Everybody's different. What are your team's weaknesses and strengths?
Working with a new team is always revealing. No matter how many questions you ask beforehand, the reality can be messier and more complex.
- Some teams are SEO machines, but have tangled information architecture.
- Some have incredible design, but no design system.
- Some are engineering-led with brilliant talent but low velocity.
- Some have great ideas, but no way to measure or experiment.
- Some have nailed product-led growth, but lack content strategy.
- Some have great content writers, but under-invest in documentation or developer evangelism.
The combinations are endless. And that's what makes the work fascinating.
Every company balances different strengths: SEO, sales, design, engineering, PLG, marketing, content, documentation, field marketing, developer relations, AI… the list goes on. There’s no perfect formula, just different approaches, constraints, and histories.
What are the biggest surprises you've encountered when joining a new org?
About the author
Brandon is an engineer who loves leading, planning, designing, growth and analytics.
Five books everyone should read:
Are Your Lights On, The First 90 Days, Elements of Persuasion, Humans vs Computers, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
Favorite quotes:
- Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.
- If a park ranger warns you about the bears, it ain’t cause he’s trying to keep all the bear hugs for himself.
- A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.