Optimize Organization Around Talent, Not Structure

Claire Vo believes in bending the universe to your will and taking agency over your career path. She approaches leadership with a founder's mindset, even when operating within larger organizations.

At the core of Claire's leadership philosophy is the belief that organizations are fluid and can be shaped around talented, motivated individuals. She rejects the notion that organizational structures are fixed, instead viewing them as living systems that can adapt to leverage exceptional talent. This perspective empowers both leaders and individual contributors to think beyond traditional role boundaries.

Claire deliberately sets a faster pace within her organizations by establishing what she calls "one click faster" expectations. When someone thinks something needs to be done this year, she challenges them to complete it this half; if this half, then this quarter; if this quarter, then this month. This creates momentum that ripples throughout the organization, with team members naturally rising to meet these accelerated timelines.

She also refuses to let meeting cadences dictate work pace. Rather than defaulting to "we'll decide at the next meeting," she pushes for real timelines based on when decisions can actually be made. This prevents artificial calendar constraints from slowing progress.

As a CPTO (combined Chief Product and Technology Officer), Claire emphasizes that product, engineering, and design should operate as one team with shared objectives. She believes there should be "no debates over what's best for product or what's best for engineering. What's best for design should be what is best for the organization." This unified approach eliminates functional silos and optimizes for business outcomes rather than departmental priorities.

For ICs, Claire's leadership style means opportunities to work across traditional boundaries. She encourages people to make their career goals explicit but focus primarily on solving organizational problems. When seeking advancement, frame your case around how a new position would benefit the company, not just your career progression. The most successful path forward often involves identifying organizational gaps and demonstrating how you can uniquely fill them.

Claire's approach to feedback is equally direct: "Clear is kind." She believes that conflict-avoidant, feedback-avoidant cultures degrade talent standards. Being explicit about expectations and providing candid feedback creates an environment where everyone can perform at their best.

For both leaders and ICs navigating today's AI-transformed landscape, Claire advises staying curious and experimental. She built ChatPRD not just as a product but as a learning vehicle to understand how AI will reshape product management. While she believes AI will dramatically change product roles, she sees the most enduring PM skills as those centered on influence, conviction, and the ability to align teams around bold visions.