Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I build high-craft software and the teams that build it. I'm looking for my next opportunity. Check out my resume and get in touch.

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Products and Tools

Simple Amazon wishlist display

MTAmazon is often used to insert a person’s wishlist into their page. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of installing MTAmazon to display your wishlist, or if you don’t use MT, here’s simple way to put your wishlist on any web page.

All you need to do is get the URL of your Amazon wishlist by going to Amazon’s wishlist page and looking up your email address. Once you find your list, copy the URL of the page you are on.

Then insert this simple bit of JavaScript code into your page…

<script src="http://kalsey.com/tools/amazon/wishlist/YOUR-WISHLIST-URL" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script>

…and replace “YOUR-WISHLIST-URL” with your actual wishlist URL. For example, the JavaScript for my wishlist is…

<script src="http://kalsey.com/tools/amazon/wishlist/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/registry/9TPZE7QC6FP/" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script>

This bit of JavaScript takes the top ten items from my wishlist and inserts it into my page like so:

Recently Written

Decoding Product Leadership Titles
Mar 18: Not all product leadership titles mean what they sound like. ‘Head of Product’ can mean anything from a senior PM to a true VP. Here’s how to tell the difference.
What branding can teach about culture
Jan 8: Culture is your company’s point of view in action—a framework guiding behavior, even in the unknown. You can’t copy it; it must reflect your unique perspective.
Think Systems, not Symptoms
Dec 15: Piecemeal process creation frustrates teams and slows work. Stop patching problems and start solving systems. Adopting a systems thinking approach helps you design processes that are efficient, aligned with goals, and truly add value.
Your Policies Aren’t Your Culture
Dec 13: Policies guide behavior, but culture is the lived norms and values of your team. Policies reflect culture -- they don’t define it. Netflix’s parental leave shift didn’t change its culture of freedom and responsibility. It clarified how to live it.
Lighten Your Process Burden
Dec 7: Everyone hates oppressive processes, but somehow we keep managing to create them.
Product Add-Ons Are An Expansion Myth
Dec 1: Add-ons can enhance your product’s appeal but won’t drive significant market growth. To expand your customer base, focus on developing standalone products.
Protecting your Product Soul when the Same Product meets New People.
Nov 23: Expand into new markets while preserving your product’s core value. Discover how to adapt and grow without losing your product’s soul.
Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.

Older...

What I'm Reading