What if the real reason your product failed wasn’t the team or the timeline—but that you were solving the wrong puzzle entirely? In this episode, I talk with Mike Neff, a seasoned product design leader, about what happened when he joined a company headed for IPO—and discovered that everything he thought he knew about success, alignment, and leadership was just one small piece of a much bigger picture. We cover:

• Why “doing everything right” isn’t enough
• How to spot invisible misalignment before it wrecks your roadmap
• Using design tools to align stakeholders (not just users)
• What to ask when nothing makes sense
• Why puzzle perspective is a leadership superpower

If you're a designer, PM, or exec trying to make a real impact in a complex org—this one’s for you.