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.0

New role? Get my 90-day Growth Leader onboarding plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90

In 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 companies

• How the one-year deal mindset helps you maximize fit, impact, and optionality

• When this approach makes sense and when it’s better to stay put and build depth

Things 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 further

Resources:

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Apply for coaching: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

Download my customizable 90 Day Plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90

In 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 design
• A practical framework for capacity planning, effort scoring, and balancing quick wins with long-term bets
• The most common misalignments growth leaders face and how to proactively prevent them

Things 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 roles

A 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.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join 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.0

New role? Get my 90-day Growth Leader onboarding plan here: https://deliveringvalue.co/90

In 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 context
• How the CATER framework helps tell a clearer career story
• How to translate your impact for hiring managers who aren’t “native speakers” of your field

Things 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 support

Resources:

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Apply for coaching: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join 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 resilience

A 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.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join 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 it
• What listener feedback revealed about who the show is really for
• How the new direction centers on growth through real leadership moments

Things 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 next

Resources:

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join 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 together

Resources:

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, Don McGray, product marketing leader and Head of Growth PMM at Vimeo (formerly Dropbox and Airtable), shares how to separate identity from performance without dialing down ambition. From being told his launch plan was “C-plus work” to navigating a surprise layoff, Don shares the inner-game shifts that helped him rebuild trust, make cleaner calls, and keep moving in high-stakes environments.

Don gets specific about executive alignment (and the invisible pre-meeting “backchannel”), the moment he realized he was in the wrong role—and said it out loud—and why cultivating distance from work (and toward real hobbies) made him a steadier operator when pressure spiked.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How to detach self-worth from outcomes so feedback, layoffs, and big swings don’t break your momentum.
• How to earn executive buy-in before “the meeting” and turn harsh input into an actionable A-grade plan.
• How to diagnose a role misfit early, have the hard conversation, and land where your strengths actually compound.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(02:10) Don’s early career

(04:37) High stakes and career growth at Dropbox

(09:42) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic

(13:50) Lessons from Airtable: handling tough feedback

(18:31) Navigating executive expectations

(25:04) Facing imposter syndrome

(25:25) Struggles in a new role

(28:19) The importance of vulnerability

(30:10) Navigating career changes

(38:32) Handling layoffs and job insecurity

(42:58) Balancing work and personal life

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:

Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value

Resources:

Connect with Don:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donmcgray/

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, Natalie Marcotullio, Head of Growth & Operations at Navattic, looks back on a “rollercoaster” year and what it taught her about role fit, energy management, and leading through constant change. She traces the shift from growth to product marketing amid a noisy AI landscape, a new product line, and a leaner team, and how those forces sparked both imposter syndrome and new clarity about what work fuels her.

Natalie opens up about the anxiety of the AI hype cycle, why chasing every new tactic eroded quality and enjoyment, and the candid conversation with her founder that helped reset expectations. She shares how she separates signal from noise, stops pegging self-worth to dashboards, and designs a job around customer proximity, evangelism, and community.

Looking ahead, Natalie is doubling down on in-person energy: speaking, hosting, and building fandom around Navattic, including a new customer portal that rewards participation and connection. She offers practical advice for naming burnout early, restructuring scope without guilt, and making mid-term career bets even if you don’t plan to stay in tech forever.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How to tell “energizing change” from “draining change,” and reshape your role around the former without dropping the ball
• A simple script for the hard talk with your exec: mapping “gives energy / drains energy” into concrete scope and support changes
• How to build product fandom (not just leads): customer proximity, IRL touchpoints, and a portal play that compounds community

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(01:37) Role shifts and team dynamics

(02:17) Personal and professional challenges

(03:42) Filtering AI hype after SaaStr

(04:58) Launching a new product line and persona

(11:45) Context switching and the 60% problem

(14:03) When work bleeds into life (injury, decompression)

(19:09) Q3 burnout and the hard conversation

(22:00) The power of honesty in the workplace

(22:40) Naming limits, resetting priorities, and role design

(27:01) Dreams beyond the tech industry

(36:24) Building community and looking ahead

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:

Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value

Check out the Behind the Scenes deep dive with the Navattic growth team:

Episode 0: Introducing the miniseries featuring the Navattic growth team - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MSAgQcR0mkUjmmLl8fXx0?si=88211b89550c4261

Episode 1: The size and stage of the Navattic business - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ArIOcGmcLPUowPXqxU6Yr?si=510ce12c47734f13

Episode 2: What does growth look like at Navattic? - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4rfP8yQu9nVveOQaxqJ06s?si=24c463778d4c4214

Episode 3: What goes into Navattic’s growth strategy? - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GrtQw0Kx1fntD4IBTudb7?si=2847fcce8da4496e

Episode 4: Navattic’s growth operating system - https://open.spotify.com/episode/6oJRINQlBby7kLFTxcrvY6?si=eebebb0033234ff8

Episode 5: The specific KPIs & dashboards that drive Navattic’s success - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wOunwgXy0AMRsODloAbD3?si=46b9f4e42f754a77

Episode 6: The biggest challenges Natalie and Raman face working in growth at Navattic - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CJmSh7XqFakyxfgotjABg?si=3284a52fc9e64aca

Episode 7: How Navattic’s growth team stays aligned and manages expectations internally - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7CX7DBGR0VYpEsnXd7rYbj?si=0b1e1729a6404903

Episode 8: Big beats in 2024 and series takeaways - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cxo9wtMJEZqQxCBiSEHdf?si=f91f566ac8f24a6e

Check out Natalie’s previous Delivering Value episode:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kQx1DTHdPpGUlY33fHeqK?si=6fd1de234fa84436

Website: https://deliveringvalue.co/pod/navigating-speed-bumps-and-communication-challenges-as-a-one-person-growth-team-with-natalie-marcotullio

Resources:

Connect with Natalie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-marcotullio/

Navattic: https://navattic.com/value

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, Luke Wallace, founder-turned-fractional growth leader and former Chief Growth Officer at Zipline Education, opens up about the moment high-visibility mistakes hit customers and forced him to rebuild his operating system. He shares the CEO feedback that drew a line between being nice and being kind, why he chose to hire an executive coach instead of switching jobs, and how he moved from heroic execution to scalable systems that don’t break under pressure.

Luke talks about over-communicating up and across with data, rebuilding trust after public misses, and setting binary outcomes that make expectations unambiguous. He also gets tactical on giving direct feedback without becoming a jerk, navigating team changes when a beloved generalist no longer fits the stage, running customer interviews to unlock stalled growth, and managing imposter syndrome as the stakes rise.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How to turn painful, public mistakes into long-term fuel for resilience, credibility, and trust.
• How to use systems, documentation, and managing-up rituals to scale beyond “hero mode.”
• How to build a support loop (clear feedback, mentors, and customer interviews) to stay grounded and effective.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(02:00) Luke’s early dream of becoming a pilot

(03:22) Into tech via school IT program

(05:00) Startup wins, scrappy realities

(09:15) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic

(12:23) Direct feedback versus being nice

(23:54) Building a data-backed recommendation

(24:27) Handling high-stakes leadership talks

(25:01) Working through imposter syndrome

(27:19) Systems for scale over heroics

(30:19) Why Luke hired an executive coach

(34:42) The hardest conversations as a manager

(36:45) When the team and role evolve

(40:00) Giving clear, actionable feedback

(40:32) One-to-one coaching offer from Andrew

(43:20) Lessons learned from real failures

(44:26) Customer interviews as the unlock

(46:34) Key takeaways and ways to connect

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:

Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value

Resources:

Connect with Luke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukewallace805/

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system

In this episode, Diego von Söhsten, immigrant operator, product leader, and Director of Product Growth at Jobber, opens up about the “after you’ve already proven yourself” flavor of imposter syndrome. He recounts a moment when a senior executive publicly tore down his work (and blamed his accent), and how he rebuilt confidence, created alignment without air cover, and ultimately earned a promotion while shipping a freemium foundation that mattered when COVID hit.

Diego talks about learning to over-communicate up and across, turning anti-role-models into fuel for the leader he wanted to become, and building a growth org that prized clarity, storytelling, and psychological safety. He also shares practical ways underrepresented builders can find mentors, ask for help without shame, and protect their inner game when the ground keeps moving.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How to turn painful feedback and bias into long-term fuel for resilience and credibility as a leader.
• How to use storytelling and structured communication to create alignment and influence without authority.
• How to build a support network of mentors, peers, and self-awareness to stay grounded under pressure.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(01:53) Diego's career beginnings

(06:01) Diego’s experience being criticized for his accent

(10:43) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic

(15:05) Overcoming and growing from adversity

(24:04) Understanding user drop-off and alignment

(24:46) The power of storytelling in product management

(26:38) Building and leading effective teams

(29:31) Diego’s advice to those struggling to find their place

(33:13) Working with a good team member who just couldn’t fit

(44:58) Balancing passion for work and professional boundaries

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:

Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value

Resources:

Connect with Diego: www.linkedin.com/in/diego-vs

Diego’s official website: https://www.vonsohsten.com

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

Join Growth OS: https://deliveringvalue.co/growth-operating-system