Settle in place (freeze): When doing less is smarter—especially if the team lacks context/authority and needs to raise the alarm instead of improvising fixes.Chase shortcuts: Shortcuts can be smart… or overconfidence. The key move is testing whether the “road” is actually where you think it is (with examples like Spotify’s bet on podcasts).Follow the first visible path: The obvious option isn’t always the best one—so the real job is making multiple paths visible before choosing.Use your own navigation (intuition/taste): Judgment matters, but not as a replacement for evidence—especially when your “compass” and what you observe conflict.Retrace your steps: When you’re drifting, go back to what used to work—principles, quality practices, and discovery habits as built-in feedback loops.If your team is “lost” right now, which pattern are you defaulting to—and what’s the smallest move you can make this week to get oriented (escalate, test a shortcut, map options, validate intuition with evidence, or retrace to a principle)?
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.comMentioned in the episode:
Lost Person Behavior: A Search and Rescue Guide on Where to Look - for Land, Air and WaterRobert J. KoesterExamples referenced: Xerox, Nokia, Kodak, Volkswagen emissions scandal, Spotify podcasts, large-org tooling contexts like Oracle and SAPOpportunity Solution Trees: Visualize Your Discovery to Stay Aligned and Drive OutcomesKPI Trees: How to Bridge the Gap Between Customer Behavior, Product Metrics, and Company GoalsLet's Read Continuous Discovery Habits Together (January 2026) for Continuous Discovery Habits (and the idea of habits as feedback loops)Shifting from Outputs to Outcomes: Why It Matters and How to Get Started