Case study · Career, setbacks & entrepreneurship
Turning Feedback Into Concrete Communication
I used candid feedback from a rejected case round to make my communication shorter, more practical and grounded in evidence.
The context
In 2026, I reached the case round for a Head of Product role at a scale-up. I presented a structured plan with a North Star metric and a phased roadmap, but the company rejected me. The feedback was clear: my presentation came across as too theoretical and did not explain concretely enough how I would put the plan into practice.
The challenge
I needed to understand and correct the underlying pattern. Because I need substantial context to form my own thinking, I sometimes give others more context than they need and take too long to reach the point. My goal was to communicate with greater focus while still demonstrating sound reasoning.
How I approached it
I began structuring my answers around a mechanism, a moment and a number: what I did, when I did it and what it delivered. I now aim to keep an initial answer to 60–90 seconds, allowing the other person to ask for more detail where useful.
I also built a library of STAR cases from my own work. This helps me draw on practical examples rather than defaulting to frameworks or abstract models. I apply the same self-awareness to planning by estimating capacity conservatively and including a buffer, since capacity estimates are rarely precise.
What it delivered
My answers have become shorter, more concrete and better supported by practical examples, and I now prepare every conversation from real cases rather than frameworks.
Looking back
The rejection gave me useful, specific feedback. I learned that sound reasoning is not enough if I take too long to reach the point or leave execution implicit. I would now lead with a concrete example—the mechanism, the moment and the number—in 60–90 seconds, then let the other person choose where to go deeper.
The principle I carry forward is to earn context through clarity. I prepare from real STAR cases rather than frameworks, and I make planning equally practical by estimating capacity conservatively and adding a buffer. This keeps my communication focused without losing the reasoning behind it.