People who guard their one big idea, fear they’ll never have another.

This makes them stuck. Unable to discuss. Unable to move forward.

Their minds become storage vaults rather than creative engines, just like when a midnight idea keeps you awake because you’re afraid to forget it.

When I started as a web developer there was a shortage of talent. You could learn, show your work, get hired. After the 2000 bubble burst, consistency and continuous learning kept careers alive.

Today, people who can effectively prompt AI tools or integrate AI into workflows are finding opportunities—just like those who could build websites in 1998. You don’t need a PhD. Practical skills are what companies need.

The pattern with AI is clear: shortage of skilled people now, then formal education later. Focus on using and learning, and you’ll be fine. Just as with web development before it.

If you have the right audience you don’t need bells and whistles. Focus on the content.

Trust your audience to recognize what’s important without highlighting it for them.

When you manage the context, you manage the results.

This is one of the most important aspects of developing with AI.

When building frontend features that need an API, set clear expectations to and from the backend. Provide only what’s necessary, not everything.

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” - Carl Sagan

If you understand your organization, you’ll recognize the small ideas your leadership really wants.

The ‘what if we could’ ideas.

These are the ideas your boss or manager or owner wants to test but doesn’t dare ask for since it might be seen as micromanaging.

This becomes especially valuable as companies grow beyond the size where owners can personally know everyone.

Keep track of these ideas because they often surface in various projects. They’re leadership’s pet peeves and concepts that are hard for them to ignore.

Try asking them directly: “Tell me about some ideas that you’ve had for our products that you think we need or should test?”

Remember that listening doesn’t always mean acting. Understanding these ideas gives you valuable insight even if you don’t implement them all. Sometimes leadership just wants to be heard not necessarily have every thought turned into a project.

I remember listening to a presentation by techno/drone/dub artist Andreas Tilliander.

He told the story of how after an update of his MPC the displays had reversed the indicators of which sounds were playing and which were muted. He discovered this while performing on stage at a concert in Japan.

The odd thing that happened was that the crowd went mental for the performance when he distilled the tracks to their most basic form.

Sometimes we need less to be impactful.

Past generations entered the workforce as blank slates learning everything on the job.

Today’s graduates arrive armed with skills and experiences ready to deploy immediately. From social media expertise to video production to any digital online navigation.

This creates different expectations about advancement speed and compensation that reflect our new reality.

… then guide them to where you want them to be.

This matters most in one on ones and small group workshops. Match their energy first, then lead them to your destination.

Look at great performers and presenters. They rarely start cold. There’s usually an opening act or crowd work to set the mood.

When you’re solo, you’ll need to do both parts: match their current state, then guide the change.

There’s an improv technique where performers embrace a “yes and” spirit to keep stories flowing. Without it, scenes die quickly and become harder to continue.

It’s not about literally saying the words but embodying the mindset. When performers hear something odd or unexpected, they adapt and build on it rather than blocking with “no” or “yes but.”

This mindset works beyond improv. Whether in sales conversations, colleague discussions, or daily life, choosing “yes and” over “yes but” opens doors instead of building walls. It shifts us from defensive reactions to constructive dialogue.

Maybe the solution to feeling like an impostor isn’t to get better at pretending. It’s to stop pretending altogether.

Being a professional is always being an impostor, we always do things out of our comfort zone.

Imagine if we spent that energy on the work instead of the performance.