Jules Walter (YouTube, Slack)05 January 2023

Leveraging mentors to uplevel your career

7Frameworks

15Insights

Episode overview

Lenny Rachitsky talks with YouTube product leader Jules Walter about the skills that help product managers advance and the deliberate practice required to develop them. Walter distinguishes early-career execution, product sense, strategy, and interviewing skills from later-career communication, leadership, management, and self-awareness. Drawing on his experience at Slack and Google, he explains how mentors, concrete outcomes, observation of excellent work, candid feedback, and sustained practice accelerated his growth. He also offers a practical method for building mentor relationships: make a small, specific ask, apply the advice, report the result, and look for ways to reciprocate.

Key ideas

Product-management development spans both IQ skills—execution, product sense, strategy, and interviewing—and EQ skills such as communication, leadership, management, and self-awareness.
Mock interviews should be treated as deliberate practice; repeated realistic rehearsal with capable peers can make strong performance possible even under stress.
Choose a concrete outcome that would demonstrate mastery, work backward to the required knowledge, consult experts, apply their frameworks, and return with results.
Study excellent internal artifacts and observe skilled colleagues during their working process, because drafts, iterations, meetings, and feedback reveal more than polished final outputs.
Build one skill intensively over several months through weekly study and practice, recognizing that EQ capabilities generally take longer and require continued exercise.
Invite candid feedback with specific questions, respond with genuine gratitude, and build enough trust that people feel safe sharing subjective impressions and blind spots.
A strength is often something others repeatedly praise that feels ordinary to you; understand both its underlying source and its context-dependent shadow side.
Develop mentorship gradually by finding someone skilled at the exact capability you need, making the smallest useful ask, applying the advice, following up, and reciprocating value.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

Frameworks in this episode

Peak Performance6 steps

Artifact Reverse-Engineering and Backstage Observation

Collect the best artifacts, reverse-engineer their questions, then go watch the sausage get made.

Read →

Communication6 steps

Engineering Honest Feedback

People withhold feedback because it's risky — your job is to make it safe and rewarding.

Read →

Self-Mastery6 steps

Outcome-Backwards Skill Acquisition

Pick an outcome that would prove you learned the skill, then work backwards to the experts.

Read →

Peak Performance5 steps

Practice-Until-Your-Worst-Is-Good-Enough Interview Prep

Interviewing is the one skill with zero feedback — so run dozens of mocks in a small peer group.

Read →

Self-Mastery4 steps

The Fish-and-Water Strength Test

Your real strength is the thing others praise that you think is no big deal.

Read →

Peak Performance4 steps

The One-Skill Six-Month Block

Go all in on one skill for 3-6 months: study one example a week, practise it an hour a day.

Read →

Influence6 steps

The Smallest-Ask Mentor Ladder

Never ask 'will you mentor me?' — ask a two-minute question, then earn the next rung.

Read →

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 15

Lenny RachitskyMentionstoday we've got another very special compilation episode something I've been pulling on more and more with the podcast and the newsletter
“Welcome to Lenny's Podcast. I'm Lenny”
▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
Jules WalterMentionsJules is a product leader at YouTube. Before that, he spent 4 and 1/2 years at Slack, where he was their first growth PM
“Today, my guest is Jules Walter. Jules is a product leader at YouTube.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Britney BanksMentionsThe CEO Britney Banks and and his team Benny and Safo and others have helped put together that amazing conference
“The CEO Britney Banks and and his team Benny and Safo and others have helped put together that amazing conference”
▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
Mariana QuiglessMentionsI met another Black PM, Mariana Quigless.
“I met another Black PM, Mariana Quigless.”
▶ Watch at ~11:00approx.
Lawrence RipsherMentionsHe was head of product at Pinterest and became a mentor and now a close friend.
“His name is Lawrence Ripsher. He was head of product at Pinterest and became a mentor and now a close friend.”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
Matt MocharyMentionsMatt is a full-time executive coach but not just any coach he's worked with folks like nabal the CEOs of openai coinbase Reddit
“It's actually the type of things that Matt Mochary talked about when he came to speak at your podcast.”
▶ Watch at ~26:30approx.
Bangaly KabaMentionsMy experience was I got in, didn't know much about growth, and then through mentorship, in particular one mentor, Bing Gordon Li Caba
“one of them was Bangali Kaba and also Adriel Frederick who spoke at your podcast.”
▶ Watch at ~32:00approx.
Adriel FrederickMentionstoday my guest is Adriel Frederick Adriel is a VPR product at Reddit refocuses on incubating and scaling new products within Reddit
“one of them was Bangali Kaba and also Adriel Frederick who spoke at your podcast.”
▶ Watch at ~32:00approx.
Aaron SiegMentionsAaron Sieg is another friend and mentor who brought me to Google, actually.
“Aaron Sieg is another friend and mentor who brought me to Google, actually.”
▶ Watch at ~56:00approx.
Nikhil SinghalMentionsNikhil Singhal was on the podcast and the way he described it is you got to find your moment of joy with AI.
“Many other folks like Nikhil Singhal you know, VP at Meta helped me with like PM career.”
▶ Watch at ~56:00approx.
Bradley HorowitzMentionsAnd there's also Bradley Horowitz, former VP of Google Photos.
“And there's also Bradley Horowitz, former VP of Google Photos.”
▶ Watch at ~56:00approx.
Tim FerrissMentionsCited for his fear-setting framework and as an influence on Paul Millerd's five-episode podcast experiment.
“It reminds me of Tim Ferriss's advice also, which is just like, "Don't go up to someone and be like, will you be my mentor?"”
▶ Watch at ~1:00:30approx.
Carole RobinCoinedfor over 20 years Carol taught the legendary courses Stanford's Graduate School of Business nicknamed touchy fely technically called interpersonal Dynamics
“And then, another one is Connect by Carole Robin.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:00approx.
Chris VossCoinedsenior FBI agents in 70s were realizing that all they were doing in their like negotiating tactics were just not working
“One of them is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:00approx.
Lex FridmanRecommendsthis reminds me of a story I just listened to on Lex Friedman's podcast
“Lex Fridman is one I'll call out. Um brings really interesting speakers and also like on diverse topics.”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.

Resources · 34

Lenny's PodcastCoinedpodcast · Lenny Rachitsky
“Welcome to Lenny's Podcast. I'm Lenny”
▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
Black Product Managers NetworkCoinedcompany · Jules Walter and co-founders
“He's also the co-founder and a board member of the Black Product Managers Network and CodePath”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
SlackMentionssoftware · Slack Technologies
“Before that, he spent 4 and 1/2 years at Slack, where he was their first growth PM”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Building Product SenseCoinednewsletter · Jules Walter
“including a killer guest post on Building Product Sense, that continues to be one of the most shared and beloved posts in my newsletter.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
YouTubeMentionswebsite · Google
“Jules is a product leader at YouTube.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
VantaMentionssoftware · Christina Cacioppo
“This episode is brought to you by Vanta, helping you streamline your security compliance to accelerate growth.”
▶ Watch at ~1:30approx.
NotionUsessoftware · Notion Labs
“I use Notion to coordinate this very podcast, including my content calendar, my sponsors, and prepping guests for launch of each episode.”
▶ Watch at ~2:30approx.
HaitiMentionsplace
“Grew up in Haiti, studied computer science in college”
▶ Watch at ~4:00approx.
West AfricaMentionsplace
“I was a GM for a company based out of France, and also overseeing West Africa business for them.”
▶ Watch at ~4:30approx.
San Francisco Bay AreaMentionsplace
“And then I moved to the Bay Area roughly 8 years ago.”
▶ Watch at ~4:30approx.
Primetime ChannelsMentionsproduct · YouTube
“I'm a product lead at YouTube, where I I'm driving a product called Primetime Channels”
▶ Watch at ~5:00approx.
GoogleMentionscompany · Google
“And then after Slack, I recently joined YouTube Google about 2 years ago.”
▶ Watch at ~5:00approx.
NFL Sunday TicketMentionsproduct
“we're adding our NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023 to Primetime Channels and also to YouTube TV.”
▶ Watch at ~5:30approx.
YouTube TVMentionsproduct · YouTube
“we're adding our NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023 to Primetime Channels and also to YouTube TV.”
▶ Watch at ~5:30approx.
CodePathCoinedcompany · Jules Walter and co-founders
“The first one is called CodePath, and it's improving diversity for software engineers.”
▶ Watch at ~9:00approx.
MITMentionscompany
“I graduated from MIT, you know, and I think even since internship times”
▶ Watch at ~16:00approx.
PinterestMentionscompany · Pinterest
“He was head of product at Pinterest and became a mentor and now a close friend.”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
LinearMentionssoftware · Linear
“This episode is brought to you by Linear.”
▶ Watch at ~28:30approx.
VercelUsescompany · Guillermo Rauch
“it powers a wide range of large established companies such as Vercel, Retool and Cash App.”
▶ Watch at ~29:00approx.
Cash AppUsesproduct · Block, Inc.
“it powers a wide range of large established companies such as Vercel, Retool and Cash App.”
▶ Watch at ~29:00approx.
RetoolUsessoftware · Retool
“it powers a wide range of large established companies such as Vercel, Retool and Cash App.”
▶ Watch at ~29:00approx.
GitHubMentionssoftware · GitHub
“What users love about Linear are the powerful keyboard shortcuts, efficient GitHub integrations, cycles that actually create progress”
▶ Watch at ~29:00approx.
Minto PrincipleRecommendsother · Barbara Minto
“on the communication side, you know, I read some stuff like Minto's principles like extremely helpful”
▶ Watch at ~40:30approx.
PathwaysUsescompany
“right now I'm doing group coaching with a company called Pathways on leadership.”
▶ Watch at ~41:30approx.
MetaMentionscompany
“Many other folks like Nikhil Singhal you know, VP at Meta helped me with like PM career.”
▶ Watch at ~56:00approx.
Never Split the DifferenceRecommendsbook · Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
“One of them is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Uh it's about negotiations.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:00approx.
MasterClassRecommendscompany
“There's actually also a masterclass on I was just going to say that. I watched that. That was really good.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:00approx.
ConnectRecommendsbook · Carole Robin and David Bradford
“And then, another one is Connect by Carole Robin.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:30approx.
Interpersonal Dynamics (Touchy Feely)Mentionscourse · Stanford Graduate School of Business
“It's inspired by uh Stanford's Touchy-Feely class if you've ever heard of it.”
▶ Watch at ~1:07:30approx.
Never Have I EverRecommendstv show
“And then, TV show is Never Have I Ever.”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.
Lex Fridman PodcastRecommendspodcast · Lex Fridman
“Lex Fridman is one I'll call out. Um brings really interesting speakers and also like on diverse topics.”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.
Top Gun: MaverickRecommendsfilm · Joseph Kosinski
“Top Gun: Maverick is a movie I really like.”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.
Apple PodcastsMentionssoftware · Apple Inc.
“you can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.”
▶ Watch at ~1:10:00approx.
SpotifyMentionssoftware · Spotify
“you can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.”
▶ Watch at ~1:10:00approx.

Spot an error or want something removed? Request a correction or removal.

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take54:00

Your Strength and Weakness Are the Same Dial

Jules reframes strengths and weaknesses as not binary but the same trait on a dial that serves you in some contexts and hurts you in others. His gift for asking questions can read as junior when asked out of context; his ability to simplify complex problems means he stays quiet in meetings until he's built the mental model, which looks disengaged. Seeing the shadow side empowers him to just dial it up or down instead of trying to eliminate it.

Strength and weakness aren't binary; they're the same thing on a dial
Same trait is good in one context, bad in another
Asking great questions can come across as less knowledgeable out of context
Simplifying means he's quiet building a mental model, which reads as disengaged
Knowing the shadow side lets you dial it up or down deliberately

“So, a strength and a weakness is not a binary thing. It's like the same thing but it's a dial.”
Jules Walter · 54:00

#strengths#self-awareness#eq#career

Explainer· 3

Explainer12:30

The Two Buckets of PM Skills: IQ vs EQ

Jules splits PM skills into two buckets: IQ skills (hard/intellectual skills like execution, product sense, strategy) and EQ skills (soft skills like communication, leadership, management). Early in his career he leaned on the IQ skills, and later invested more in the EQ side. He warns each bucket contains so many skills that PMs get overwhelmed, so the move is to improve one skill at a time.

IQ skills = hard/intellectual: execution, product sense, strategy, interviewing
EQ skills = soft: communication, leadership, management
Early career he leaned into IQ; later he shifted to EQ
Each bucket has many skills, which is overwhelming, so go skill by skill

“In terms of skills, I think of it in terms of two buckets. One are IQ skills, intellectual skills, like what sometimes people call hard…”
Jules Walter · 12:30

“And what I've seen in my career is that early on I leaned more into the hard skills, you know, the IQ stuff. That was…”
Jules Walter · 13:00

#career#product-management#skills#eq

Explainer46:30

How to Actually Get Honest Feedback

Jules shares tactical ways to draw out real feedback: ask a very specific question (e.g. how much executive presence did you feel I showed?), or give yourself critical feedback first and let them agree or disagree. The most important move is your reaction: if someone takes the risk to give you feedback, respond with enthusiastic gratitude, even while your ego is bruised inside, because that's what makes people keep giving it.

People withhold feedback because giving it, especially constructive, is a risk
Ask specific questions, e.g. 'to what extent did I show executive presence?'
Give yourself critical feedback first so they can agree or add to it
React with enthusiastic gratitude even if inside your heart is melting
Being visibly grateful is why colleagues kept giving him feedback

“your answer has to be enthusiastically like grateful. That's the key.”
Jules Walter · 47:00

“So what people knew at Slack, Google, etc. is like if you give me feedback I'll be like, hey, thank you so much for like…”
Jules Walter · 47:00

#feedback#eq#communication#career

Explainer52:00

Find Your Strengths With the 'Fish' Question

Jules credits his mentor Lawrence with a simple question for finding your strengths: what's something a lot of people say you're good at but you don't think is a big deal? The fact that it feels trivial to you is exactly the signal it's a real strength, like a fish that doesn't realize swimming is special. For Jules the answers were networking, asking great questions, and simplifying complex problems, each rooted in his underlying curiosity.

Strength-finding question: what do people say you're good at that you think isn't a big deal?
If it feels trivial to you, that's the tell it's a genuine strength
Fish analogy: the fish doesn't think swimming is impressive
His strengths: networking, asking great questions, simplifying complex problems
Then ask why you're good at it, e.g. underlying curiosity, to get more out of it

“Hey, what is something that a lot of people say you're good at but you think it's not a big deal?”
Jules Walter · 52:00

“imagine like you saw a fish and you're like, "Hey, you're really good at swimming." And then the fish would be like, "Oh, duh, doesn't…”
Jules Walter · 52:30

#strengths#self-awareness#career#mentorship

Story· 3

Story16:00

You Never Get Feedback From Interviews (He Failed Google for a Decade)

Jules points out that interviewing is uniquely hard because, unlike most skills, you never get feedback after an interview. He shares that despite graduating from MIT, he interviewed at Google, Meta and others repeatedly over a decade or two and kept getting rejected, largely because he wasn't good at interviewing and didn't know people inside. The lesson: people who see him at YouTube assume it was easy, but it took many attempts.

Interviewing gives you no feedback, unlike almost everything else you do
He interviewed at Google many times over a decade or two and was rejected
Also rejected by Meta and other companies; MIT degree didn't guarantee it
The barrier is worse for underrepresented folks who lack internal connections
Don't feel discouraged if it takes many tries and a career build-up first

“I mean, before I got this job, I had interviewed at Google I don't know how many times over the last decade or two.”
Jules Walter · 16:00

“But interviewing, you never get any feedback.”
Jules Walter · 16:30

#interviewing#career#rejection

Story18:30

Interviewing When Nobody in the Room Looks Like You

Jules describes the extra psychological load of interviewing as an underrepresented candidate: walking into a panel and a cafeteria where nobody looks like him while trying to solve complex problems and battling self-talk about whether he even belongs. His answer is to practice in small groups of three to five peers going through the process together, so the reps calm the nerves and even make it fun. The goal is to practice so much that your worst performance is still good enough to pass.

Interviews are high-pressure, high-stress, high-ambiguity, worse when nobody looks like you
Self-talk about belonging competes with actually solving the problem
Practice in small groups of three to five peers going through the process together
Liking the group makes prep more fun and settles your nerves
Practice enough that even at your worst, you're good enough to pass

“I've gone into companies like an interview, and the whole panel, nobody looks like me. I walk into the cafeteria, nobody looks like me.”
Jules Walter · 19:00

“you want to basically practice so much that even at your worst, you're good enough.”
Jules Walter · 20:00

#interviewing#diversity#career#confidence

Story24:30

The Mentor Who Held Up a Mirror to His Blind Spot

Jules explains that discovering your own EQ patterns usually requires someone else to hold up a mirror. His mentor Lawrence Ripsher (then head of product at Pinterest) once told him that when Jules goes quiet while thinking, Lawrence's internal read was that Jules wasn't interested in what they were doing. That revealed a pattern: under stress Jules withdraws, so others assume he's disengaged, which meant he had to learn to verbalize his thought process out loud.

You usually need someone to put a mirror in front of you to see EQ patterns
Sources of that mirror: a coach, group coaching, or an honest mentor
Lawrence Ripsher told Jules his silence read as disinterest
Under stress Jules withdraws and can seem disengaged, e.g. in interviews
Fix: verbalize your thought process so people see you're engaged

“So generally you need someone to put a mirror in front of you figuratively.”
Jules Walter · 24:30

“And then he was like, hey, I'm telling myself that he's not interested in what we're doing. And I'm like, really?”
Jules Walter · 25:00

#mentorship#self-awareness#eq#feedback

Tool· 2

Tool1:07:00

Jules's Book Picks: Never Split the Difference and Connect

In the lightning round, Jules recommends two books he shares most often. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss is about negotiation and also has a companion MasterClass. Connect by Carole Robin is inspired by Stanford's Touchy-Feely class and is especially helpful for building EQ skills and improving relationships with people.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, on negotiation (also a MasterClass)
Connect by Carole Robin, inspired by Stanford's Touchy-Feely class
Connect is aimed at EQ skills and improving relationships

“One of them is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.”
Jules Walter · 1:07:00

“And then, another one is Connect by Carole Robin.”
Jules Walter · 1:07:00

#books#negotiation#eq#recommendations

Tool1:08:30

His Favorite Interview Question (and Why Follow-Ups Matter More)

Jules's go-to interview question is asking what work-related thing the candidate is trying to get better at, which reveals self-awareness, growth mindset, and how honest and vulnerable they can be. But he says he doesn't anchor much on the first question; the real value comes from the follow-ups, probing why they focused on that and how it came to their attention.

Favorite question: what's something work-related you're trying to get better at?
It surfaces self-awareness, growth mindset, honesty and vulnerability
He doesn't anchor on the first question; follow-ups carry the real value
Follow-ups probe why they chose it and how it came to their attention

“One I used to ask a lot is, "What's something work-related that you're trying to get better at?"”
Jules Walter · 1:08:30

“I don't anchor a lot on the first question. What I find the most value from are the follow-ups.”
Jules Walter · 1:09:00

#interviewing#hiring#questions#self-awareness

Takeaway· 6

Takeaway13:30

Interviewing Is the Skill Nobody Talks About

Jules argues that being good at getting interviewed is an underrated skill that gates access to great companies, which is where you actually build all your other skills. His single biggest tactic is doing dozens of real mock interviews rather than just reading questions or rehearsing in your head. Deliberate practice with someone skilled accelerates it, but even peer mocks beat mental prep.

Getting into a great company is what lets you build every other skill
First question he asks candidates: how many mock interviews have you done? Usually zero
Do dozens of real mock interviews, not just reading or rehearsing in your head
Deliberate practice with a skilled interviewer compounds faster
Practicing at bigger, more rigorous companies makes smaller-company interviews easier

“The other skill that I'll I'll also call out, which nobody talks about for some reason, is interview skills.”
Jules Walter · 13:30

“And I would recommend people to do dozens of of those mock interviews.”
Jules Walter · 15:30

#interviewing#career#skills

Takeaway30:30

Create a Forcing Function: Learn by Working Backwards From an Outcome

Jules's core learning method is to pick a concrete outcome that would prove he got better at a skill, then work backwards. When he joined Slack knowing nothing about growth, he set a target of shipping enough successful experiments to move activation by X% within six months. From that outcome he generated the questions he'd need to answer, read a little, found the best people in the field, and iterated with mentors, which he says makes him learn far faster.

Define an outcome that would be proof you improved at the skill
Example: move Slack activation by X% via successful experiments in 6 months
The outcome puts your ass on the line and forces you to figure it out
Work backwards into the questions you'd need to answer
Read a little, then find the best people and iterate with them

“So, what I do specifically is when I'm trying to learn something new, I try to think about what is an outcome that I could…”
Jules Walter · 30:30

#learning#growth#career#mentorship

Takeaway37:00

Reverse-Engineer the Great Work Around You

Jules learns skills like strategy and execution by collecting great artifacts (strategy memos, exec updates, emails) and reverse-engineering them: what questions do they answer, how are they structured, quantitative vs qualitative. He saves templates in a special folder and even sits in on other PMs' meetings and exec presentations. He stresses that a lot of learning comes from watching the iterations and backstage feedback, not just the polished final product.

Collect great artifacts and reverse-engineer what makes them work
Ask what top questions they answer and how they're structured, not the format
Save great emails and updates as templates in a dedicated folder
Sit in on other PMs' meetings and exec presentations to watch them handle questions
Learn from the iterations and backstage feedback, not just the final product
Reflect weekly on the good docs and presentations you saw

“So, I actually do spend a lot of time every week reflecting like, "Oh, I saw these docs that were great or I saw this…”
Jules Walter · 37:30

“a lot of learning happens through the iterations and not by seeing the final product.”
Jules Walter · 39:00

#learning#strategy#career#product-management

Takeaway42:00

Learn One Skill at a Time, Like Building a Muscle

Jules recommends going all in on a single skill for a fixed window of three to six months rather than dabbling. For strategy, he'd read one other team's strategy each week and spend a few hours a week practicing his own, doing it enough to get over the hump. He frames EQ especially as muscle-building: it never fully completes, and if you stop practicing it atrophies, unlike the quick wins of IQ skills.

Go all in on one skill for a fixed 3-6 month window
Divide the learning: e.g. read one team's strategy per week for 20 weeks
Also practice toward your own outcome a few hours each week
Do it enough to get over the hump and actually develop the skill
EQ is like lifting weights: stop and it atrophies; the muscle never fully builds

“and a lot of it is like it's you know, lifting weights or building muscles.”
Jules Walter · 42:00

“So you do it enough that you get over the hump and then actually develop the skill.”
Jules Walter · 43:30

#learning#eq#discipline#career

Takeaway58:00

How to Land a Mentor: Make the Smallest Ask Possible

Jules says the hard part of mentorship isn't finding people (he met his via events, dinners, fundraisers and email intros) but getting a foot in the door with the right one. Instead of asking a stranger for a call, which 95% of people do, make the smallest ask possible, like a two-minute email question about a specific point from their talk. Then circle back later to show you actually used their advice, which almost nobody does, and only then ask for more time.

Finding mentors is easy via events, intros and cold email; getting a foot in is the hard part
95% of people make a big ask (a call) with a stranger
Instead make the smallest ask possible, e.g. a 2-minute email question
Circle back later to show you used the advice, which nobody does
Only then escalate to a 15-minute chat; start small, not big

“And what I found is you should make the smallest ask possible. Which is the opposite of what 95% of people do.”
Jules Walter · 58:00

“the key is to circle back with them at a later point and show that you've actually made good use of the advice.”
Jules Walter · 59:00

#mentorship#networking#career

Takeaway1:02:30

How to Keep a Mentor Relationship Alive

Once a mentor relationship is going, Jules brings a very specific problem he's actually dealing with rather than vague questions like 'how did you become a PM.' He always takes notes and references older conversations and personal details so it feels like a continuing relationship, not a transaction. He also looks for ways to be genuinely helpful back, because even senior, wealthy people usually have something they need, and most people miss that.

Bring a specific live problem, not a generic 'tell me about your path' question
Always take notes during mentor conversations
Reference past conversations and personal details so it feels continuous, not transactional
Proactively ask how you can help; even senior people have needs
Most people are too focused on themselves to offer help back

“I make sure to bring something very specific that I'm dealing with where they can provide input.”
Jules Walter · 1:02:30

“when I talk to mentors, I always take notes.”
Jules Walter · 1:03:30

#mentorship#relationships#networking#career

Key ideas

Frameworks in this episode

Artifact Reverse-Engineering and Backstage Observation

Engineering Honest Feedback

Outcome-Backwards Skill Acquisition

Practice-Until-Your-Worst-Is-Good-Enough Interview Prep

The Fish-and-Water Strength Test

The One-Skill Six-Month Block

The Smallest-Ask Mentor Ladder

People & resources mentioned

People · 15

Resources · 34

Insights & moments

◆Hot Take· 1

Your Strength and Weakness Are the Same Dial

✶Explainer· 3

The Two Buckets of PM Skills: IQ vs EQ

How to Actually Get Honest Feedback

Find Your Strengths With the 'Fish' Question

❝Story· 3

You Never Get Feedback From Interviews (He Failed Google for a Decade)

Interviewing When Nobody in the Room Looks Like You

The Mentor Who Held Up a Mirror to His Blind Spot

✦Tool· 2

Jules's Book Picks: Never Split the Difference and Connect

His Favorite Interview Question (and Why Follow-Ups Matter More)

▲Takeaway· 6

Interviewing Is the Skill Nobody Talks About

Create a Forcing Function: Learn by Working Backwards From an Outcome

Reverse-Engineer the Great Work Around You

Learn One Skill at a Time, Like Building a Muscle

How to Land a Mentor: Make the Smallest Ask Possible

How to Keep a Mentor Relationship Alive

Hot Take· 1

Explainer· 3

Story· 3

Tool· 2

Takeaway· 6