Lenny's Reads

Lenny Rachitsky

An audio edition of Lenny's Newsletter (powered by AI)

  1. AI tools are overdelivering: results from our large-scale AI productivity survey

    12/24/2025

    AI tools are overdelivering: results from our large-scale AI productivity survey

    Noam Segal, AI Insights Manager at Figma, shares the results from our comprehensive survey of 1,750 product managers, engineers, designers, and founders on how AI is reshaping their work. The findings are striking: more than half of respondents are saving at least half a day per week on their most important tasks. Since the quality of AI tools are improving at breakneck speed, Noam reveals we're watching the early innings of a compounding productivity revolution. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why 55% say AI has exceeded expectations and how it's improving work quality • Which roles are winning with AI (and which are struggling) • Where the biggest opportunities are • Which AI tools have product-market fit • Which AI tool dominates for most roles • Why engineers prefer specialized tools • Why 92% report significant downsides to AI tools • What AI agents need to take off References: • Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/ • Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ • Build your personal AI copilot: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/build-your-personal-ai-copilot • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ • Claude: https://claude.ai/ • Cursor: https://cursor.com/ • Figma: https://www.figma.com/ • Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ • GitHub: https://github.com/ • Granola: https://www.granola.ai/ • How to build your second brain with ChatGPT: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-build-your-pm-second-brain • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/ • Lindy: https://www.lindy.ai/ • Lovable: https://lovable.dev/ • Manus: https://manus.im/ • Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/ • Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/home • Monday.com: https://www.monday.com • n8n: https://n8n.io/ • Noam Segal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noamsegal/ • Notion: https://www.notion.com/ • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/ • Replit: https://replit.com/ • v0: https://v0.app/ • Zapier: https://zapier.com/ Read the newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/ai-tools-are-overdelivering-results Subscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    14 min
  2. How to build your PM second brain with ChatGPT

    12/16/2025

    How to build your PM second brain with ChatGPT

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.com In this episode, Amir Klein, from monday.com, shares a practical, battle-tested system for building a PM “second brain”. In this episode, Amir explains exactly how to set up a ChatGPT Project with a clear personality, feed it the messy context scattered across your tools, and then put it to work—drafting sign-up forms, spinning up prototypes, and tailoring comms for every audience. Listen now: YouTube | Apple | Spotify In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why context is the PM’s heaviest mental load • How to build a second brain that challenges you and mirrors your taste • The wealth of information your second brain can absorb • A simple loop to keep your second brain fresh • Three end-to-end use case examples References • Amir Klein • Build your personal AI copilot • ChatGPT • Claude • Figma • Gemini • Google Docs • Lovable • monday.com • Notion • Reddit • Slack Read the newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-build-your-pm-second-brain Subscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    9 min
  3. How to spot a 1% startup early

    12/09/2025

    How to spot a 1% startup early

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.comHow do certain early employees keep picking generational companies—again and again—before the rest of the world catches on? In this episode, we distill lessons from five such super-spotters whose resumes include Palantir, OpenAI, Facebook, Stripe, Linear, Figma, Notion, Slack, Box, Spotify, and Dropbox. You’ll learn the three rare traits they all look for, and how you can apply these signals to your own career and company-building.In this episode, you’ll learn:• How “ludicrous” ambition shows up• The underrated signs of founder greatness• How to evaluate an early product• What a “Jurassic Park” moment in startups means• How to think about risk as an early employee• Tactics to “optimize for serendipity” when breaking into rocket shipsReferences:• Alex Karp: https://x.com/PalantirTech• Bob McGrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmcgrew/• Box: https://www.box.com/• Christina Cordova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinajcordova/• Daniel Ek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ek-1b52093a/• Dylan Field: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/• Ivan Zhao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanhzhao/• Linear: https://linear.app/• Meter: https://www.meter.com/• Notion: https://www.notion.so/• OpenAI: https://openai.com/• Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/• Patrick Collison: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/• PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/• Rasmus Andersson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmusandersson/• Sean Rose: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-a-rose/• Slack: https://slack.com/• Soleio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soleio/• Spotify: https://www.spotify.com/• Stewart Butterfield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/butterfield/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Terrence Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrencerohan/Read the newsletter:• https://open.substack.com/pub/lenny/p/how-to-spot-a-top-1-startup-earlySubscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter:• https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribeSubscribe:• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj• Substack: https://lennysreads.com/Follow Lenny:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcastAbout:Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    9 min
  4. Ecosystem is the next big growth channel

    11/11/2025

    Ecosystem is the next big growth channel

    AI gave everyone speed - but that same speed flooded every distribution channel. Search traffic's down, inboxes are overrun, and even virality is harder when everyone's shipping quickly. In this episode, Emily Kramer reveals the strategy behind today's breakout companies: ecosystem. Instead of going direct, win through partners, creators, communities, and integrations that already have your audience's trust. If you're still relying on the old playbook in an AI-saturated world, this episode will help you rewire your strategy. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why classic inbound, outbound, virality, events, and lifecycle are weakening in the AI era • What an ecosystem flywheel is and how it compounds credibility and distribution • The six most common ecosystem motions • How fast-growing teams such as Supabase, Clay, Lovable, and more are using an ecosystem strategy • How to pick partners using “coverage” and “composition” instead of vanity reach • What a win-win-win relationship looks like in an ecosystem • How to start an ecosystem strategy, prove it, then expand without diluting the signal References: • Aaron Cort: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaroncort/ • AirOps: https://www.airops.com/ • Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ • Arrows: https://www.arrows.to/ • Astro: https://www.astro.build/ • Baseten: https://www.baseten.co/ • Carta: https://carta.com/ • Clay: https://www.clay.com/ • Clio: https://www.clio.com/ • Craft Ventures: https://www.craftventures.com/ • Daniel Zarick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielzarick/ • Elena Verna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaverna/ • ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io/ • Emily Kramer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykramer/ • Emily Kramer's newsletter: https://newsletter.mkt1.co/ • Ethan Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanls/ • Gamma: https://gamma.app/ • GC AI: https://gc.ai/ • Graphite: https://graphite.dev/ • Grant Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantslee/ • HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/ • Lenny's Product Pass: https://lennysproductpass.com/ • Lovable: https://lovable.dev/ • Mercury: https://mercury.com/ • Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/ • Navattic: https://www.navattic.com/ • Supabase: https://supabase.com/ • “The ultimate guide to AEO” Lenny’s Podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT7kq-R3Gjc • Tom Orbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomorbach/ • Tracksuit: https://www.tracksuit.com/ • Upstart: https://www.upstart.com/ • Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/ • Vercel: https://vercel.com/ • Wiz: https://www.wiz.io/ Read the newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/ecosystem-is-the-next-big-growth Subscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    11 min
  5. Part 2 of how to get the most out of your product pass—and welcome, Stripe Atlas, to the bundle!

    11/04/2025

    Part 2 of how to get the most out of your product pass—and welcome, Stripe Atlas, to the bundle!

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.com Your product builder’s starter pack keeps getting better. In this episode, we continue the guide to getting maximum value from the Product Pass, with seven tools that have reshaped how I prototype, research, take notes, manage email, and move faster every single day. There’s also a new perk for Insiders: 40% off Stripe Atlas to go from idea to incorporated startup without the tax/legal slog. In this episode, you’ll learn • Why Lovable has become my go-to for vibe-coding apps and prototypes • How Bolt plugs into frontier coding agents so you can keep your favorite setup and still ship fast • How Granola quietly captures meetings from your device audio and turns notes into shareable, searchable summaries • What makes ChatPRD a PM-native copilot for specs, templates, and Linear workflows • Five Superhuman power moves beyond inbox zero • Everyday Raycast workflows that make it an instant Spotlight replacement • Why Perplexity’s Comet browser became my default for deep research and agentic browsing • Plus a bunch of practical examples that you can copy References: • Anton Osika: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonosika/ • Bolt: https://bolt.new/ • “Building Lovable” podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZtGxNs9AVg • ChatGPT: https://openai.com/ • ChatPRD: https://www.chatprd.ai/lenny • Claire Vo: https://clairevo.com/ • Claude Code: https://www.claude.com/product/claude-code • Comet: https://www.perplexity.ai/comet • Cursor: https://cursor.com/ • Eric Simons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-simons-a464a664/ • Gamma: https://gamma.app/ • GitHub: https://github.com/ • Granola: https://www.granola.ai/ • “Inside Bolt” podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L22DtAHLmzs • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/ • Linear: https://linear.app/ • Lovable: https://lovable.dev/ • Magic Patterns: https://www.magicpatterns.com/ • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/ • Rahul Vohra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/ • Raycast: https://www.raycast.com/ • Stripe Atlas: https://stripe.com/atlas • Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/ • “Superhuman’s secret to success” podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0igjSRZyX-w • Tailor Labs: https://www.tailoredlabsai.com/ • Read the newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/part-2-of-how-to-get-the-most-out Subscribe • Lenny’s Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • X/Twitter: https://x.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    9 min
  6. A builder’s guide to living a long and healthy life

    10/28/2025

    A builder’s guide to living a long and healthy life

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.com If you’re trying to feel better, build longer, and avoid quietly poisoning yourself along the way, this episode’s for you. After a run of injuries, weird labs, and a “half-man/half-plastic” toxin screen, I went deep on cleaning up my life. Enter: Justin Mares, founder/operator (Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, Surely, Truemed), and meticulous health nerd who has spent hundreds of hours testing what’s actually worth buying. In this episode, we walk through Justin’s guide for safer, higher-quality living so you can stay healthy, perform your best, and continue to build amazing products. In this episode, you’ll learn: • The 80/20 of great sleep (and why temperature control and magnesium often matter most) • What to wear (and avoid) to reduce PFAS, phthalates, and dye exposure on skin • A sourcing playbook for nutrient-dense, low-toxin food • Supplements that you actually need and why • Practical toxin-mitigation at home: air, water, lighting, EMFs, kitchens, and cleaning • Low-effort swaps for everyday products (deodorant, soaps, skincare, blue-light blockers) References: • Andrew Huberman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman/ • Bryan Johnson: https://x.com/bryan_johnson • Chemicals in Textiles: https://www.kemi.se/en/publications/reports/2014/report-6-14-chemicals-in-textiles • How to Prevent & Treat Colds & Flu: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/how-to-prevent-treat-colds-flu • Justin Mares: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmares/ • Levels: https://www.levelshealth.com/ • Rhonda Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickrhonda/ • Surely: https://drinksurely.com/ • The Great American Poisoning: https://justinmares.substack.com/p/the-great-american-poisoning • Tim Ferriss: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timferriss/ • Truemed: https://www.truemed.com/ • What are EMFs?: https://andybromberg.com/rational-guide-to-emfs Sleep: • Avocado mattress: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/ • Coyuchi sheets: https://www.coyuchi.com/collections/sheet-sets • Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/ • Essentia mattress: https://myessentia.com/ • Hästens: https://hastens.com/us/ • Naturepedic mattress: https://www.naturepedic.com/ • Woolshire pillow: https://thewoolshire.com/products/wool-pillow Clothing: • Caraway: https://www.carawayhome.com/ • Faherty: https://fahertybrand.com/ • Industry of All Nations: https://industryofallnations.com/collections/underwear • Nads: https://nadsunder.com/ • Pact: https://wearpact.com/ • Paka: https://www.pakaapparel.com/ • Wax London: https://waxlondon.com/collections/organic-cotton Food: • Beeswax wraps: https://www.amazon.com/Bees-Wrap-Assorted-Sustainable-Alternative/dp/B0126LMDFK • Force of Nature beef: https://forceofnature.com/products/regenerative-beef-ancestral-blend • Groundwork coffee: https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/collections/regenerative-organic-certified • Jacob protein bar: https://eatjacob.com/ • Kettle & Fire bone broth: http://kettleandfire.com/ • Maui Nui meat sticks: https://mauinuivenison.com/products/snack-membership • Maui Nui Organ Blend: https://mauinuivenison.com/products/organ-blend-supplement • Radius: https://www.eatradius.com/ • White Oak Pastures meats: https://whiteoakpastures.com/ Supplements: • AHCC: https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Kinoko-Platinum-AHCC-Supplement/dp/B00HG0YZMG/ref=sr_1_6_pp • Astaxanthin: https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Synergy-SuperPure%C2%AE-Astaxanthin-Antioxidant/dp/B07KX3NZJ5/ • Equip protein: https://equipfoods.com/ • Lineage: https://lineageprovisions.com/products/creatine-monohydrate • Momentous creatine: https://www.livemomentous.com/products/creatine-monohydrate • Momentous magnesium L-threonate: https://www.livemomentous.com/products/magnesium-threonate • Orgain: https://www.orgain.com/ • Perfect Keto: https://shop.perfectketo.com/products/grass-fed-collagen-with-mct • Thorne B complex: https://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Methyl-Guard-Plus-methylation-homocysteine/dp/B00O5AHC4S/ • Toku: https://tokuhealth.com/ • Viraldine: https://www.amazon.com/VIRALDINE-Povidone-Iodine-Designed-Congestion-applications/dp/B0CTWWS1DK Toxin mitigation: • Aquasana: https://www.aquasana.com/ • Circadian bulbs: https://thehealthyhome.shop/collections/lights • Inuspheresis: https://www.inuspheresis.com/ • Jaspr: https://jaspr.co/ • Lightwork: https://lightworkhome.com/ • Ophora: https://www.ophorawater.com/whole-home/ • PowerScale: https://www.amazon.com/Powerscale-Generator-Vegetable-Multipurpose-Pesticides/dp/B0D8DM18HV/ref=sr_1_17 • Proxima: https://www.proxima.health/ • PuroAir: https://getpuroair.com/?utm_source=shop_truemed • Renovera: https://www.amazon.com/Renovera-Vegetable-Infant-Friendly-Powdered-Produce/dp/B07R3W8H41/ • Rorra: https://rorra.com/products/countertop-system?utm_source=shop_truemed • Smart plug: https://www.amazon.com/Govee-WiFi-Outlet/dp/B08731J1L4/ref=sr_1_6 • Teakhaus: https://teakhaus.com/collections/cutting-boards Everyday items: • Alitura Meteorite scrub: https://alitura.com/collections/skincare/products/the-meteorite-facial-scrub?selling_plan=4148527355 • Alitura Pearl cleanser: https://alitura.com/collections/skincare/products/alitura-pearl-cleanser • Branch Basics: https://branchbasics.com/ • Chroma blue-light glasses: https://getchroma.co/collections/blue-light-blocking-glasses • Dr Bronner's soaps: https://www.drbronner.com/ • Kari Gran sunscreen: https://karigran.com/products/essential-spf • Mirror Skin serum: https://mymirrorskin.com/ • Native deodorant: https://www.nativecos.com/ • Primally Pure deodorant: https://primallypure.com/collections/deodorant • Ra Optics blue-light glasses: https://raoptics.com/ • Shwally tallow balm: https://www.shwallyhome.com/collections/our-balms/products/shwally-face-and-body-balm • Read the newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-builders-guide-to-living-a-long: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-builders-guide-to-living-a-long Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    19 min
  7. Everyone should be using Claude Code more

    10/14/2025

    Everyone should be using Claude Code more

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.com Claude Code isn't just for developers - it’s actually one of the most underrated AI tools for non-technical people. In this episode, I share 50 ways to use it: decluttering your hard drive, enhancing images, synthesizing customer calls, drafting presentations, and more, all collected from 500+ stories shared by this community. If you've been sleeping on Claude Code, then this episode is your wake-up call. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Exactly how to install and launch Claude Code on Mac and Windows • Five ways I used it this month • 45 creative non-technical workflows, from file organization, to lead discovery, roadmap support, and social listening • Ten more detailed advanced Claude Code use cases References: • Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/ • Apple: https://www.apple.com/ • arXiv: https://arxiv.org/ • Asana: https://asana.com/ • Brex: https://www.brex.com/ • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ • Claude Code: https://www.claude.com/product/claude-code • Clay: https://clay.com/ • Cursor: https://cursor.sh/ • Dan Shipper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danshipper/ • Docker: https://www.docker.com/ • Fireflies: https://fireflies.ai/ • Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ • Git: https://git-scm.com/ • GitHub: https://github.com/ • Gmail: https://mail.google.com/ • Homebrew: https://brew.sh/ • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/ • Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira • Linear: https://linear.app/ • Mercury: https://mercury.com/ • Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/ • Notion: https://www.notion.com/ • OpenAI: https://openai.com/ • Playwright: https://playwright.dev/ • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/ • Slack: https://slack.com/ • VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/ • Warp: https://www.warp.dev/ • X (Twitter): https://x.com/ Subscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter • Substack: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe Read the post • Substack: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyone-should-be-using-claude-code Subscribe to Lenny's Reads YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com/ Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    13 min
  8. Introducing the GAIN framework for feedback: an evidence-based approach to giving feedback that people love, appreciate, and act on

    09/30/2025

    Introducing the GAIN framework for feedback: an evidence-based approach to giving feedback that people love, appreciate, and act on

    If you’re a premium subscriber, add the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.comIf feedback is a gift, why does it often feel so difficult? In this episode, we break down executive coach Jack Cohen’s evidence-based GAIN framework - a simple, memorable way to give feedback that actually lands. Whether you manage a team or want to nudge a peer, this is a step-by-step playbook for feedback that strengthens relationships, drives behavior change, and leaves people feeling supported and motivated to change. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why we struggle to give tough feedback • How “start with the Goal” flips defensiveness into motivation • Why great feedback names Actions and Impacts, not judgments • How acknowledging your contribution disarms resistance • Scripts that make tough conversations feel collaborative • A framing that helps preserve ambition and psychological safety • A Stanford-tested “wise feedback” sentence that boosts follow-through • The 3 Ws framework to lock in change • A live case study: a VP uses GAIN to unwind a founder’s micromanaging habit References: • Amy Edmondson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycedmondson/ • “Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide”: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-28213-001 • Brian Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-e-martin-50575a2b/ • Carol Dweck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-dweck-4618236/ • Cycle of conflict or cycle of connection?: https://speakerdeck.com/jackcohen/cycle-of-conflict-or-cycle-of-connection • FeedbackGPT: https://maven.com/p/6f79f8/feedback-gpt-give-feedback-people-thank-you-for • “Framing for Learning: Lessons in Successful Technology Implementation: https://www.notion.so/27d43d3a2709810a9f8de040eea2b01a?pvs=21” • How to become a supermanager with AI: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-become-a-supermanager-with • How to motivate your team for free: https://actionablewisdom.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-motivate-your-team-for-free • Jack Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackadamcohen/ • John Gottman: https://www.gottman.com/author/john-gottman-ph-d/ • ManagerGPT: The AI Tools and Human Systems to Scale Yourself and Your Team Fast: https://maven.com/actionablefeedback/managergpt • Nischal Nadhamuni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishchaln/ • Nonviolent Communication (book): https://www.amazon.ca/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Life-Changing-Relationships/dp/189200528X • “On the elicitation of preferences for alternative therapies”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7070445/ • “Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9686450/” • Radical Candor (book): https://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509 • Satya Nadella: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella/ • Sheryl Sandberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/ • Slack: https://slack.com/ • Stanford University: https://www.stanford.edu/ • Tal Raviv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talsraviv/ • “The effectiveness of the “But-you-are-free” technique: Meta-analysis and re-examination of the technique: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344807911_The_effectiveness_of_the_But-you-are-free_technique_Meta-analysis_and_re-examination_of_the_technique” • The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup (book): https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Dilemmas-Anticipating-Foundation-Entrepreneurship/dp/0691158304 • The GAIN Feedback Template: https://maven.com/p/ad08cc/the-gain-feedback-template • Read the newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/introducing-the-gain-framework-for Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreads • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypTooj • Substack: https://lennysreads.com Follow Lenny • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ • Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@lennyspodcast About Welcome to Lenny's Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

    35 min

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