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Kapoor: Anchoring teams on a singular vision makes pivots feel like progress

Mihika Kapoor · Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product, Figma) · Apr 21, 2024 · at 8:19

Mihika Kapoor, product manager at Figma, explains to Lenny Rachitsky why establishing a clear product vision is critical for navigating chaotic 0-to-1 development cycles.

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“It is really important to create a vision that you believe in, that your team believes in, and that your company believes in. Because the reality of the product development cycle is that it's so messy. It's so chaotic. You're going to have, you know, extreme highs and extreme lows. You're going to March in a certain direction only to hear from your users that it might just be the wrong direction and totally pivot. And in order to Ensure that moments like that are not discouraging, but rather sort of learning opportunities for your team. It's so important to be anchored on that singular vision because then any step along the way feels like forward progress.”

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