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

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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