I absolutely love leading startups. We tackle big problems in brand new ways. It feels like there are no constraints bounding our solutions, and we move FAST. As a passionate learner and futurist, I can't think of any better, more exciting place to be.

I wrote this story to share the most valuable and fun lessons learned at startups. I veered away from the typical "Lean Startup" suggestions that talk about building a startup in its entirety. Rather, I broke down 4 key abilities needed of any startup member, and recommended the best resources I have used for further study in that area.

For a bit of background: I've come up through the product management organizations at Microsoft and Google, and have been leading my own startup for the last 2 years.