Jeff Verona Gems: How to Avoid Tornadoes That Wreck Your Projects
🎙️ Lessons from my conversation with Jeff Verona on S1E2 of Corporate Underpants Live
I recently had a great conversation about a real-life project that was completely clobbered by a communication and politics “tornado.” These situations aren’t just frustrating—they’re deeply relatable to anyone working in product, UX, or leadership. Corporate Underpants is all about experience by osmosis, and Jeff Verona’s story offers some incredible lessons learned. Here’s how to spot the storms before they hit and control the weather systems in your own organization and product projects.
💎 1. Local Optimization vs. Global Optimization Focusing on one part of the process while ignoring its impact downstream is like fixing one hole in a boat while others are springing leaks. In Jeff’s story, his team streamlined the loan application process but overlooked the bottleneck it created for collections. The result? Chaos that could have been avoided. The lesson here is simple: optimization isn’t just about fixing what’s broken in front of you—it’s about ensuring the entire system works seamlessly. Always consider the ripple effects of your changes.
💎 2. Define the Problem, Not the Solution One of the biggest traps I’ve seen in product and process design is jumping to solutions before fully defining the problem. In Jeff’s case, his team assumed the answer lay in better data collection but failed to dig into the actual pain points. This shortcut led to blind spots and inefficiencies. My advice? Begin every project by asking, “What problem are we trying to solve?” Building on assumptions without clarity is a recipe for disaster.
💎 3. User Testing Finds Wrinkles in the Carpet Here’s one of my favorite analogies about usability testing: it’s like finding a wrinkle in the carpet. If one person trips, everyone will. Jeff’s small, scrappy usability session revealed critical insights that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. Testing doesn’t need to be large-scale or statistically significant—it just needs to uncover those trip hazards before they derail your project.
💎 4. Unearth Concerns Before the Meeting Jeff admitted to skipping a critical step: understanding Ivan’s concerns before their meeting. This led to a tornado of conflict during what should have been a productive discussion. I’ve learned the hard way that pre-meeting alignment matters. Before any high-stakes conversation, make time to understand everyone’s priorities and worries. Addressing concerns privately builds trust and prevents blowups when the stakes are high.
💎 5. Set Rules for Meetings During a user feedback session, Ivan derailed the conversation by asking about mobile compatibility—a topic completely off the table. It’s a classic example of why meetings need boundaries. I always set clear objectives and define what’s in scope ahead of time. Establishing ground rules ensures meetings stay focused and productive, even when someone tries to throw in a curveball.
💎 6. Focus on Positive Revenue Impacts, Not Cost Savings Jeff’s mentor, George, nailed it when he told Jeff to frame his ideas in terms of potential revenue gains instead of cost savings. I’ve seen this work time and again—people respond better to growth than restraint. By showing how your proposal adds value instead of just cutting costs, you’re far more likely to gain support and enthusiasm.
💎 7. Remember That Logic Doesn’t Automatically Prevail Logic alone rarely wins in the world of people and politics. Jeff’s solution was the most logical, but it failed to gain traction because he didn’t align with stakeholders’ perceptions and priorities. I’ve learned that you need to do more than present the best idea—you have to influence belief. Understand what matters to your audience and frame your arguments accordingly.
💎 8. There Are Always Three Conversations Happening Here’s one of my favorite lessons from Jeff’s story: the conversation in your head, the one in someone else’s head, and the one that actually happens are rarely the same. Miscommunication is often the silent killer of good projects. I always encourage teams to clarify terms, document decisions, and align on shared definitions early to avoid unnecessary confusion and chaos.
Conclusion Jeff’s story is a treasure trove of lessons for anyone navigating the messy intersection of people, politics, and product. Whether you’re tackling executive misalignment, user needs, or process bottlenecks, these eight gems can help you avoid the tornadoes that threaten to derail your success.
💬 Which gem resonates most with you? Share your thoughts—or your own “corporate tornado” stories—in the comments!
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