Adam Fishman is a product and growth advisor with 20+ years of experience building and leading startup teams. Adam was on the early team at Lyft, where he served as Head of Growth. He then went on to lead Product & Growth at Patreon and Imperfect Foods, before launching his portfolio career. Adam has been an advisor and fractional leader at ResortPass, Mozilla, HelpScout, Peerspace and more. He is also the creator of FishmanAF newsletter and the host of the Startup Dad podcast.

Adam’s direct reports praise him for his exceptional support, trust, and empowerment, as is recognized as a catalyst who brings people together across teams, fostering high trust and commitment. His team members appreciate his transparency, proactive communication, and the way he sets clear mutual expectations.

In this episode, show creator and Fort Light founder Annie Riley sits down with Adam, and they discuss:

How to build trust quickly as a new leader or fractional executive, and why starting from a place of trust matters.
How to get more honest feedback from your direct reports
The best way to manage defensiveness when receiving feedback– and how Adam learned it the hard way
Predictions for how AI will impact product leadership roles
Why distributing credit and advocating for your team’s growth leads to higher performance and engagement.

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