# Frank Harris - Executive Coach, Builder, Writer > https://hirefrank.com ## Site Structure - Home: / - About: /about - Coaching: /coaching - Newsletter: /newsletter - Software Studio: /studio - Agent Skills: /skills --- ## Home (/) Frank Harris I've built products at the intersection of engineering, design, and product for [20+ years -- including at Slack, Etsy, and Google](/about) . Today I bring that lens to coaching leaders , building software, and writing. [Leadership Coaching](/coaching) For leaders navigating complexity, change, and growth. [Software Studio](/studio) Building software I'm curious about and want to exist. [Frank Takeaways](/newsletter) A mildly entertaining newsletter on leadership and tech. * * * " Frank had a material, double-digit percentage impact on our revenue within a month of our first session. " -- Tomas Reimers, Graphite [(acquired by Cursor)](https://graphite.com/blog/graphite-joins-cursor) --- ## About (/about) # About Frank I'm a coach and former product executive with over 20 years of experience building teams and products at companies like Slack, Etsy, and Google. * * * ## The Journey My career spans engineering, design, and product leadership across startups, scale-ups, and public companies. I'm known for combining deep technical intuition with design sensibility and a sharp sense of product strategy -- a blend that shapes my coaching today. As a self-taught engineer, I joined Google as a UX designer and created the original transit icons for Google Maps -- an early example of my ability to bridge tech with human-friendly design. I later joined Etsy as a product manager pre-IPO, where I played a pivotal role in enhancing search and discovery and led the launch of a high-margin, self-serve ad platform for sellers -- one of their most successful revenue initiatives. I went on to hold VP roles at Betterment, Casper, InVision, and Slack, leading cross-functional teams through periods of rapid growth, product reinvention, and organizational change. ## Hands-on Coaching Building products is hard. Leading the people who build them? Harder. Whether it's stepping into a Staff+ role, managing a growing team, or navigating founder dynamics, coaching helps leaders move through uncertainty with more clarity, confidence, and impact. Today, I work with senior ICs, VPs, and founders -- helping them navigate complex leadership challenges, clarify strategy, and grow with intention. My practice is grounded in ICF-aligned coaching principles and shaped by 20+ years of leadership experience at companies like Slack, Etsy, Google, Betterment, Casper, and InVision. Sessions are hands-on and reflective, blending structured frameworks, sharp questions, and metaphor-driven insight to help leaders operate with intention and grow on purpose. "Frank had a material, double digit percentage, impact on our revenue within a month of our first session. He combines a natural caring and thoughtfulness with a wealth of professional experience. If this is your first time stepping into a product leadership position, or are just looking for a thought partner, I don't think you'll regret giving Frank a try." -- Tomas Reimers, Graphite [(acquired by Cursor)](https://graphite.com/blog/graphite-joins-cursor) ## Speaking & Podcasts I've spoken at events and been interviewed on podcasts about product leadership, team building, and navigating complexity. **Why AI Won't Kill Your Job -- But It Might Kill Your Excuses**: Conference Talk -- Wise's Science Meets Art 2025 **Enthusiasm is the tiebreaker**: Podcast -- JobQuest Podcast, 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CX7QLXAMwM) **Design Unfiltered XVIII**: Podcast -- Design Unfiltered, 2024 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpd_fLEKMBM) **Reducing friction, modularity, and low-code**: Podcast -- Product Direction Podcast, 2023 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc67fnZ8hj8) **Mastering Enterprise SaaS Challenges**: Conference Talk -- Digitale Leute 2023 **Fireside Chat**: Podcast -- Product School, 2021 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw2ErarZGDk) ## Beyond Work I write [Frank Takeaways](/newsletter) , a mildly entertaining newsletter read by savvy leaders on product, leadership, and the messiness of being human. I live in Brooklyn, NY with my wife, two young daughters, and an Italian truffle dog that isn't of much use in the city. --- ## Coaching (/coaching) Former Slack, Etsy, Google # Lead with clarity. Grow with intention. Executive coaching for product leaders navigating complexity. [Book a Free Intro Call](/discovery) Learn More Trusted by leaders at For Founders ## Leading a Startup is Lonely. You Don't Have to Build It Alone. Every decision feels like it's yours alone to make. The board wants answers. Your team needs direction. And you're not sure if you're seeing the full picture. In 90 days, you'll have a sounding board who's been in those rooms -- and the clarity to stop second-guessing every call. - A board narrative that actually lands - A roadmap your team believes in - Confidence in the calls only you can make For Leaders & VPs ## Scale Your Leadership Bench. Your high-performers are hitting ceilings. They're great at the work, but struggling with the politics, the difficult conversations, the transition from "doing" to "leading." In 90 days, they'll be the leaders you need -- and your best people will stop leaving for somewhere they can grow. - Rising stars who retain your best talent - Managers who handle the hard conversations - A leadership bench that scales with you For ICs & New Managers ## Go From High-Performer to High-Impact Leader. You're doing the work. You're delivering. But somehow, less capable people keep getting promoted. The problem isn't your output -- it's that no one's taught you how the game actually works. In 90 days, you'll solve in minutes what used to take you weeks, and you'll finally be seen as the leader you already are. - Stop spinning on problems that have known solutions - Get promoted without playing politics - Lead with confidence -- title or not ## The Cost of Staying Stuck Every month without clarity is another month of second-guessing decisions, watching talent walk out the door, and wondering if you're building the right thing. The problems don't get smaller. They compound. 6 months of going in circles on strategy while competitors ship. Best people leave because they don't see a path to grow. Promotion go to someone less capable who just played the game better. You already know what's not working. The question is how long you're willing to live with it. ## A Partner in the Arena I'm Frank Harris. I help leaders navigate messy and high-stakes moments of growth -- new roles, scaling teams, evolving strategies, and integrating AI into their work. I've seen the patterns that kill companies -- and the moves that save them. The reorgs that backfire. The roadmaps that lose the team. The feedback conversations that go sideways. Now I help leaders navigate those same inflection points, so they don't have to learn everything the hard way. [Learn more about me->](/about) Trusted by leaders ## Loved by Leaders Worldwide Frank had a material, double digit percentage, impact on our revenue within a month of our first session. He combines a natural caring and thoughtfulness with a wealth of professional experience. If this is your first time stepping into a product leadership position, or are just looking for a thought partner, I don't think you'll regret giving Frank a try. Tomas Reimers Co-Founder, Graphite As a first-time leader of digital product and technology teams, Frank's coaching was a game-changer. His insights into organizational structure and hiring were key to successfully scaling our tech team. Majed Masad President, Mejuri I'm incredibly grateful for the mentorship and guidance Frank has provided me throughout my career. He's helped me navigate complex team dynamics, refine my product strategy, and overcome challenges I faced at work. Betty Liao Product, Google I was looking for a great coach for years, and finally I found Frank. He knows when to step in with practical advice that helps me solve in minutes what I've been stuck on for weeks. Iban Benzal Design Director, Wise Frank has been an invaluable resource during my highest growth years as a Product Manager. Recently, Frank helped me turn a challenging job search into three competing offers through product strategy and interview coaching. If you're a product leader looking to level up, Frank is your guy. Mariel Frank Product, Mytra ## How It Works 01 ### Name What's Really Going On We cut through the noise and identify the real blockers -- not just the symptoms. 02 ### Map the Path Forward We define what success looks like in 90 days and build a plan to get you there. 03 ### Do the Work Together We tackle the hard stuff -- so you stop spinning and start moving. ## Three Ways to Work Together ### The Builder Pack A focused sprint for career pivots, new roles, and tune-ups 6 sessions over 4 months - 6 sessions over 4 months - One-time investment - Focused skill-building support - Ideal for specific challenges - Navigate difficult conversations - Async support between sessions - Actionable takeaways every session [Book a Discovery Call](/discovery) Most Popular ### The Partner Retainer An ongoing thought partner for leaders who want strategic support on speed dial 6-month commitment - 2 sessions per month - Unlimited async support via WhatsApp/Slack - Unlimited 15-minute spot calls - Guidance on strategy, GTM & pricing - Prep for key meetings & decisions - Work through the hard stuff together - Priority access for bookings [Book a Discovery Call](/discovery) ### Corporate Coaching A shared coaching bench for companies investing in their leaders 12-month session inventory - Shared sessions across your team - Flexible scheduling - Scale from 4 to 16 leaders - Leading and scaling teams - Single point of contact for admin - Centralized billing and invoicing - Quarterly utilization reports [Book a Discovery Call](/discovery) All engagements begin with a chemistry session to ensure mutual fit. If you are funding your coaching personally (without a corporate budget), please inquire about special rates during your discovery call. ## Frequently Asked Questions What's included in the Partner Retainer? You get two sessions per month, unlimited async support via WhatsApp or Slack, and 15-minute spot calls when something urgent comes up. I also review documents and help with stakeholder alignment between sessions. It's a 6-month commitment -- real transformation takes sustained partnership. What's the difference between the Retainer and Corporate Coaching? The Partner Retainer is a one-on-one engagement designed for an individual leader. Corporate Coaching provides a shared session bank that multiple leaders on your team can draw from, with flexible scheduling, centralized billing, and a single admin point of contact. It's built for companies investing in their leadership bench. Who is the Builder Pack for? The Builder Pack is for people who have a specific challenge -- a career pivot, a new role transition, a product launch, or a tough stakeholder situation -- and want focused coaching without an ongoing subscription. Six sessions over four months, one-time investment. What does a typical coaching session look like? Each session is tailored to your challenges. We might work through a difficult stakeholder situation, prep for a board meeting, untangle a strategic decision, or practice a hard conversation. The agenda is yours. What happens in the chemistry session? Before any engagement begins, we do a chemistry session to make sure we're a good fit. We'll talk about what you're working on, what you want to get out of coaching, and how I work. There's no obligation -- if it's not the right match, I'll tell you honestly. Can I expense this with my company's L&D budget? Yes! Many clients use their L&D or professional development budget. Corporate Coaching includes centralized billing and invoicing for your company. The Partner Retainer can also be invoiced. The Builder Pack is designed for direct checkout by credit card, but I can accommodate corporate invoicing if needed. What's your cancellation policy? The Partner Retainer is a 6-month commitment. After your initial term, it continues month-to-month and you can cancel with 30 days notice. Corporate Coaching follows the terms of your session bank agreement. The Builder Pack is a one-time purchase with no recurring commitment. ## What's holding you back? Let's figure it out together. 30 minutes, no pressure. [Book a Free Intro Call](/discovery) --- ## Newsletter (/newsletter) # Frank Takeaways Notes worth keeping -- the kind you scribble in a margin, share in a 1:1, or remember long after the slide deck is gone. [Subscribe](https://www.franktakeaways.com/) * * * ## What to Expect Featuring longform essays that mix metaphor, memory, and product wisdom. The kind of takeaways that make you pause or lead differently. You'll also find sharp takes on AI and product launches, prompts that make your work easier, and stories that remind you you're not alone. Written from 20+ years building teams and shipping things at Slack, Google, Etsy, and early-stage startups. "I'm really enjoying this instance of Frank. Your writing is clever, timely and strikes the right note. I haven't kept up with them each week because I'm a lummox, but when I do they are always a bright spot. Thank you." -- Longtime reader ## Recent Reflections **Still a Lot of Bars**: What the full stack builder trend gets right -- and what it misses -- January 28, 2026 (https://www.franktakeaways.com/p/still-a-lot-of-bars) **Create the Test You Want to Grade**: Why the most obvious metric is rarely the right one -- December 2, 2025 (https://www.franktakeaways.com/p/create-the-test-you-want-to-grade) **They're Smart, They'll Get There**: Why the hardest part of leadership is watching someone take a ride you've already been on -- October 31, 2025 (https://www.franktakeaways.com/p/theyre-smart-theyll-get-there) **In Defense of Feedback**: Stop Defending the Thesis of You -- September 30, 2025 (https://www.franktakeaways.com/p/in-defense-of-feedback) **The Ocean Doesn't Apologize**: What hermit crabs taught me about leadership -- July 30, 2025 (https://www.franktakeaways.com/p/the-ocean-doesnt-apologize) Join other savvy leaders getting notes worth keeping [Subscribe to Frank Takeaways](https://www.franktakeaways.com/) --- ## Software Studio (/studio) # Software Studio Things I'm curious about and want to exist. ## Products **Kitchen Rodeo**: A virtual community that brought people together to cook and give back during the pandemic, raising over $175k for food security, criminal justice, and restaurant worker causes. (https://kitchen.rodeo) ## Open Source **Agent Skills**: Installable skills that give AI agents new capabilities with specialized workflows and domain knowledge. (/skills) **Backchannel**: Local-first tool for finding who in your network has worked with a job candidate. (https://github.com/hirefrank/backchannel) **Bird Whisperer**: Daily email digests of tweets from specific accounts, so you never have to scroll through Twitter. (https://github.com/hirefrank/bird-whisperer) **Briefings**: An automated RSS feed summarization system that generates daily AI summaries and weekly digest newsletters, running on Cloudflare Workers. (https://github.com/hirefrank/briefings) **Workout Trainer**: A customizable workout program tracker with per-user weight customization and multi-user support via Cloudflare KV. (https://github.com/hirefrank/workout-trainer) **Traffic Tracker**: Collects travel time estimates between locations using Google Maps API, with a dashboard for visualizing traffic patterns. (https://github.com/hirefrank/traffic-tracker) **pg-to-sqlite**: A Bash script that automates the migration of PostgreSQL databases to SQLite. (https://github.com/hirefrank/pg-to-sqlite) **Plaid + Google Sheets**: Automatically fetches financial transactions from Plaid and syncs them to a Google Sheet. (https://github.com/hirefrank/plaid-txns-google-sheets) [More on GitHub](https://github.com/hirefrank) --- ## Agent Skills (/skills) [<- Back to Studio](/studio) # Agent Skills Installable skills that extend AI agents with specialized workflows and domain knowledge. **bhvr-cloudflare**: Build full-stack apps on Cloudflare Workers with single-origin architecture (Bun, Hono, Vite, React). Use when setting up bhvr projects, reviewing code for architecture compliance, implementing features with zero CORS, troubleshooting D1/Better-Auth, or working with Cloudflare Workers Assets. (/skills/bhvr-cloudflare) **intro-email-generator**: Crafts compelling, forwardable introduction emails for intro requests. Use when user needs help writing an email asking a mutual connection to introduce them to someone at a company that's hiring. The skill produces emails that can be forwarded without editing. (/skills/intro-email-generator) **network-jobs**: Find jobs where you're already connected. Search openings at companies where you have potential intros through your personal network - skip the cold apply. Use when searching for jobs, checking company connections, or exploring career opportunities. (/skills/network-jobs) --- For more information, visit https://hirefrank.com