Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

How to make better decisions and build a joyful career | Ada Chen Rekhi (Notejoy, LinkedIn, SurveyMonkey)

April 16, 2023

AI Summary

5 min read

Ada Chen Rekhi shares frameworks from her career in marketing, startups, and executive coaching to improve decision-making and career alignment. Drawing from roles at LinkedIn, SurveyMonkey, and co-founding Notejoy, she emphasizes curiosity-driven advice, personal values, and balancing exploration with focused growth to avoid late-career regret.

Curiosity Loops for Better Advice

Rekhi's core tool for decisions is the "curiosity loop," a structured way to gather contextual input that counters generic advice like "quit and chase dreams" or "grind it out." Start with a specific, unbiased question that prompts rationale—e.g., not "What should I do with my career?" but "I'm a marketer considering a webdev bootcamp; is quitting for that smart?" Ask 5-10 people: subject experts plus those who know you well. Keep it lightweight (e.g., pick top 2 from a list and explain why) for high response rates, then thank responders and note surprises or disagreements. Lightweight versions weave the question into daily chats; heavyweight ones use emails/docs. Examples include selecting podcast topics and estate planning, where loops revealed executive function peaks at 30, shifting inheritance ages from 18. This fights cognitive biases by surfacing blind spots without outsourcing the choice.

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What you'll learn

1 `* (00:36) **Intro and Guest Background**`
2 `* (03:20) **Curiosity Loops Framework**`
3 `* (05:54) **Crafting Good Questions and Examples**`
4 `* (16:51) **Values Exercise for Decisions**`
5 `* (25:55) **Early Career: Explore vs Exploit**`
6 `* (32:01) **When to Stick or Quit a Job (Frog Boiling)**`
7 `* (42:42) **Exec Coaching: When/How to Use**`

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Brought to you by Sprig—Product insights that drive product success.

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Ada Chen Rekhi is an executive coach and co-founder of Notejoy. She helps founders scale themselves alongside their teams. She has over a decade of experience leading teams through periods of rapid transition, from the chaos of founding early-stage startups to leadership roles in growing SurveyMonkey and LinkedIn. In today’s podcast, we discuss:

• How utilizing a “curiosity loop” can aid you in decision-making

• A values exercise that can help determine if your life choices align with your personal values

• Ada’s “explore and exploit” framework for making the most of your job opportunities

• The advantages of seeking an executive coach and useful tips on finding one

• Tips for women navigating working in Silicon Valley

• Why it’s so important to provide constructive feedback

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-make-better-decisions-and

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Where to find Ada Chen Rekhi:

• Website: https://www.adachen.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adachen