I just got back from Product Camp Chicago, where Dan Olsen (The Lean Product Playbook, Silicon Valley Product Group) gave the keynote. I didn’t just take notes; I came back with a completely different lens on how we should be doing our work.
Welcome to the Builder Era
The language of product is evolving, again. Across every conversation in Chicago, I heard the same shift: product leaders describing themselves less as “managers” and more as builders, creators, and makers.
This isn’t semantic. It’s a mindset shift. Builders are hands-on. They ship. They measure success by what they create, not what they coordinate or manage.
And here’s what hit me: we’re builders too.
We help builders access the builders they need. When we close a search in 41 business days, we’re shipping. When we place the right PM who unlocks SaaS growth, we’re building.
Builders Want to Build
The best product people talk about what they’ve shipped, not the teams they’ve managed or the processes they’ve governed. Same with great recruiters. We don’t measure ourselves by calls made or resumes sent. We measure by outcomes. Hires closed. Impact delivered. Problems solved.
That’s the shared DNA.
Discovery > Solution
Olsen’s keynote drove home something crucial: 80% of products fail because teams fall in love with solutions too early.
His example: NASA spent millions developing a space pen that could write in zero gravity. The Russians used a pencil.
The room laughed, but the message landed. Don’t skip discovery. Don’t over-engineer before you understand the problem.
Most hiring fails for the same reason. Companies start with solutions (posting jobs, promoting internally) before defining the business problem trying to solve through a hire.
They start with resumes instead of discovery. They’re hiring humans, not solving problems.
Recruiters do this too. Jumping straight to sourcing or fixating on titles before aligning on the real problem? That’s “recruiter solutioning.”
The fix: Treat every search kickoff call as a discovery session. Listen deeply. Challenge assumptions. Co-create clarity before building the search strategy.
What a Better Kickoff Looks Like
I had a kickoff call recently with a CEO, a former Navy captain and first-time client. Before we talked candidates, I set the frame:
“I’m the recruiter responsible for getting you to a great hiring decision. I’ll lead us through this session by first presenting my understanding of the business and the mission behind this hire, then asking questions to help define the human we’re looking for.”
His response after the session? “Thanks for leading us to a great session today.”
That structure, starting with understanding, alignment on persona, surfacing trade-offs, positioning in the market, mirrors exactly what product leaders are trained to do.
We’re Co-Creators
Here’s what the team and I took away from my recent visit to Chicago: recruiting is building and co-creation.
We connect product builders to company builders. Everyone on our team from BD to marketing to research all play a part in shipping a message, a service, and ultimately, a result.
Our ability to deliver to a market that doesn’t always understand what we do? That’s what differentiates us.
The depth of discovery. The language of builders. The modern, consultative approach. That’s why our clients choose us, again and again.
The Takeaway
The product world and the recruiting world are converging. Both are driven by builders; people who create, iterate, and deliver impact.
In product, that means building great products.
In recruiting, that means building great teams.
When we adopt the builder mindset, lead with discovery, and co-create alongside clients, we stop being order-takers. We become true partners in building what’s next.