Julie Zhuo: Secret Sauce to Success-Teams, Culture and the Future of Management

Mick Unplugged

Julie Zhuo is the former VP of Product Design at Facebook, where she rose from intern to executive as the company scaled into a global powerhouse. Renowned for her human-centered approach to leadership, Julie is the co-founder of Sundial, a startup that leverages data and AI to help companies make better decisions. She’s also the bestselling author of "The Making of a Manager," an essential guide for new managers navigating the changing landscape of leadership. Julie is passionate about building thoughtful cultures, empowering people, and tackling big, meaningful problems with teams she loves.

Takeaways:

  • Managers (and Leaders) Aren’t Born, They’re Made: Julie stresses that effective management is a skill that can be learned and developed—what matters most is a desire for growth, self-awareness, and the willingness to focus on team outcomes rather than just individual output.

  • The Power of Culture and Removing Toxins: Julie highlights the importance of a healthy team culture and the danger of tolerating toxic behaviors—even from high performers—because doing so stifles the potential of the whole group.

  • AI Is Redefining Leadership: As AI and automation increasingly handle outputs, the value of managers will be in guiding teams through change, reinforcing core human values, and focusing on outcomes that matter most.

Sound Bites:

“The most important thing is to put people first, because nobody can do anything amazing on their own.”

“Feedback is a gift—being direct, open, and supportive is what drives growth in a team.”

“The one thing you should never tolerate on your team is the asshole; their presence will always limit your culture and your people.”


Connect & Discover Julie:

Website: https://www.juliezhuo.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joulee/?hl=en

X: https://x.com/joulee?lang=en

Substack: https://substack.com/@joulee?utm_source=global-search

Book: The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks at You


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2025-09-08 36 min

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