Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product)

Sep 1, 2024

01:37:18

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Vlad Loktev, a former Airbnb executive turned partner at Index Ventures, shares his insights from a decade at Airbnb. He discusses Brian Chesky’s leadership style and emphasizes the mantra of ‘impact, impact, impact’ for product managers. Vlad advocates embracing chaos as a catalyst for creativity and highlights the importance of honest feedback for personal growth. He offers practical advice for founders on building strong company cultures and navigating the complexities of leadership during rapid growth.

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Quick takeaways

Emphasizing inquiry over advocacy fosters better communication, enabling managers to make informed decisions by understanding diverse perspectives.

Introducing elements of chaos can drive creativity and innovation, encouraging teams to adapt and think quickly under pressure.

A relentless focus on impact ensures alignment with organizational priorities, motivating individuals to contribute meaningfully to achieving key objectives.

Deep dives

The Power of Inquiry Over Advocacy

A distinctive approach to conversations can be essential in management, favoring inquiry over advocacy. This method emphasizes asking questions and understanding different perspectives before presenting one's own viewpoint. By doing so, it opens up lines of communication, allowing for a more constructive dialogue and the possibility of new insights. This strategy reflects the belief that understanding the nuances of an issue is crucial for making informed decisions.

Inquire First, Advocate Later

01:34

Focus on the Few, Let the Fires Burn

01:23

Developing Jedi-like Skills for Success

04:12

Embrace Chaos to Ignite Creativity

01:20

Intro

4min

Navigating Honest Feedback and Personal Growth in the Workplace

4min

Embracing Impactful Mindsets

16min

Navigating Leadership Challenges

20min

Navigating Decision-Making and Chaos in Leadership

4min

Harnessing Chaos for Creativity

18min

Embracing Chaos for Cultural Breakthroughs

25min

Embracing Personal Well-Being and Book Recommendations

2min

Entertainment and Life Lessons

3min

10.

Reflections on Leadership and Connection with Founders

2min

Vlad Loktev spent 10 years at Airbnb, where he started as an IC PM and quickly advanced to lead the core Airbnb marketplace business and then GM the entire homes business, managing over 1,000 people and reporting directly to CEO Brian Chesky. He recently left Airbnb and joined Index Ventures as their newest partner. Vlad was my manager at Airbnb for many years, and is the person I credit most for teaching me how to be a great product manager. Prior to Airbnb, Vlad spent a year at Zynga, where he helped grow Words with Friends to over 14 million daily active users. In our conversation, Vlad shares:

• Insight into Brian Chesky’s leadership style

• Why success as a PM is all about impact, impact, impact

• Why chaos can be good

• Why as a leader it’s OK to let some fires burn

• Why you should learn to “poke the bear”

• Balancing product release speed with quality

• Lessons on prioritization, decision-making, and organizational design

• Advice for founders on building company culture

• Much more

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Brought to you by:

• Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application

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• Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments

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Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/impact-impact-impact-vlad-loktev

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Where to find Vlad Loktev:

• X: https://x.com/vladimirloktev

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirloktev/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Vlad’s background

(02:54) Reflecting on transformative years at Airbnb

(04:28) Skills and mindsets for success

(11:03) Impact-driven mindset

(13:16) Saying no and inquiry before advocacy

(17:54) “Poking the bear”

(22:46) Psychological tools for leadership

(30:08) Building and scaling teams

(36:12) Letting fires burn

(47:34) Embracing chaos

(54:40) The unsell email strategy

(01:02:01) Finding your place in an organization

(01:05:38) The importance of company culture

(01:13:16) Airbnb’s unique approach to product management

(01:26:41) Failure corner

(01:31:32) Lightning round and final thoughts

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product)