164: Fear Is Not The Enemy of Growth (ft. Aaron Nordyke)

What if fear isn’t the enemy of growth, but a compass pointing toward where you ought to go next? Aaron Nordyke, Head of Product at Drypowder, has built his career by leaning into discomfort rather than avoiding it.

From engineering leadership to his first product role at a pre-seed startup, Aaron shares how emotions signal professional values, why balanced teams outperform individual expertise, and how trust is built through daily consistency rather than grand gestures. This is a testament for product leaders who see fear as information rather than an obstacle in the way.

Fear as a kind of north star

Most people run from fear, but Aaron Nordyke has learned to follow it. He’s learned, especially over the last couple of years, that emotions are our friends. They’re trying to tell us something, trying to tell us what we value.

When his former boss offered him a product role despite having very little product experience, Aaron’s first instinct was panic. But he’s developed a different relationship with that discomfort:

“I would use that fear to guide me toward learning as much as possible. I would grab what people consider the industry standard books, and I would pour through them and practice them.”

This isn’t about being fearless! It’s about being fear-informed. For product leaders constantly facing the unknown, Aaron suggests looking for the opportunity to turn the anxiety into action. It isn’t always easy or natural, but it’s a positive and necessary response.

The art of seeing and lifting others

Drawing from Carl Jung’s concept of the “King Archetype,” Aaron has developed a leadership philosophy centered on recognition rather than being recognized.

“King energy is not about being seen. It’s about seeing others. You get out there specifically to see others, to see excellence, and to honor that excellence and lift it up.”

This translates into specific practices, like monthly skip-level meetings where you could tell you group things that are impressing you, that certain people are doing. The goal is providing encouragement:

“If you tell somebody that what you’re doing is what I want you to continue doing. That is constructive feedback that gives them certainty they are on the right path.”

Aaron believes that this approach addresses a universal truth: Where everyone is a beginner, everyone is a little bit scared. By creating space for people to feel safe in their uncertainty, he’s seen teams consistently flourish across different technical domains.

Trust as your only currency

In the high-stakes world of startups, Aaron abides by Reid Hoffman’s definition of trust: “consistency over time.” This isn’t about grand gestures, rather, it’s about daily deposits. Every single time that you meet that expectation, a trust deposit is made. “You’re putting a marble in the jar,” referencing Brené Brown’s marble jar concept.

For early-stage companies like Drypowder, this patience can feel counterintuitive. “Unfortunately, we’re not very patient when we’re trying to fundraise and get our early customers.” But Aaron understands the math: “You can’t withdraw from something that they don’t know.” In other words, you have to make trust deposits before you can ask for customer feedback, team commitment, or investor confidence.

The compound effect is powerful. When you’ve built that consistency, you can expect that it will be done again. In a world where everyone can create products, trust becomes the ultimate differentiator.

TLDR;

Fear isn’t your enemy! It’s your compass for professional growth. Build teams around complementary strengths, not individual perfection. Create certainty for others by consistently recognizing their excellence. And remember: trust is built through daily consistency, not grand gestures.

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