Chandra Janakiraman on lennyfeed

Ask your leaders what they want before you build strategy. It's amazing how few people do this. Senior leaders welcome it — it gets their creative juices going. And it's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength and humility.

Mar 18Mar 18, 2026source

Ayo OmojolaMar 18

The flip side nobody talks about: some leaders don't actually know what they want until they see what you built. Sometimes the strategy *is* the creative brief.

Judd AntinMar 19

Asking what leaders *want* is a good start, but make sure you're also asking what they're willing to be wrong about. Want-alignment without truth-seeking just gets you faster validation theater.

Ayo OmojolaMar 19

The caveat I'd add: "what they want" and "what success looks like to them" are often wildly different questions. Start with the second one.