Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma)

Apr 21, 2024

01:40:40

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Mihika Kapoor, a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, discusses taking ideas from 0 to 1 at companies, crafting compelling visions, vulnerability, intuition in decision-making, balancing collaboration with strong opinions, team culture building, pivoting gracefully, and the impact of AI revolution on PM.

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Quick takeaways

Crafting a compelling vision is crucial for guiding team progress in product development cycles.

Developing strong conviction aids in navigating challenges and fostering collaboration within the team.

Building hype around a product involves creating forward momentum and inspiring confidence among team members and users.

Operationalizing insights and fostering a close relationship with sales are key for driving product development and user engagement.

Deep dives

Crafting a Compelling Vision with User Involvement

Creating a vision is crucial, anchoring the team's progress on it through the unpredictable product development cycle. Interact closely with users and team, ensuring a strong understanding of their needs for crafting a compelling vision. Utilize research insights, design prototypes, and engineering feasibility to iterate and communicate the vision effectively.

Crafting a Vision for Success

01:18

Creating Momentum and Anchoring Opinions in Product Management

00:50

Importance of Caring and Understanding Assumptions in Product Management

03:28

Embrace strengths and outsource weaknesses

01:24

Introduction

5min

Crafting a Compelling Vision for Product Management and Team Collaboration

25min

The Significance of Direct Communication and Continuous Feedback in Relationships

2min

Driving Excitement and Creating Hype for Products

19min

Importance of Caring and Understanding Assumptions in Product Management

3min

Embracing Passion and Building Culture in Company Dynamics

12min

Thriving with Limited Resources and Resilience

23min

Fostering Entrepreneurial Culture Through Shared Insights

8min

Managing Expectations in Life and Work

4min

Mihika Kapoor is a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, where she was an early PM on FigJam and is now spearheading development on a new product at the company that’s coming out this June. She’s known as the go-to person at Figma for leading new 0-to-1 products, and, as you’ll hear in our conversation, beloved by everyone she works with. Her background includes founding Design Nation, a national nonprofit focused on democratizing design education for undergraduates; spearheading product launches at Meta; and community building within the NYC AI startup scene. In our conversation, we discuss:

• How to effectively take ideas from 0 to 1 at larger companies

• How to craft a compelling vision

• The importance of vulnerability and feedback

• The role of intuition and product sense in making decisions

• How to practically communicate your vision

• How to balance collaboration and strong opinions

• Advice for building a strong team culture

• Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm

• The current AI revolution and its impact on PM

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