S1E7 VIDEO Mike Neff on Puzzle Perspective, Leadership Blind Spots, and Asking the Right Questions

What if the real reason your product failed wasn’t the team or the timeline—but that you were solving the wrong puzzle entirely? In this episode, I talk with Mike Neff, a seasoned product design leader, about what happened when he joined a company headed for IPO—and discovered that everything he thought he knew about success, alignment, and leadership was just one small piece of a much bigger picture. We cover:

• Why “doing everything right” isn’t enough
• How to spot invisible misalignment before it wrecks your roadmap
• Using design tools to align stakeholders (not just users)
• What to ask when nothing makes sense
• Why puzzle perspective is a leadership superpower

If you're a designer, PM, or exec trying to make a real impact in a complex org—this one’s for you.