Better Questions
Most of us start with 'how'. The best entrepreneurs start with 'why'. That's where the actual problems exist.
I was chatting with a product leader last week.
She's built products used by millions. Led teams at companies you'd recognize. The kind of person who's seen every framework, every methodology, every "revolutionary" approach to product development.
So I ask her what separates great product people from good ones.
She pauses. Thinks for a moment. "Better questions beat better data every time."
And yet. Most teams are obsessed with collecting more data. More user analytics. More A/B test results. More surveys. More metrics dashboards that nobody actually looks at.
They're hoarding information like it's going to solve their problems automatically.
But here's what the best product people understand. Data without the right questions is just noise. You can have all the metrics in the world and still build the wrong thing.
Ask them how they approach a new feature. They don't start with "what does the data say?" They start with "what are we really trying to solve here?"
Watch them in user interviews. They're not just gathering feedback. They're probing deeper. "Why did you do that?" "What were you thinking when this happened?" "Walk me through your process."
The curious ones crack the code. Not because they have access to better information. But because they ask better questions about the information everyone already has.
Here's to those who lead with curiosity instead of certainty. Who know that the right question can unlock insights that no amount of data can provide.
Keep asking!
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