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.

Adam Kalsey

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

News and Commentary

A reason to buy

18 Sep 2002

Universal is releasing the new Bon Jovi album on special CDs that may combat piracy and encourage fans to buy the CD instead of downloading the MP3. But the CDs aren’t encrypted, disabled, or altered to keep you from ripping them.

Instead of treating their customers like crooks, Universal has decided to reward people for buying the CD. Each CD will include a unique serial number that can be used to sign up for exclusive offerings at Bon Jovi’s site. Fans who buy the CD will get the first shot at concert tickets, be able to download unreleased tracks, and more.

Says Business 2.0, "It’s one of the first times a record label has shown that it can compete with free—that is, the free music widely available on the dozens of file-swapping programs—by offering products and services that consumers can’t get anywhere else. It’s also one of the first times that a label has attempted to fight digital piracy by doing something other than filing lawsuits or targeting individual users." (Business 2.0 - The Music Industry Turns a Corner)

Recently Written

Should individual people have OKRs?
May 14: A good OKR describes and measures an outcome, but it can be challenging to create an outcome-focused OKR for an individual.
10 OKR traps and how to avoid them
May 8: I’ve helped lots of teams implement OKRs or fix a broken OKR process. Here are the 10 most common problems I see, and what to do instead.
AI is Smart, But Wisdom Requires Judgement
May 3: AI can process data at lightning speed, but wisdom comes from human judgment—picking the best imperfect option when facts alone don’t point the way.
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.

Older...

What I'm Reading