## What is a Transparent Q&A? A Transparent Q&A is my adaptation of the "Rude Q&A," a strategic preparation technique that confronts the toughest, most uncomfortable questions head-on. I discovered this approach through [Jason Cohen's article](https://longform.asmartbear.com/devils-advocate/), where he credits Scott Berkun with the concept, which has its roots in product management. The premise is simple: *What are the rude, insensitive, or uncomfortable questions that interviewers are thinking but are too polite to ask?*  These unspoken concerns can silently derail candidacies. By addressing them openly, I hope to prepare better answers and demonstrate the transparency and self-awareness that defines my approach to work. In product management, this exercise forces clarity around value propositions, competitive advantages, and market positioning. For job seekers, it identifies hidden objections, strengthens your narrative, and shows you can handle difficult conversations with grace and insight. As someone transitioning to a new role after a long tenure in a competitive market, I'm using this document to address the elephant in the room: *the questions you're thinking but won't ask.*  I'm sharing this publicly because I believe in transparency, learning in public, and showing potential employers not just my experience but also my capacity for self-reflection and continuous improvement. Below, you'll find some questions that are frankly a bit uncomfortable for me to ask and answer but that no doubt cross the mind of those who are reviewing my resume. ## Career Path & Experience Questions **"You spent over a decade at your last company. Why should we believe you can adapt to our company culture after being in one place for so long?"** My long tenure is actually *THE* strongest indicator of my adaptability. When I joined, I was one of three people working on a proof of principle. We had a tiny single-room lab with little more than a red syringe pump and grew to a multi-national presence with purpose-built labs that enable clinical workflows. Over 11 years, I successfully navigated the company's evolution from early-stage startup through a series of funding rounds to help the platform achieve FDA clearance and commercialization. Initially, I got involved to build early prototypes because I wanted to learn. As my involvement grew, so did my belief in the value of liquid biopsies and, more broadly, precision diagnostics. I remained engaged across multiple departments, with changing leadership, and through an expansion from our small group of 3 to over 150 people. During my tenure, I developed various skills: from hands-on prototype development to customer training, from clinical study management to product strategy. I've worked effectively with academic researchers, clinical laboratory directors, pharma partners, and regulatory bodies—each requiring different communication styles and approaches. This experience has prepared me to quickly understand and integrate into any company culture. **"Your experience is heavily focused on a single microfluidic platform. How can you possibly understand the broader diagnostics landscape we operate in?"** My deep expertise in one niche platform has actually given me broad exposure to many tools across the diagnostics ecosystem. Since my last technology enabled the enrichment of cancer cells that are the starting point for other workflows, I have learned about many industry-leading tools in the diagnostics landscape. Through customer collaborations, I've worked directly with complementary technologies, including NGS platforms (Illumina, Thermo), imaging systems (Leica, Zeiss), specialized single-cell analysis tools (Menarini, Rarecyte, 10x Genomics, BD), and various automation platforms (Leica BOND, Vantana). As an example, when supporting a major cancer center's development of a rare cell FISH assay, I learned their entire workflow, from sample collection through reporting, to ensure our technology integrated seamlessly. I take a systems-thinking approach because it's important to know more than just a single technology to effectively integrate into a workflow and to solve for unmet clinical needs. My scientific foundation and focus on learning allow me to quickly grasp new technologies while bringing valuable perspective on integration challenges and user needs. **"Your title progression seems slow. Why weren't you promoted more quickly if you're as talented as you claim?"** I made strategic choices to maximize my impact and learning rather than chase titles. As the company evolved, I capitalized on changing needs to deliberately move horizontally across R&D toward customer-facing roles to help our customers find success and learn about the voice of customer and what drives their workflows. As the company's strategic priorities shifted toward clinically focused products, I moved toward scientific affairs to help define value for scientists and clinicians. I ultimately brought all of these learnings back to a product-focused role. I believe I have created a valuable skill set that will serve me well as I build winning product strategies. My actual influence and responsibilities grew significantly beyond what titles suggest. I led clinical site training, which substantially contributed to the company's successful FDA clearance. I managed multi-site clinical studies and contributed extensively toward product and go-to-market strategies. Upon request, I can share glowing letters of recommendation, which validate that my contributions far exceeded my title. This breadth of experience across the entire product lifecycle is exactly what makes me valuable to your organization. ## Technical Knowledge Questions **"Our technology is based on [X]. You have zero experience with this. How could you possibly lead our product strategy?"** Product management excellence comes from synthesizing technical possibilities with market needs—not from being the deepest technical expert. My track record shows I can quickly develop working knowledge of new technologies. For instance, when customers needed to integrate our technology with single-cell sequencing, I built on my existing knowledge of rare-cell spiking and learned the fundamentals of micromanipulation, several in-house sequencing approaches, as well as some of the established market tools, such as those from 10x Genomics to help guide the effort. My core strength is translating between technical teams and customers. I ask the right questions to understand constraints and possibilities, then work with experts to shape solutions. This is a form of [[Between Worlds — Using Liminal Thinking to Bridge Science and Clinical Utility|Liminal Thinking]], which I believe is powerful. I successfully positioned products across diverse applications—from basic research to clinical trials—by focusing on customer outcomes that were in line with our strategic goals. This approach, combined with my strong life sciences foundation and my approach toward continuous learning, will transfer directly to your platform. **"The liquid biopsy field is littered with failed companies. Why should we believe your approach to product development won't lead us down the same path?"** I've studied these failures extensively and learned critical lessons. Most failed because they: 1. over-promised on technical capabilities, 2. underestimated regulatory complexity, 3. failed to identify compelling clinical use cases, or 4. ran out of runway before achieving product-market fit. My experience addresses each of these points. I've been through FDA clearance and understand the compromises required. I've seen how founder-driven push toward complete technical understanding fails without clear customer pull. Most importantly, I've learned that success requires balancing scientific innovation with commercial pragmatism. For example, in my previous work, we initially pursued broad cancer screening applications, and I observed the extreme degree of compromise that it sometimes takes to achieve a platform clearance and what that can mean for a product's short-term success on the market. I believe we learn more from our challenges than our successes, and I intend to bring my hard-earned experience to my next role as I approach product-market fit, ensuring we solve real problems with sustainable business models. ## Leadership & Management Questions **"Looking at your resume, it's unclear if you've ever managed a significant budget or P&L. Have you actually been responsible for financial outcomes?"** While I haven't held direct P&L responsibility, I've developed strong financial acumen through managing projects with significant budget implications. My last company was a bit unique in that it was a publicly traded company with a history but exploring a new business area. As a result, they had a larger finance team, which led P&L. My focus was on delivering amazing experiences to customers, and I worked with colleagues across department lines to ensure projects stayed on track while also keeping my fiduciary responsibility to the company. More importantly, I understand that every product decision has financial consequences. When redesigning our customer training program, I balanced effectiveness with cost, reducing training expenses by 33% while improving customer satisfaction scores. I'm excited to take what I've learned and apply it to have more hands-on involvement in the financial aspects of product management. **"How many people have you directly managed? Your experience seems more technical than leadership-oriented."** My leadership experience extends beyond direct management. I led cross-functional initiatives involving R&D, manufacturing, clinical affairs, sales, and marketing teams. While I have only managed a handful of people directly, more importantly, I've developed skills in influence leadership: aligning diverse stakeholders around common goals without formal authority. This is particularly valuable in product management, where success depends on coordinating efforts across departments. ## Company Fit & Future Potential Questions **"Our company needs someone who can hit the ground running. It looks like you'll need months to understand our technology platform. Why should we wait?"** I've demonstrated throughout my career an ability to quickly absorb new technical information. My experience in working with customers across a diverse range of research interests demonstrates my ability to learn new approaches and dive deep quickly. When customers integrated the products I supported in their workflows, I typically achieved working proficiency with companion technologies inside a week and would then follow-up and dive deeper as required. My scientific foundation in cell biology, molecular diagnostics, and imaging provides me with a framework to quickly grasp new platforms. In addition, many critical product management activities—customer interviews, competitive analysis, go-to-market strategy—can begin immediately while I build technical depth in parallel. For more complicated projects or where true technical mastery is required, I come up with a 30-60-90 day plan. I plan to hit the ground running, remain curious, and begin applying what I know immediately while building deeper technical knowledge in parallel. **"The diagnostics field is rapidly moving toward AI and computational approaches. Your background is primarily in physical devices. Aren't your skills becoming obsolete?"** Diagnostic products are increasingly moving toward a blended approach—combining physical sample preparation with computational analysis as an aid for medical professionals. While I have had limited direct experience with this so far, I am following closely the challenges of AI in regulated environments—particularly around model versioning, validation, and the "black box" problem in clinical decision-making. I've stayed current through continuous learning: completing courses on AI in healthcare, attending computational pathology conferences, and engaging with companies like PathAI and Proscia. My experience with the physical aspects—sample quality, pre-analytical variables, workflow integration—becomes MORE valuable as we add computational layers. I'm excited to work at this intersection, ensuring AI solutions solve real clinical problems with appropriate validation and user trust. In addition, I see many other possible areas where AI can be used to aid product management-related activities while being careful to trust but verify the outputs. When used correctly, AI can be a helpful aid, and I am looking forward to continuing to watch its use in science evolve. **"What exactly would you bring to our company that we can't find in dozens of other candidates with more direct experience in our specific technology area?"** What sets me apart is my deep product development experience from concept through commercialization across several areas of the business which are essential to product definition. I have a proven ability to translate customer needs into successful products and the persistence to see complex projects through multi-year journeys. A lot of my unique value comes from experiencing the entire product lifecycle at a small company where I had visibility and impact across many functions. I've made the mistakes, learned the lessons, and developed instincts about what works—insights you can't gain through reading or through shorter tenures. I've built a product and followed it from concept to FDA clearance, while also learning from features that didn't resonate with customers. Most importantly, I bring genuine passion for precision diagnostics and improving patient outcomes. While others might have more in-depth knowledge I come with a breadth of experience that is uncommon, and I offer proven ability to quickly develop that expertise while immediately applying product management fundamentals that drive commercial success. My track record shows I invest deeply in products I believe in and find creative paths to success—exactly what your company needs as it grows and expands.