Growing Forward: Lead like the top 1% in growth, marketing, & product

Swipe my growth resume template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FR6Bbdwg80Hu-6TSz-8aGe4GgIBDukUzYXTdbr4pd0I/edit?tab=t.0New role? Get my 90-day Growth Leader onboarding plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90In this solo Field Notes episode, I break down a practical framework for getting more out of your team in an era where AI and modern tools are rapidly increasing individual output. We’ll explore how managers can adapt their leadership style based on the specific task at hand, rather than the person, and how combining structured management principles with coaching techniques can unlock better performance without requiring more time.In this episode, you’ll hear:- Why “task-relevant maturity” helps you adjust your management style based on the task, not the person- When to coach with questions vs. give direct guidance to keep work moving efficiently- How to get more output from your team without increasing your own workloadThings to listen for:(00:00) AI boosts output, adds complexity(01:05) Two frameworks to improve teams(02:16) What is task-relevant maturity?(03:34) Match your style to the task(05:03) Coaching vs. directingConnect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsors:Hire Overseas: Exceptional Talent for Less - https://www.hireoverseas.com Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value --Leaders don’t stall because of a lack of talent, but because the habits that helped them get promoted, such as saying yes, working longer hours, and proving value through output, stop scaling. In this episode, Arielle Johncox, CEO of Balsamiq, shares her journey stepping into the company’s first marketing role with minimal infrastructure. She had to quickly learn how to prioritize, embrace imperfection, and lean into her strengths. This shift in mindset ultimately led her to take on the role of CEO, where she reflects on the value of being a generalist and leading through uncertainty.In this conversation, you’ll learn:Why the instinct to say yes can become a ceiling at higher levels of leadershipHow to separate old self-doubt from legitimate growth edgesWhat it actually takes to move from functional leader to CEO without becoming someone else in the processThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(01:00) The early days at Balsamiq(02:40) Arielle’s transition to the CEO role(05:42) Challenges and learnings as a marketing leader(08:13) Thanks to our sponsor, Hire Overseas(09:30) Thanks to our sponsor, Navattic(26:13) Burnout, self-doubt, and recovery(29:29) Letting go of “doer” identity(31:49) How the CEO offer happened(38:47) Why being a generalist wins(44:08) The advice Arielle would give herselfA huge thanks to this episode’s sponsors:Hire Overseas: Exceptional Talent for Less - https://www.hireoverseas.com Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value Resources:Connect with Arielle:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellejohncox/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ariellejohncox Learn more about Balsamiq: https://balsamiq.com/ Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor: Hire Overseas: Exceptional Talent for Less - https://www.hireoverseas.com In this episode, Jacob Woodward, a longtime product and tech leader, shares what happens when a strong resume runs into a brutal job market. He reflects on the year and a half after leaving a struggling company, attempting to go independent, applying nonstop, and still feeling invisible.Jacob talks about how AI has changed hiring on both sides. Candidates can apply at scale with polished, tailored resumes, while hiring teams are overwhelmed by stacks of applications that start to blur together. He opens up about how repeated ghosting shook his confidence and identity, especially under the pressure of providing for his family.After hitting a breaking point, Jacob shares how a raw LinkedIn plea went viral worldwide, and how support from strangers, including a Business Insider feature, helped restore his self belief. Now, he’s rebuilding through therapy, meditation, and yoga, and betting on himself as he builds what’s next, including a project to teach kids critical thinking in an AI driven world.In this conversation, you’ll learn:How AI and mass applying have changed the job search, and why great candidates can still feel invisibleWhat repeated rejection does to confidence, and how to rebuild without waiting for external validationWhy therapy, meditation, and yoga became key tools in Jacob’s comebackThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(01:38) Early entrepreneurship and first exit(07:20) Facing today’s job market realities(08:50) Thank you to our sponsor, Hire Overseas(18:27) Moving beyond a professional facade(20:11) Sharing a raw LinkedIn plea(22:09) How AI is reshaping hiring(28:29) Rebuilding confidence after repeated ghosting(31:47) Therapy, meditation, and yoga practices(38:42) Betting on one’s self and building nextResources:Connect with Jake:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobwoodward/ Website: https://www.jacobwoodward.dev/ Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

If you're focused on scaling your team and driving more revenue in 2026:Hire Overseas, helping growth and marketing teams find and hire exceptional overseas talent: https://hireoverseas.com/value-- High performers don’t get stuck because they lack talent. They get stuck because the habits that made them successful as individual contributors quietly stop working once they’re leading others. In this episode of Growing Forward, I sit down with Dan Wolchonok, founder of Work Coach, to unpack what happens when a strong operator runs into the “player-coach” trap. Dan reflects on a painful 360 review from his time at Reforge that forced him to confront how jumping in to do the work himself was unintentionally holding his team back.We talk through a defining moment in Dan’s journey: presenting a company-wide growth model to the executive team after weeks of preparation, only to be met with silence. No questions. No debate. Just a hollow reaction that left him gutted. Dan shares what that experience taught him about leadership at higher levels, including the importance of bringing a clear point of view, strong next steps, and enough conviction to spark real discussion and action.Dan also walks us through how he responded to tough feedback without spiraling, using executive coaching, systems, and intentional changes to rebuild trust and momentum. We explore why remote work and flatter orgs make career guidance harder to access, and how Work Coach was born from the desire to give people a reliable sounding board as they navigate growth, feedback, and leadership transitions.In this conversation, you’ll learn:How the “best doer” instincts can create a manager death spiral, and how to break it Why a presentation can flop even if the work is strong, and how to lead with a clear take + next stepsHow to respond to brutal feedback with maturity, momentum, and “next play” energyThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(02:20) Dan’s early building roots in tech(05:12) The messy side of success(07:04) Thank you to our sponsor, Hire Overseas(08:45) Why talking about failure matters(09:57) What setbacks can reveal(10:45) Trying to scale with the company(15:15) Pitching a growth model to execs(17:46) When the feedback hits hard(23:11) Resetting after a missed swing(25:12) Turning feedback into momentum(26:28) Shifting from doer to leader(27:19) Reading painful 360 feedback aloud(40:14) Why Dan built Work CoachResources:Connect with Dan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwolchonok/ X: https://x.com/danwolch Learn more about Work Coach: https://work.coach/Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

Swipe my growth resume template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FR6Bbdwg80Hu-6TSz-8aGe4GgIBDukUzYXTdbr4pd0I/edit?tab=t.0New role? Get my 90-day Growth Leader onboarding plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90In this solo Field Notes episode, I break down a simple but powerful career reframing I’ve been sharing with clients who feel stuck, burned out, or misaligned in their current roles: the idea of treating your next job as a one-year deal.Borrowing from how professional athletes think about their careers, I go over why looking for a great one-year fit instead of a perfect long-term home can lead to better decisions, less pressure, and more momentum, especially once you’re well into your career.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why long-term “forever job” thinking often backfires in fast-changing companiesHow the one-year deal mindset helps you maximize fit, impact, and optionalityWhen this approach makes sense and when it’s better to stay put and build depthThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro to the “One Year Deal” concept(00:29) Example and parallels in an athletic career(01:33) The One Year Deal in a professional context(02:39) Practical application of the One Year Deal(04:30) How to take this furtherResources:Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coApply for coaching: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

Download my customizable 90 Day Plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90In this episode, Jay Desai, Growth Lead at Navattic, shares his approach to stepping into an early-stage growth role with clarity and purpose. He reflects on how his first 90 days were spent gaining product knowledge, ramping up without burnout, and aligning cross-functional teams around a unified vision of growth.Jay talks about the ambiguity of growth roles and how the early days are about building relationships, learning, and strategic prioritization. He explains how he uses frameworks like “task-relevant maturity” and sprint systems to manage expectations while delivering early wins.Now leading growth at Navattic, Jay discusses his role in designing operating systems, building trust, reducing capacity confusion, and creating a repeatable model for experimentation to drive long-term success.In this conversation, you’ll learn:How to architect your first 90 days for impact across product learning, trust-building, and operating system designA practical framework for capacity planning, effort scoring, and balancing quick wins with long-term betsThe most common misalignments growth leaders face and how to proactively prevent themThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(01:52) Jay’s role and scope at Navattic(03:20) How Navattic defines “growth”(06:03) What feels new vs. familiar in the role(08:37) Why the first 90 days set the tone(17:46) Learning the product and meeting the team(32:42) Capacity limits and prioritizing work(34:16) Tools Jay uses to run growth(38:22) Applying engineering workflows to marketing(49:11) Quick wins vs. long-term initiatives(54:04) When to share the first strategy draft(57:09) Pitfalls that derail growth rolesA huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value Resources:Connect with Jay:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayanishdesai/ Navattic: https://navattic.com/value Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

Swipe my growth resume template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FR6Bbdwg80Hu-6TSz-8aGe4GgIBDukUzYXTdbr4pd0I/edit?tab=t.0New role? Get my 90-day Growth Leader onboarding plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90In this solo episode, I kick off a new series called Field Notes, by walking you through a framework I’ve developed for making resumes clearer, more compelling, and easier for non-experts to understand — especially in growth roles where titles mean wildly different things at different companies.In this conversation, you’ll hear:Why most growth resumes fail to show meaningful contextHow the CATER framework helps tell a clearer career storyHow to translate your impact for hiring managers who aren’t “native speakers” of your fieldThings to listen for:(00:00) Intro(01:07) The importance of updating resumes(01:58) Common resume challenges(04:19) Introducing the CATER Framework(04:54) Breaking down the CATER Framework(05:45) Examples and application of CATER(10:12) An invitation for coaching and supportResources:Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coApply for coaching: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, Scott McNeely, Head of Product and founding team member at Epicurate and co-founder of Modern Adventure, traces his journey from “kid with an Apple II+ in his mom’s dessert business” to building and scaling product teams in travel, publishing, and tech. He reflects on growing up in humble circumstances while attending an elite LA boys’ school, stumbling into travel writing, and then helping Lonely Planet and Viator navigate the shift from print to digital products. Along the way, Scott shares how his bias for action, love of ideas, and willingness to figure things out on the fly shaped his career.Scott opens up about the moments when those same strengths became liabilities, like a shouting match over digital transformation with Lonely Planet’s leadership, and the emotional gut punch of being passed over twice for what felt like his perfect VP role. He talks candidly about anger, grief, and self-doubt, and how he rebuilt his confidence by zooming out, leaning on movement and thinking time, and staying curious. From scaling a team from 1 to 65 at Viator to learning to delegate, slow down, and create space for others, Scott offers a grounded, human look at what it really takes to keep growing as a leader.In this conversation, you’ll learn:How to read your environment and decide whether to push for change or move on, using Scott’s Lonely Planet experience as a case study.What it really takes to evolve from “get stuff done” operator to leader of a 60+ person team, including delegation, structure, and support systems.A grounded way to rebuild confidence after major setbacks, from being passed over for a dream role twice to anchoring your identity beyond one job.Things to listen for:(00:00) Intro(02:09) Scott’s upbringing and early influences(08:28) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic(05:53) Early career pivots and first big lessons(13:16) Pushing change and hitting resistance(27:27) Reading your situation with clarity and EQ(28:48) Leadership growing pains and delegation(31:29) Scaling fast teams and personal evolution(42:48) Career setbacks and shaken confidence(52:09) Centering habits for focus and resilienceA huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value Resources:Connect with Scott: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmcneely Learn about Epicurate: https://epicurate.vip/Learn about Modern Adventure: https://modernadventure.com/ Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this solo episode, I share the thinking behind a major evolution of the show and its new name: Growing Forward.I walk through what I learned while building the podcast, where the original positioning fell short, and how listener feedback helped clarify the show’s true purpose.In this conversation, you’ll hear:Why the original name worked early on, and why it was time to change itWhat listener feedback revealed about who the show is really forHow the new direction centers on growth through real leadership momentsThings to listen for:(00:00) Announcing the new name and why it matters(01:03) How the original name came together(02:19) Early signals the positioning needed work(03:28) What listeners are trying to solve(04:48) Clarifying the show’s new focus(08:58) Inviting listener feedback to shape what’s nextResources:Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this special solo episode, I pull back the curtain and share a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the show. In this conversation, you’ll hear:Why I started the show - and what I’ve learned after 85 eps.How I’m reshaping the show to blend storytelling with practical leadership lessons you can apply immediately.Why expanding the format unlocks more impact, more value, and more meaningful connection with listeners like you.Things to listen for:(00:00) Intro(00:32) The journey so far(01:39) Behind the scenes(06:37) The challenge of podcast growth(11:57) The evolution of Delivering Value(15:39) Let’s build togetherResources:Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.coHire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coachingJoin Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system