
4 secrets of career-boosting companies
08/29/24 • 20 min
Not all successful companies can supercharge your career. And not all companies that struggle are bad for your career. How can you tell if your company, or one that you are consider, will supercharge your career? In this episode, we'll explore four key characteristics of career-accelerating companies: speed, market position, quality of talent, and development culture. Whether you're job hunting or evaluating your current role, these insights will help you identify environments that truly foster career growth.
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We also discuss:
- Strong signals of a supercharged company
- Why shipping velocity is crucial
- Learning opportunities at immature companies
- Looking for companies with strong talent
- What makes an excellent development culture
–
Referenced:
- Crafting a compelling career story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Reh9wTUIYc&t=913s
- Greatest hits on career advice with Peter Yang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BcCHEXAVVk
- Is my next job at a startup or big tech?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiELOo4_XGg&t=9s
- Should I join or leave an ex-hypergrowth company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-rr1cYYfEU
- Six superpowers of product managers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnsSwHP3d-c
- Stage of Company: A career unlock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59CRHQ6va0&t=2053s
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Where to find Nikhyl:
Find The Skip:
Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter or email me at: [email protected]
–
Timestamps
(00:00) Episode Teaser: How to 10x your career
(01:10) Introducing the framework
(03:41) The caller’s question
(05:00) 1: Speed and execution
(08:43) 2: Market position
(11:47) 3: Quality of talent
(15:27) 4: Development culture
(20:22) How to get in touch
Not all successful companies can supercharge your career. And not all companies that struggle are bad for your career. How can you tell if your company, or one that you are consider, will supercharge your career? In this episode, we'll explore four key characteristics of career-accelerating companies: speed, market position, quality of talent, and development culture. Whether you're job hunting or evaluating your current role, these insights will help you identify environments that truly foster career growth.
–
We also discuss:
- Strong signals of a supercharged company
- Why shipping velocity is crucial
- Learning opportunities at immature companies
- Looking for companies with strong talent
- What makes an excellent development culture
–
Referenced:
- Crafting a compelling career story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Reh9wTUIYc&t=913s
- Greatest hits on career advice with Peter Yang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BcCHEXAVVk
- Is my next job at a startup or big tech?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiELOo4_XGg&t=9s
- Should I join or leave an ex-hypergrowth company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-rr1cYYfEU
- Six superpowers of product managers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnsSwHP3d-c
- Stage of Company: A career unlock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59CRHQ6va0&t=2053s
–
Where to find Nikhyl:
Find The Skip:
Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter or email me at: [email protected]
–
Timestamps
(00:00) Episode Teaser: How to 10x your career
(01:10) Introducing the framework
(03:41) The caller’s question
(05:00) 1: Speed and execution
(08:43) 2: Market position
(11:47) 3: Quality of talent
(15:27) 4: Development culture
(20:22) How to get in touch
Previous Episode

Navigating careers while expecting
In this short and sharp "peacast" episode of The Skip, I share insights from a conversation with a pregnant Product Executive facing a career dilemma. She was convinced she needed to leave her current company, but while searching for a job, she got pregnant. And now she's been offered a new role at her company due to a reorganization. We discuss her options: accept the role, take a less senior role post-maternity leave, or seek opportunities elsewhere.
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We also discuss:
- Maximizing career potential without sacrificing family
- Reframing career decisions in the context of long-term growth
- How to have it all, just not at once
- The value of wartime leadership experience
- Overcoming job search anxiety
–
Referenced:
–
Where to find Nikhyl:
–
Find The Skip:
Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter or email me at: [email protected]
–
Timestamps
(00:07) Applying my career framework to the caller’s case
(02:13) Caller context
(02:52) Why one option is a “no-brainer”
(03:58) The value of wartime leadership experience
(07:43) Why you won’t regret choosing family > career
(09:53) The wisdom in “playing it safe”
(11:11) Key takeaways
(11:44) How to get in touch
Next Episode

Founder Mode, done right | Shreyas Doshi (ex-Stripe, Twitter, Google, Yahoo)
In this episode, I’m joined by product and leadership expert Shreyas Doshi to dissect Founder Mode, why it’s appealing, and how to activate it. We dive deep into Paul Graham's recent essay which struck a chord in the tech community and resonated strongly with many founders and leaders.
We also discuss:
- Why founder mode is a mindset, not a title
- Whether founder mode is good or bad
- Balancing detail and delegation
- The importance of product sense and good judgment
- Mastering founder mode as a product leader
- Operational insights from Meta and Stripe
Referenced:
- Crafting a compelling career story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Reh9wTUIYc&t=928s
- Paul Graham’s "Founder Mode": https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html
- Shreyas’ Tweet on founder mode’: https://x.com/shreyas/status/1830767630917214318
- Six superpowers of product managers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnsSwHP3d-c
- Shreyas’ previous appearance on the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_TnXtnY3QM&t=23s
- The 3 types of product leaders: https://x.com/shreyas/status/1375491623308550144
Where to find Shreyas:
Where to find Nikhyl:
Find The Skip:
Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, or Twitter. You can also email me at [email protected]
Timestamps
(00:00) Teaser: Unpacking founder mode
(02:47) What Shreyas has been up to
(04:04) Shreyas’ take on founder mode
(08:59) Why judgment and product sense is critical
(13:04) Balancing detail and delegation
(20:57) The key question for founders about ownership
(23:01) Not every company needs a CPO or Head of Product
(28:07) When product people should prioritize detail
(31:32) What everyone gets wrong about Steve Jobs
(34:22) Shreyas’ observation about John and Patrick Collison
(38:17) Nikhyl’s observation about Mark Zuckerberg
(40:05) Founder vs manager mode
(43:40) Should leaders avoid manager mode?
(48:17) Chase impact, not optics
(57:00) The 3 types of product leaders
(60:46) Aligning your environment, opinion, and superpower
(63:10) Shreyas’ non-consensus view on building product
(67:52) Mastering founder mode as a PM
(72:58) Getting in touch with Shreyas
(74:49) How to find Nikhyl
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