Shalini Goyal

System Design: Mastering Time and Trade-Offs

Amazon

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Publicis Sapient

United Healthcare

Virgin Money

Engineering and AI Leader | Ex-Amazon, JP Morgan | Speaker | Career Coach

“You’re not expected to build Google in 45 minutes but you are expected to think like someone who could.”

Taking Charge in a System Design Interview

“The biggest failure mode in system design interviews? Running out of time before showing your best ideas.”

Time Management During the Interview

“Every system is a compromise. Great engineers know how to make the right ones.”

Thinking About Trade-Offs and Design Like a Pro

You know you need to improve your communication and leadership skills, and your manager has highlighted this as a focus area. They know what got you here won't get you there (your next level). Your peers and cross-functional partners have subtly hinted at it or even included soft comments in your recent performance review. In the age of AI, your ability to communicate clearly, influence across teams, and lead with empathy is what sets you apart from automation. It’s not just a soft skill anymore — it’s your strategic advantage. You want to turn things around quickly, but don’t know where to start, and you’re not prioritizing it. Here’s what might happen if you don’t take action:↳You’ll miss out on visibility within the organization↳You’ll watch others grow and wonder what’s holding you back↳You’ll worry about being flagged as a low performer because your work isn’t visible↳Your confidence will diminish, leaving you feeling stuck, like you’re on a treadmill going nowhere↳You won’t advance to the next level, as strong communication and influence are essential for growth Luckily, there’s a solution for you now. Communication Engineering helps you achieve your communication and leadership goals and creates a feedback loop for measuring your behavioral changes. You’ll learn the 20% that drives 80% of your communication and leadership impact. I learned the English alphabet at age 11, in 5th grade. Despite that, I excelled in my career at Oracle and Meta by leveraging key communication and leadership frameworks. I’ve had the privilege of speaking to C-suite executives at Oracle and Meta and engaging with customers worldwide. If I could achieve this, imagine what you could accomplish! You can find the missing link to your career growth in this course. Many have found it's your turn now! Your&nbsp;peers&nbsp;from&nbsp;Amazon,&nbsp;Ellucian, Fidelity, Kitopi, Nvidia, Oracle, Ridecell, Salesforce, State Street, Kotak, Meta, Airbnb, EY, Nubank,&nbsp;and&nbsp;SAP&nbsp;have attended previous cohorts dialing in from Armenia, India, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Hungary, Canada, Brazil, and the United States. Read the detailed syllabus and reviews by past participants on this page below. COURSE CONTENT:↳How to communicate complex topics in simple terms using proven frameworks↳How to be charismatic without coming across as salesy↳How to tailor your message to suit your audience↳How to ask thought-provoking questions that inspire change↳How to listen deeply and go beyond just words↳How to create a career growth plan↳How to establish a feedback loop within your organization↳How to secure agreements and hold people accountable without being pushy THE COURSE ALSO INCLUDES:↳Plenty of practice with peers↳Research-backed strategies that truly work↳Immediate encouragement and constructive feedback↳Real-life examples and common workplace scenarios↳A safe environment to make mistakes and foster a growth mindset↳Plus: Homework to apply concepts (including writing assignments)↳All four Zoom workshops are live and taught by Pramoda↳All the sessions will be recorded so you can refer back to the material WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST FROM THIS COURSE:↳You love learning by doing rather than just listening to lectures or reading books↳You are accountable and eager to share and learn from your peers↳You are self-aware, open-minded, and intellectually honest WHO THIS IS NOT FOR:↳This is not for you if you’re looking for 1:1 coaching. However, there will be plenty of Q&amp;A, and I’ll ask volunteers to share their situations/examples for group discussions↳This is not for you if you believe there’s nothing more to learn about structured communication and leadership development↳This is not for you if you’re seeking a quick fix without being willing to make small changes in your behavior This is a 4-week incremental course designed for an immersive experience. You will develop three communication habits in four weeks: authenticity, brevity, and clarity.

Communicate with Authenticity, Brevity, and Clarity: Establish a Growth Loop

Course syllabus

A 45-minute live lecture is followed by 75 minutes of practice, role-playing, and peer sharing in breakout rooms. The experience is like working out at a gym, and you'll build strong communication muscles.

Saturday

Course schedule

Senior ICs and Tech Leads who have challenges with concise and structured communication; either sharing too much or too little.

Technical Experts and PMs who work with customers and are unsure what questions to ask to clarify customer's needs and create clear agreemen

Managers and Technical Leaders who are looking for frameworks and tools for handling difficult conversations and managing conflicts.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

so you can confidently navigate workplace scenarios, saving time and effort by focusing on what matters most.

Learn easy-to-apply, proven frameworks for communication 

so you can engage effectively with colleagues and influence them, making you more impactful at work.

Develop conversational coaching skills through peer practice 

so you can effectively communicate your work, leading to greater fulfillment in your role.

Present ideas with clarity and brevity to your leadership team 

so you can measure growth with a feedback loop, which means you can partner with your manager for your career growth and promotion.

Build a personalized toolkit to enhance your leadership presence 

Think Like an Expert. Talk Like an Executive. Thrive in the AI Era.
 

Pramoda Vyasarao

Cohort 5

Cohort 6

Through my coaching over the past several years, I've helped a lot of people get hired. There are some very clear patterns to what is getting in the way, so I have turned this into a course that will help you stand out and win. Most interview advice recycles the same basic checklists. Some experts even help you up-level your game further, building a stronger resume and better answers to key interview questions like, "Tell me about yourself..." Yet, strong candidates like you don't get the offer. Why? What are you missing? There are patterns and reasons behind how hiring really works, but these reasons are rooted much deeper than most people realize or teach. Hiring is actually about how people's brains evaluate who they trust, who they like, who they feel they understand, who they connect with, what worries them, excites them, and who their biases are comfortable with. Hiring isn't just about skills, fit, and the job. It's much deeper, and much more human than that. This course covers things not even the interviewers know about themselves. If the CIA had a course on how to be sure you get the job, this would be it. You will learn the truth behind how people think and how they make decisions, making you top 0.1% in communicating, differentiating yourself, and landing the job. If you saw me on Lenny's podcast, you know a little bit about my background in behavioral science and how it helped me win as a multi-time entrepreneur. What I want to share with you in this course is how to win at interviews by powerfully connecting with people's brains, not just doing the surface stuff every other candidate does. You'll understand things nobody else knows. You'll understand exactly how the interviewers' minds work. You'll understand how you are seen through their eyes. And you'll understand what you might be getting wrong and what you need to start getting right. This course won't just help you today...it will help you stand out in every interview you have for the rest of your life, changing the trajectory of your whole career. Interview Mastery&nbsp;is a laser-focused spin-off from my highly-rated first Maven Course (How to Sell Yourself &amp; Your Ideas), designed to focus 100% on the subject of hiring, turning you into the easiest, safest, most obvious “yes” a hiring team can make. === What makes this course different? Built on real brain science.&nbsp;Learn how the hiring manager's evaluation "circuitry" inside their brain&nbsp;actually&nbsp;works, not how we wish it worked. Learn how to tailor your message.&nbsp;Different people need a different message from you. Instantly read the Operator, Craftsperson, or Visionary across the table and adjust your approach on the fly. Mindset-based storytelling.&nbsp;Don't just talk about your past and your results...learn to describe your ultimate differentiator: the unique, compelling mind behind your experiences. Diagnostic toolkit. Take the mystery out of your struggles...you’ll isolate why you're having challenges and learn how to fix it without sacrificing your authenticity. Two hidden levers less than 1% of interviewees know about.&nbsp;You’ll learn about the two blind spots that quietly undermine you in interviews...insights almost no one teaches. === Why break this out from the broader&nbsp;How to Sell Yourself &amp; Your Ideas Course? It makes more sense to separately address the needs of people interviewing vs. people who are trying to sell themselves and their ideas once they are in the role. This way, you get the most out of each toolkit and you'll be in a cohort of people with the exact same needs and challenges as you. Ready to start winning? Ready to learn how you can engineer a “yes” instead of hoping for good luck? Join the next cohort and make&nbsp;hired&nbsp;the default outcome.

The truth about how hires are actually chosen and what that means for you.


If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

Schedule items can also be used to convey commitments outside of specific time slots (like weekly projects or daily office hours).

Weekly projects

People who want access to the next level. Don't just win at your level...learn how to show you're ready for what's next in your career.

People who want access to tier 1. Get the best jobs at the best companies, only accessible to those who know how to get in the door.

People who feel stuck in their search. Are you close, but you're not quite getting the offers you want? Learn how to get unblocked.

What you’ll get out of this course


There are two keys to the interviewing process that almost nobody knows. Without these keys, most people interviewing accidentally make themselves less unique, less understood, and less desirable in the interview process.

Learn the two key things most people mess up.


Every person you interview with is a different person with a different personality, yet most candidates say the same things to everyone. This leads to mixed reactions. Learn how to quickly tell what kind of person you're speaking to and how to speak in language that resonates.

Learn to tailor your approach to the audience


You aren't just having discussions with the people you're interviewing with...deeper down, you are causing reactions in their brains that make them subconsciously decide whether or not you're the right person. If you're creating the wrong reactions, winning is impossible.

Understand the brain science behind successful interviews


The opening question of most interviews sets the stage for the whole conversation. Learn how to open strong, setting the tone for you to be understood, remembered, and differentiated. This question is so much more important than people realize.

Crush "Tell me about yourself..."


For people who have been interviewing for a while, it can be confusing to understand what might be going wrong and what, exactly, to work on. In this course, you'll learn how to accurately analyze your track record and spot exactly what you need to learn and implement.

Build a framework for reflection and improvement


The concept of fit is important in both directions. You need to show how you are a fit for the role and the company, but you also need to know what you can expect once you get there so you can make the best decision for you.

Understand fit


It can feel like getting the job is the goal, but once you're there, are you going to truly have permission and a platform to do great work, rack up wins, and grow? Surprisingly, the permission to do great work starts during the interview process.

Sell yourself so well, you'll actually be allowed to do your job


This course is going to help you get your next job, of course. But it's also going to help you get every job you'll ever get. At the end of the course, we'll talk about the importance of seeing the next job as a big step in an even bigger journey.

Have a medium and long-term game plan


Learn the elite, science-based approach to differentiating yourself, earning instant rapport, and scoring the job.


Evan LaPointe

I founded several companies. Sold the last one to Adobe. Now, I help people win.

July 20

August 26th

An advanced-level course for senior and rising design leaders ready to address the most common challenges Design Leaders face. Learn how to build your durable design operating system to withstand scale, restructuring, evolution, and growth. Establish mechanisms and high-leverage activities that maintain quality and effectiveness for your teams and for the business. Course Topics + Content Build and activate high-impact teamsApply effective organizational design, strategic planning, and performance measurement Define and optimize your operating systemEstablish rhythms and rituals, shape a positive design culture, streamline processes and workflows, and build a robust reporting and communication strategy Identify the most effective design team structuresLearn how to choose the right team structures for your organization Activate your team’s strengths through organizational designAnticipate common challenges within and across teams and learn strategies for effectively addressing them Create your organization’s ideal design teamTogether, we’ll design and build your design team and organization 7 Live, Interactive Sessions, with timezone-friendly options for most APAC/EMEA/AMER locales - One Welcome Kickoff Session- Three Live, Interactive Learning Sessions including Q&amp;A sessions with guest experts- Two Office Hours / Q+A sessions with Kristin for personalized guidance- One Reflection/Wrap-up Session

Design Your Organization's Operating System 

Directors+ of Design and Operations leading teams across a portfolio of products and services.

Senior Leaders and Practitioners who are establishing, evolving, and leading a Design Organization or Operations practice.

Operations leaders who want to sharpen skills, learn new approaches and methods, and accelerate their organizations.

You'll learn how to establish mechanisms, routines, and high-leverage activities that maintain and enhance culture, quality, and community as you grow.

Best practices to build infrastructure that scales

<ul><li>Design and structure a high-performing design organization.</li><li>Effectively prioritize and plan work to maximize impact.</li><li>Utilize visual staffing tools to manage resources efficiently.</li><li>Implement accountability measures to maintain high-quality standards.</li></ul>

Build and activate high-impact teams

<ul><li>Establish effective rhythms and rituals that enhance team productivity and alignment.</li><li>Shape a positive design culture that fosters innovation and collaboration.</li><li>Optimize processes and workflows for greater efficiency.</li><li>Develop and implement robust reporting and communications</li></ul>

Define and optimize your operating system

<ul><li>Learn approaches and tactics that address common organizational and team challenges</li><li>Mitigate these challenges via a fixed vs. flexible framework</li><li>Gain new strategies to keep your team focused and thriving</li></ul>

Identify and anticipate the most common team and organizational challenges 

Guest Experience: Experienced leaders will join to share their stories and give examples of how they navigated similar challenges Instructor Experience: You'll learn directly from Kristin's first-hand experience establishing and leading multiple large-scale global design orgs

Access to first-hand experience and guidance customized to your unique situation

Included are multiple, moderated Q&amp;A sessions with Kristin and other industry leaders so that you can get expert advice on your unique challenges and aspirations.

Q&A Sessions with industry experts

Learn best practices to build a durable design organization operating system.

Kristin Skinner


Cohort 04

Cohort 05

What if managing felt as natural as coding? Remember when you first learned to code? The syntax felt foreign, debugging was painful, and simple tasks took forever. But once you mastered the fundamentals, everything clicked. Management is the same way. Except no one teaches you the fundamentals. Right Now, Your Management Looks Like:
- 1:1s that waste time instead of driving results- Reactive firefighting instead of strategic leadership- Endless context switching that leaves you exhausted- Watching other managers get promoted while you're stuck- Delegation that fails because you haven't built the right systems Imagine Instead:
- Clear promotion path&nbsp;because senior leadership sees your systematic approach- Strategic leadership&nbsp;where your team runs smoothly without constant oversight- Effective delegation&nbsp;that frees up 10+ hours per week and stretches your team- Powerful 1:1s&nbsp;that accelerate careers and solve problems before they escalate- Work-life balance&nbsp;because your systems work even when you're offline- AI that actually helps you manage, not just code The bridge between these two realities?&nbsp;A proven management Operating System used by engineering managers at Meta, Amazon, Uber, and fast-growing startups. --- Hi 👋, I'm Gilad. I know what's it like to lie awake at night wondering if you're failing your team. Four years ago I left my engineering leadership role at Meta to pursue a lifelong dream to travel across the US with my family. After more than twelve years of management in several FAANGs and startups, it was time for a change. In the middle of no-where Montana, I had a realization.The painful lessons that I learned? They can help managers like you. I refined, researched, and built the Management Operating System.I can't wait to share it with you!

The Management System They Never Taught You


Two interactive classes per week, one leadership clinic.An additional 30 minutes of optional Q&amp;A at the end of each session.

We kick of the course with our first session, focusing on you, the manager.

May 13, 2022


Three projects to take the lessons and apply them in your real work.

You are a software engineering manager with 2-5+ years of experience

Your schedule controls you, and you hate it. You want to move your team forward.

You are ambitious and want to get that promotion even faster.

This is NOT for you if you are an individual-contributor or a Director+.

<ul><li>The Management Influence Map, so you always know where you’re standing and how to achieve your goals.</li><li>The 3-Step Meeting Framework, to turn boring into impact.</li><li>The Mental Toolkit, so that you are at your best, every day.</li><li>How to best leverage AI in your workflow.</li><li>And much more!</li></ul>

Build your own Management Operating System. Never be a slave to your calendar ever again.
 

<ul><li>Learn how to drive impact that matters, even outside of engineering.</li><li>Hands-on projects to make our proven systems fit your unique needs.</li><li>Develop the skills to bridge the gap with marketing, sales, product, and more.</li></ul>

Get a customized career growth roadmap, tailored to you.


It’s not just about the tools. It’s about people.Get diverse perspectives on challenges facing you and your peers.Meet and form real relationships with leaders just like you. Your next role may start here.

Build your professional network. Form relationships with managers from across the industry.


<ul><li>How to deeply understand the product you are working on and stop being an 'orders taker'.</li><li>How to make sure you are truly creating an impact (and get buy-in for your technical initiatives).</li><li>Learn how to better understand your company's industry and market and use that knowledge.</li></ul>

Start delivering business impact. 

From Overwhelmed Manager to High-Impact Leader in 10 Days. The proven system used by leaders to control their calendars and grow their team.


Lightning Lessons

System Design: Mastering Time and Trade-Offs