Phyl Terry
Phyl Terry is the author of Never Search Alone, which I’ve seen so many people reference as the most impactful guide they read for finding a job. Phyl was on the founding team of the first company Amazon acquired back in the ’90s and then was CEO of pioneering product consulting firm Creative Good, with companies like Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft as customers.
Career Skills
Negotiate for the resources, budget, and organizational commitments required for your success before discussing personal compensation.
"I want you to go and talk to the hiring manager... I want you to say, 'This is great. I want to talk about money, but before we do, I want to think about some of the things that will set me up to see..."
Ask for higher compensation using collaborative, non-antagonistic language after establishing your value and commitment to the role.
"87% of the time, Lenny, when you ask for more money, you get it... I want you to say, 'Hey, are you open to 450? That was really what I was hoping for. What I think I'm worth, are you open to that? Is..."
Utilize 'dead or distant mentors' by deeply studying the historical decisions and philosophies of world-class leaders to guide your own professional judgment.
"One of the ways that everyone listening to this podcast today can get a mentor, you can get what I call a dead or distant mentor. Warren Buffett is my mentor, he just doesn't know it... I mean really..."
Use a two-step strategy to reach a goal role by taking an intermediate position that builds the necessary experience or proximity to the 'technology frontier.'
"I talk about this in the book. Sometimes you need a two-step strategy. Let's say you want to be a VP of product at a top streaming company or whatever it is, but you not a fit for that today. So the q..."
Hiring & Teams Skills
Use a 'negative response' reference check to identify truly exceptional candidates and bypass standard corporate platitudes.
"If you want to get references... you want to say, 'I'm about to hire Lenny. Okay, if it would be a huge mistake if I didn't bring him on, if you think he's amazing, then call me back. Otherwise, don't..."
Product Management Skills
Proactively define your own job mission and success metrics during the interview process to differentiate yourself and align expectations.
"When you start interviewing, I want you to create your own version of the job description... I want you to create what I call a job mission with OKRs... It needs to be something where you are saying,..."