Every time I see Julie Zhuo produce a new article, there is always a little contradiction in secret:
On the one hand, I read it once or twice to quench my thirst, add to my thinking mode, and want to make a translation and publish a blog as if I brought back something delicious;
On the one hand, I feel that this kind of content is like "there", and it is not as powerful as practical/time-sensitive information.
When did I start caring about concepts like "communication power"? There is no official announcement to be on the hot search.
A solid article from Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design at Facebook.
1. How to be Strategic
You may have heard that as your career progresses, your work needs to be more strategic. So what exactly is "strategic"?
I used to understand "strategic work" this way:
Set quantitative goals;
Break the rules and come up with new ideas;
Work hard and inspire others by example;
write long documents;
Create working framework;
Use the whiteboard to draw diagrams.
So I did my best to follow these points. I assembled brainstorms, produced documentation at scale, and skillfully applied KPIs and related considerations. I did it one by one, thinking I was more and more strategic.
However, just because you can play the guitar doesn't mean you know how to make music.
I gradually found that I didn't really Latest Mailing Database understand what "strategic" was. Nobody told me. I simply believe that being involved in high-level work is what is called being "strategic."
If you are also confused in this area, then I hope this article can bring you some reference.
2. What is "strategy"
Broadly speaking, a "strategy" refers to a series of behavioral planning to achieve a specific goal, like designing a path from point A to point B. A more interesting question is, "What constitutes an effective strategy?".
To quote Richard Rumelt's definition:
"A good strategy is a set of credible and coherent actions focused on how to overcome obstacles and achieve goals."
We deconstruct this definition:
Achieving goals : Be clear about what "success" means;
A series of actions : practical event planning;
Credible and coherent : The plan must have clear meaning and credibility, and can be executed smoothly;
Focus on how to overcome obstacles : have a clear judgment on the problem and allocate resources through planning to solve the problem.
Now that we know the definitions, let's go back and see if my old list is truly strategic:
Set quantitative goals : This naturally falls under the category of “strategy,” but it’s not enough. In addition to goals, you need credible action plans. "Our strategy is to set more positive goals", such a "strategy" is just an empty promise;
Break the rules and come up with new ideas : If there is no clear understanding of the problem and the rules themselves, then brainstorming any new ideas is pointless or even completely different
Work hard and inspire others : Hard work is naturally an excellent way of doing things, but "acting" is not necessarily the same as progress in the right direction. You can't judge the success or failure of a goal based on whether you work hard or not;
Write long documents : or can be strategic, but depends on the substance. Effective strategic content is usually relatively simple, rather than a tedious tome, as it must be ensured that the complexity does not exceed the ability to execute;
Create a framework for work : Frameworks help explain and organize concepts, but are not the same as "planning." A clear frame is equivalent to a map, but you still need to clearly mark the course of action in it;
Use the whiteboard to draw diagrams : It will look professional, but it is easy to be filled with too many obscure terms and lack of practicality.
3. How to be more strategic
The analysis is clear, but the question remains unanswered: How to make design work more strategic?
1. Have a clear definition of "success"
easy to say, hard to do. Imagine your team is going to be a huge success three years from now, what will that look like then? Write down your answers, then ask other colleagues the same question to see how their answers differ.