Julie Zhuo: uncertainty

Transcript context

…How good is Lenny at doing a zero to one type of project in the AI space, right? So again, just can think about these as infinite dimensions. And the reality is each of our profiles is very unique. It's like a fingerprint. So for you, it's like, these are all these areas that you're really great at, you know, much better, like in the top 1%. And then there's some areas where in the top 10%, then there's some areas where like kind of average, and then some dimensions in which you're worse than average compared to other people. And that's just true for all of us. And what I like about that is, therefore, if you take that as the model, right, things that then you realize that none of these dimensions are you entirely. So we can be, you know, I can make a comment like, Lenny, your axe throwing really could use some improvement. And ideally, you're not like, Julie is saying I'm a bad person. My identity is at risk, right? Because it's just one dimension of who you are. But what happens sometimes is that we can get very attached to certain dimensions because we start to think that that's who we are. And I think managers can do that. And clearly individuals on their teams. And when that happens, it starts to get very difficult to have, I think, more objective conversations about, okay, what can you get better at? What can get worse at? And so I say all this because I think this framework for me, at least, and many people that I've talked to has helped them realize that somebody can give you feedback or you can be maybe not great at certain dimensions. We can have room to improve. And that's not who you are, because you are all of these infinite dimensions in one. And none of them is representative of your true worth as an individual. I am a big believer that we are all beautiful and worthy. And sure, we have all of these skills. And yes, we want to improve those skills. But it does not speak to whether we are worthy or not by saying whether we are strong or weak in these skills. And so I think if you can take that and really internalize that, then you can look at yourself a little bit more objectively as a manager. And you can realize that there are areas where you're going to be really strong. There are areas where you have biases and often they are one and the same. So I'll give an example. People have often told me, as I would get this in my performance reviews from managers in the past, like, hey, Julie, you're really thoughtful. So, you know, when you think about something, you have like a way to think about it. You've clearly thought about it in depth and you've got like these frameworks and all this. That's a great thing. And then on the flip side, I'll get feedback like, well, Julie, you don't really say a lot in a dynamic discussion. Like you're kind of quiet and you don't really think that quickly on your feet. And what you realize is like, these are kind of, again, because I don't do that and I'm not just off the cuff, scussion. Like you're kind of quiet and you don't really think that quickly on your feet. And what you realize is like, these are kind of, again, because I don't do that and I'm not just off the cuff, that's what allows me to oftentimes be very, very thoughtful, right? Or like that, at least again, when I was younger, like it's sort of, it's very clear that that particular weakness also very much speaking to a particular strength, which is I am the kind of person that doesn't always have a snap judgment. I have to really think about it and internalize it and sometimes get to how I feel and then I can share it and present it in the world. And so just knowing that about me is supremely helpful. Now, doesn't mean, of course, that I can never get better at this thing. But what I often think about is mastery is where we realize that both of these we can get better at. And what we want to do is just Figure out in the context what makes sense to be. So I got this feedback and I'm like, cool. One of the things I need to work on is figuring out how to be more open in person, how to speak a little bit more clearly in person, maybe say things like, I don't know exactly how I feel about it yet, but this is what I'm thinking right now. There's still clear tactics that will allow me to be a more effective team member and to do a better job in the context of what I'm trying to do with my team. So I've tried to build those skills. But the meta skill is now being able to step back and say, okay, in certain context, it is really important that we move fast and we are decisive and we just do something. And even if it's not perfect, we just kind of have to do it. And if I struggle with that, I should realize that that's an area to improve upon. But there are other contexts in which the right thing to do is actually to take a step back and be very thoughtful and to not rush into decisions. And so that's like so what I want to get to is not like let's reject this strength or this weakness, but just know that that's like where we come from. That's naturally we might be wired in a particular way. Our growth often looks like getting better at doing the opposite, but not rejecting, again, the thing that we're good at, but rather over time, getting to this balance where we can read the context and the situation and know, should I lean a little more thoughtful? Or is this a time where I need to try and be a little more decisive and just share what's on my mind right now? I love this advice that things that we are incredible at have a downside. And oftentimes the feedback we're getting is something we're not great at. There's like a good version of that that people appreciate. And I was going to ask you, and I think you answered most of this, but just when you got this feedback of, hey, Julie, you're not speaking enough in these meetings. You're not contributing quickly enough. Yeah. It sounds like so one option is just like, OK, cool, that's me. That's how I am. And I'm just going to solve the problem this other way and then just not going to change anything. What I heard you say is find opportunities where that's actually you want to actually change that behavior, even though it doesn't come naturally in specific situations where things are moving fast. I guess just how far do you recommend people push themselves in things they're not great at versus leaning further, further into their things, their strengths?…

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