Recent Reading April and May 2025

A list of what I’ve read recently that I found useful, interesting or relatable:

There’s no speed limit

On many things, there really is no speed limit. Many topics can be grokked fast, many goals achieved rapidly.

With the usual caveat… When we go fast (and break things), we might have to balance it out by coming back doing things well later. Depending on the outcomes we’re seeking.

Everything is a product

A showcase of how everything is a product. Starting with toothpaste and ending with a set of questions you can apply to anything.

Most recently I used the questions to plan a meeting, which shaped the meeting quite differently from its usual form, leading to better experience for everyone.

Quick Primer on Model Context Protocol (MCP)

A short, hands-on example of building an MCP server. It helped me get a much better understanding of what MCP servers are.

The manager I hated and the lesson he taught me

I’m seeing two topics that hit close to home. Communication and Ego.

Communication

How do we provide feedback to our colleagues about their work? How do we communicate that they’re making a mistake, and how do we communicate the context that makes us believe that they’re making a mistake? How do we stay kind? Kind isn’t the same as nice. As Brené Brown says: Clear is kind, unclear is unkind. How do we reconcile the differences, because maybe we misunderstood something? How do we adapt to the unique needs of each of our colleagues?

A long time ago I had a senior colleague who did not communicate his context in ways I would understand, and we would argue a lot. Looking back, I think my colleague’s ideas were generally the better ideas, and unfortunately at the time, I was too inexperienced to see it. And neither my colleague nor our manager were able to communicate the context in ways that I would understand. It was so uncomfortable and frustrating to be in that situation, and I can imagine it felt the same to my colleague.

I try to avoid the same trap as much as I can by communicating the context, communicating the why, and aligning the expectations. I try to ask for feedback, to know when to do things differently. And I am sure I still fall into the trap at times.

Ego

It is very easy to take criticism of our work as a criticism of ourselves. And at the same time, it really isn’t the same.

In the past, I based most of my identity on work. Then any criticism of my work felt as criticism of me, of the very core that made who I was. Because I had too much of my ego depend on my work. Not great.

Then I started building up life outside of work—building friendships and connections, engaging in hobbies. Building a sense of self-worth encompassing more than just work. And my oh my, did that help.