use most is Coursera. On Coursera, […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:49:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Project Basics</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/project-basics/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/project-basics/</guid><description>Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash How do you actually start to turn something into a project? A good friend at work recently asked me for help. “How do you project-ify things?” She asked. Outside of meeting with her and coaching her through her first few projects, here are some of the things I shared with […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:49:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Effective Leaders Need To Pivot Communication Styles</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/effective-leaders-need-to-pivot-communication-styles/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/effective-leaders-need-to-pivot-communication-styles/</guid><description>I’ve been coaching a lot of teams and individuals the last few years, and I consistently come back to communication essentials. Whether unintentionally skewing toward command-and-control, lacking empathy, or simply ignorant to how their communication affects others, many aspiring leaders I speak to or hear about struggle to get the outcomes they desire from their […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:48:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Get Out</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/get-out/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/get-out/</guid><description>Nothing is better for a shift in perspective than travelling and experiencing other cultures, approaches, and frames of thought. One of the most dangerous things in the world is certainty. To paraphrase Conclave: Certainty is the great enemy of unity, and certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. What have you allowed to become an […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:47:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Good design isn’t just useful or beautiful. It’s responsible.</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/good-design-isnt-just-useful-or-beautiful-its-responsible/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/good-design-isnt-just-useful-or-beautiful-its-responsible/</guid><description>Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash Good design isn’t just useful or beautiful. It’s responsible. Responsible design cares about impact, not just outcomes. But working with this type of care and consideration means asking harder questions: Who benefits? Who loses? Who isn’t even at the table? This isn’t charity, either. Accessible, responsible, diverse solutions serve […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:47:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>❌ Stop normalizing buying and selling people’s personal info</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/%e2%9d%8c-stop-normalizing-buying-and-selling-peoples-personal-info/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/%e2%9d%8c-stop-normalizing-buying-and-selling-peoples-personal-info/</guid><description>I’ve gone to great lengths to scrub my personal phone number and details from business channels online. Yet there are entire companies, looking at you, ZoomInfo and friends, whose whole business model is to scrape, expose, buy, and sell people’s private information for profit. This isn’t “sales enablement.” It’s commodifying consent. Cold outreach already feels […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:46:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Stealing conversations: Consentless outreach is bad business</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/stealing-conversations-consentless-outreach-is-bad-business/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/stealing-conversations-consentless-outreach-is-bad-business/</guid><description>This is going to rub some (sales) folks the wrong way. Sourcing someone’s personal information and using it to cold call or message them without consent is not just bad etiquette. It’s bad business. It’s also wildly unethical. If you dig through old directories, scrape data from questionable sources, or use tools that give you […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2025 11:45:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Product Ops with Techies 15 Live</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-ops-with-techies-15-live/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-ops-with-techies-15-live/</guid><description>I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Wunmi Adekanmbi from Techies 15 Live for a quick 15 minute podcast covering Product Operations. Check out the recording here. We’re excited to welcome Spencer Goldade, Director of Product Operations at ZayZoon, to this week’s Techies 15 Live! With over 15 years of experience, Spencer has led […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2025 11:45:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Accountability alignment exercises</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/accountability-alignment-exercises/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/accountability-alignment-exercises/</guid><description>Back when I worked at Benevity there were several times when we had changing expectations, team make-up, team goals, and culture. One of the biggest areas that some teams struggled with was the transformation from a waterfall team to an agile, empowered, and semi-autonomous team. To help several of the teams with this problem, one […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2025 11:42:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Fundamentals of change management</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/fundamentals-of-change-management/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/fundamentals-of-change-management/</guid><description>I’ve done several change management courses over the years and helped many organizations and teams through transformation. The fundamentals of change management are simpler than you think. It’s getting them right in execution that’s hard! Here is how I would distill a lot of change management 101: 1️⃣⁠ ⁠Start with the “why” Always explain why […]</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 11:44:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Meetings that should’ve been a fire drill</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/meetings-that-shouldve-been-a-fire-drill/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/meetings-that-shouldve-been-a-fire-drill/</guid><description>Oh, boy. Let’s talk about something that’s slowly bleeding your SaaS org dry: bad meetings. You know the ones. Half the invite list doesn’t know why they’re there, the other half doesn’t know how to leave. There’s no agenda, no focus, and no follow-through. Just vibes. And those vibes? Bad, bad, naughty, no good. Ineffective […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2025 11:43:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The best leaders aren’t the loudest</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-best-leaders-arent-the-loudest/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-best-leaders-arent-the-loudest/</guid><description>The best leaders aren’t the loudest&amp;#8230; they’re the most accountable and humble. 📉 Teams with leaders who lack humility experience higher turnover, lower engagement, and slower innovation.📈 Leaders who admit mistakes and take responsibility build psychological safety, trust, and stronger team performance. Accountability means owning outcomes.Humility means making space for others to contribute, lead, and […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 23:39:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>There is a cost to over-prioritizing growth</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/there-is-a-cost-to-over-prioritizing-growth/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/there-is-a-cost-to-over-prioritizing-growth/</guid><description>Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash One article I recommend all product folks read is Cory Doctorow’s original “Enshittification of TikTok” where the term was coined. As we see capitalists rise further to prominence, there’s a drive in the industry for “growth at all costs.” What Doctorow helps outline, though, is that there is and […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:38:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Product Operations</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-operations/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-operations/</guid><description>What follows is an article I have rewritten for various teams over and over again for the last 4 years to help them understand Product Operations. I hope it helps you as it has them! The most recent iteration borrows heavily from the recent Product Operations book by Melissa Perri. Intro Product Ops is basically […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:37:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Product aphorisms</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-aphorisms/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-aphorisms/</guid><description>As you scale teams, impact, and scope, adding new products and features, it’s important to remember a few things: 1&amp;#xFE0F;&amp;#x20E3; Every feature carries operational debt. When you build something, you’re not just responsible for its launch. You own its lifespan. 2&amp;#xFE0F;&amp;#x20E3; No one cares about your feature. They care about their problem. Products don’t matter. […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:36:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Elements of Product Design</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-elements-of-product-design/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-elements-of-product-design/</guid><description>I’ve spoken and written at length about what Product Design is in the past. Product Design says “Yes, and,” to all of what UX and UI roles do. This role can be a true unlock to business success when enabled and unleashed in the right direction with the right team to collaborate with. Unfortunately, many […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 11:35:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The paradox of tolerance</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-paradox-of-tolerance/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-paradox-of-tolerance/</guid><description>I’ve been chatting with way too many people lately about what I would boil down to tolerance. The thing is, I think we can easily look to history, the microcosms of various businesses, and other countries, as examples, and they all seem to eventually point to the same insight Karl Popper tried to teach us […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 11:34:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>January is for prioritization</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/january-is-for-prioritization/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/january-is-for-prioritization/</guid><description>I see January as a time for reflection and redirection. It’s an opportunity to pause, evaluate, and realign both personal and professional goals. Here are a few key questions I ask myself during this period: Am I/are we happy? How do I/we see our current lifestyle changing this year? Are we earning enough for our […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:33:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Corporate Espionage vs. Healthy Competition</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/corporate-espionage-vs-healthy-competition/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/corporate-espionage-vs-healthy-competition/</guid><description>Competition is inevitable. It drives innovation, keeps us sharp, and ultimately benefits customers. But what happens when the spirit of competition gives way to deception, sabotage, or unethical practices like corporate espionage? Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed unsettling instances of espionage: employees planted by competitors (yes, really), competitors joining demos under false pretenses, and even […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:31:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Power of Diversity: Building Better Products for Everyone</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-power-of-diversity-building-better-products-for-everyone/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-power-of-diversity-building-better-products-for-everyone/</guid><description>I’ve shared before that I believe the systems we create should invite and embrace a diversity of personal identities, ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds. Whether it’s a product, a service, or a process, diversity isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” it’s a critical factor for reducing harm, increasing value, and minimizing risk. Why does diversity matter in product […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jan 2025 11:29:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Empowerment via enablement</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/empowerment-via-enablement/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/empowerment-via-enablement/</guid><description>There’s a critical misconception I’m seeing in a lot of product circles around empowerment. Many leaders and teams struggle to empower their teams and end up experiencing chaos as a byproduct. Here’s the thing: empowerment without structure, enablement, guidance, and support can lead to disorganization, misalignment, and frustration. On the other hand, strong enablement, coaching, […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 11:27:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>We need to stop idolizing billionaires</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/we-need-to-stop-idolizing-billionaires/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/we-need-to-stop-idolizing-billionaires/</guid><description>LinkedIn is rife with posts idolizing Elon Musk, Bezos, Bloomberg, Gates, and Warren Buffett, among other billionaire oligarchs. Success isn’t inherently bad, and yes, some of these figures have made meaningful contributions. But turning them into untouchable icons is dangerous, for us, for society, and for democracy itself. Why is this dangerous? It distorts reality:Billionaires […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:27:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Why are companies quietly abandoning DEI? A call to action</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/why-are-companies-quietly-abandoning-dei-a-call-to-action/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/why-are-companies-quietly-abandoning-dei-a-call-to-action/</guid><description>I’ve started hearing from friends and colleagues at other organizations that DEI, or BJEDI as I call it (Belonging, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), is quietly disappearing from websites and materials, or toxic employees are feeling emboldened and acting out against marginalized coworkers or customers. In the wake of the 2024 election, some businesses are […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:26:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Avoiding distracting, shiny objects</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/avoiding-distracting-shiny-objects/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/avoiding-distracting-shiny-objects/</guid><description>In business, it’s easy to get distracted by the latest buzzword or shiny object. Lately, AI and Machine Learning have been seen as silver bullets, but blindly chasing trends can do more harm than good. Many companies seem to feel the pressure to jump on the bandwagon, convinced it’s part of the secret to remaining […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Nov 2024 23:24:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Toward a just world</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/toward-a-just-world/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/toward-a-just-world/</guid><description>Friends, In moments when the principles of equality, dignity, and respect are tested, it’s crucial to hold tight to what we know is right. Today, more than ever, I’m reminded of the importance of standing together, defending the values that make our communities strong and safe for everyone. Whether in our workplaces or personal lives, […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:23:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Navigating confidence when it’s not safe to fail</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/navigating-confidence-when-its-not-safe-to-fail/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/navigating-confidence-when-its-not-safe-to-fail/</guid><description>“Always know what and how much the other person has been drinking before entering a pissing contest.” – Old proverb A story I heard an interesting story this week about someone who admits to rarely knowing any answer in their field but tells people to leave it with them because they know best and will […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 03 Nov 2024 11:23:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The pendulum of quality</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-pendulum-of-quality/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/the-pendulum-of-quality/</guid><description>🎮❌ I just cancelled my X-Box Game Pass subscription. I do so for the same reason I think many people cancel subscriptions: The value promise isn’t being fulfilled I’m seeing quality go down Some of the comms feel disingenuous They let me down on a couple of big releases that seemed unfinished or felt underwhelming […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:22:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Become a Champion of WHY</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/become-a-champion-of-why/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/become-a-champion-of-why/</guid><description>❓If you aren’t measuring it, how do you know it was successful?❓If you aren’t measuring it, are you only doing work for work’s sake? 🤔 Why should anyone care? Show me with evidence! 😍 Outcomes &gt; Outputs.⚠️ Outputs ≠ Value. It’s so simple, yet so many teams skip measurement. Many of the teams I have […]</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:19:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Product Manager, Project Manager, or Product Owner? Know the difference.</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-manager-project-manager-or-product-owner-know-the-difference/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/product-manager-project-manager-or-product-owner-know-the-difference/</guid><description>These three roles get thrown around a lot, often incorrectly. 🔍 Project Manager: Focuses on timelines, milestones, and resources Responsible for the execution of a plan, ensuring it’s delivered on time and within scope Typically manages cross-functional team alignment Often has specialized certifications like PMP (Project Management Professional) and others Typically has a focus on […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:16:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Is your team obsessed with building MVPs? It’s time to rethink.</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/is-your-team-obsessed-with-building-mvps-its-time-to-rethink/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/is-your-team-obsessed-with-building-mvps-its-time-to-rethink/</guid><description>The term “Minimum Viable Product” has lost its way. Over the years, the focus on MVPs has pushed many teams toward an output-over-outcome mindset. But here’s the thing: The term MVP obscures what really matters Instead, I break an MVP down into two crucial components: MER (Minimum Effort for Return) MEL (Minimum Effort to Learn) […]</description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:16:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What is Product Design (PD) or Product Experience (PX)?</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/what-is-product-design-pd-or-product-experience-px/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/what-is-product-design-pd-or-product-experience-px/</guid><description>In product development, the terms “Product Design” (PD) and “Product Experience” (PX) often get tossed around, sometimes interchangeably. But there’s a distinction that catches even seasoned professionals off guard. While many believe they operate within the realms of PX or PD, they often describe responsibilities that align more closely with other functions, revealing a gap […]</description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:13:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Beyond Buzzwords: KYC and KYB</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/beyond-buzzwords-kyc-and-kyb/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/beyond-buzzwords-kyc-and-kyb/</guid><description>Have you ever sat in a meeting and felt lost when industry jargon started flying around? You’re not alone. Terms like KYC and KYB often leave even seasoned professionals scratching their heads. Coaching, mentoring, networking, and when interviewing, you get to hear a lot of interesting lingo. Two terms that keep popping up in my […]</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:12:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Outcomes vs outputs</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/outcomes-vs-outputs/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/outcomes-vs-outputs/</guid><description>One of the most common topics I coach junior product design, product management, and general business folks about is the difference between outcomes and outputs. One of my employees recently told me it was one of the most valuable things he’d finally learned all year. There’s a constant pressure to deliver at work. We all […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:42:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>From competition to contribution: finding the balance to transform your business</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/from-competition-to-contribution-finding-the-balance-to-transform-your-business/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/from-competition-to-contribution-finding-the-balance-to-transform-your-business/</guid><description>The problem with competition Competition is often heralded as the engine of innovation and progress. Companies and individuals alike are driven to excel, vying for market share, top positions, and accolades. However, in my experience, relentlessly pursuing a competitive edge can foster a toxic work environment, heighten stress, and narrow the focus on individual success […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jul 2024 10:39:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Coaching others is a path to mutual growth</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/coaching-others-is-a-path-to-mutual-growth/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/coaching-others-is-a-path-to-mutual-growth/</guid><description>One of the most rewarding aspects of my professional journey has been the opportunity to coach others, which I have tried to make time for every week for the past several years. While my primary aim is to give back and support the growth of my colleagues, I’ve found that the process significantly contributes to […]</description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jul 2024 22:38:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Building agency and resilience</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/building-agency-and-resilience/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/building-agency-and-resilience/</guid><description>Living with autism, anxiety, OCD, and chronic pain As someone diagnosed with autism, an anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and chronic pain, I’ve come to realize a few things. Being diagnosed as autistic years ago is hardly one of the interesting things about me. These days, I embrace my awkwardness, confront my challenges head-on, and […]</description><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 22:34:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Differences in design</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/differences-in-design/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/differences-in-design/</guid><description>UI, UX, PD, what gives? Two of the most frequent points of confusion I face in Product are folks not understanding Product Design and how it differs from other types of design and folks not understanding Product Management and how it differs from Product Owner (in the Agile sense) and Project Management. Today, I’ll chat […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Jun 2024 22:36:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Communication, collaboration, and coordination at scale</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/communication-collaboration-and-coordination-at-scale/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/communication-collaboration-and-coordination-at-scale/</guid><description>What was easy when we were small is now hard If you’ve seen me talk or read many of my various musings online, you know that I champion what I consider three of the most important things in business operations and effectiveness, the 3Cs: Communication Collaboration Coordination I’ve spoken at length about how if we […]</description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Jun 2024 22:33:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How we work together</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/how-we-work-together/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/how-we-work-together/</guid><description>Lived experience and opinions for product teams All teams have different needs that cause them to organize, communicate, collaborate, coordinate, and recruit differently. There is no one-size-fits-all all. Entire books have been written on just this subject! I’m going to share some of my experience and opinions on how best product teams can work together. For some […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Jun 2024 22:32:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Allyship</title><link>https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/allyship/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://spencergoldade.ca/articles/allyship/</guid><description>Encouragement for fellow men I was recently asked to speak on a panel about allyship as part of IWD (International Women’s Day). Here are some of my thoughts. &amp;#8212; On allyship Ally is a verb. Being an ally is active. It’s not passive. Not neutral. And it’s not done. It’s every day. It’s about showing […]</description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Jun 2024 18:15:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>