Lessons In Product Management

As you wrap up the last 30 days of your 30, 60, 90-day onboarding, it's time to start drafting strategy. In this episode I break down how to do that with a simple framework and how to shrink the timeline if you don't have 90 days to get it done in a new position.  Here's the episode with Randal Whitmore  Here's the link to the product strategy development course on YouTube Join us on Path2Product if you're looking for the Product Management experience you need to land a PM job

On today's episode, we have JJ Rorie, CEO of Great Product Management and Author of 5 Immutable Truths of Great Product Management, and you're in for a treat! Don't miss out on this great episode as we dive deep into building high customer intelligence, the first Immutable Truth of Great Product Management If you're looking to land your first job as a product manager, join us at Path2Product to streamline your path to product management

On today's episode, we have Gopal Erinjippurath, Founder, CTO, and Head of Product at Sust Global. Gopal and I talked about: His product career The lifecycle of AI/ML Best use cases for Data Science and ML in products And how ML might impact your career in product management Connect with Gopal on LinkedIn 

Nico joined the show to share his advice and experience on building strong product team relationships.    If you're looking to get into product management, you'll need experience. Start gaining tangible product manager experience today on your Path2Product 0:00-0:52 - Episode Intro  0:52-2:08 - Introducing Nico  2:08-4:20 - Defining Team Building  4:20-11:08 - Gaining Team Alignment   11:08-15:55 - Diversity of Thought  15:55-18:20 - Small Steps To Building Relationships  18:20-19:04 - Outro

Making the transition into product management can be hard. Larry Imgrund shares how he did it, and he offers advice for anyone looking to get into Product or anyone who has recently made that transition.   If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to start gaining the experience you need to land your first PM job: Path2Product

Should users or customers drive your roadmap decisions? The answer is yes AND no. Like everything in product management, it depends... and Matt and I dive deep into the topic.  If you want to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to get the experience and visibility you need to land your first product job.  Check out UserVoice and start collecting more robust and actionable customer feedback today

On this episode, we get "out of the building" to start learning about our customers and the markets we serve and want to serve. After understanding your business, objectives, and strategy, this is the next step before being ready enough to start mapping out a strategic direction for your team or organization.  If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product where you'll get the training and hands-on experience you need to streamline your path into product management. 

Getting back to the basics of product management, my goal in this multi-part series is to demystify product management for new and aspiring product managers.   If you're looking to break into product management, join us at Path2Product where you'll gain the experience you need to land your first product management job.

On this cross-over episode, I joined JJ Rorie's Product Voices Podcast to share the last 5 chapters of my book, Never Assume - Ten Fatal Assumptions Great PMs Never Make Be sure to subscribe to the Product Voices Podcast and follow JJ on Twitter at her handle above. If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product If you're an experienced PM interested in helping provide feedback on the portfolio projects of aspiring PMs, please join us at Path2Product 

On this cross-over episode, I joined JJ Rorie's Product Voices Podcast to share the first 5 chapters of my book, Never Assume - Ten Fatal Assumptions Great PMs Never Make Be sure to subscribe to the Product Voices Podcast and follow JJ on Twitter at her handle above.  If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product If you're an experienced PM interested in helping provide feedback on the portfolio projects of aspiring PMs, please join us at Path2Product 

So, today, I’m really excited for you to hear this conversation, because I have Irene Yu, Founder of Skiplevel, joining me to talk about how to become technical as a product manager. Irene was formally a developer at Amazon where she uncovered a pretty big problem that Skiplevel is helping to tackle. Join Skip Level: Skiplevel Course Follow Skip Level on Twitter: Skiplevel Twitter Follow on LinkedIn Skiplevel LinkedIn

On today's episode, we have the pleasure of learning from Tony Poon, Chief Product Officer at R-Zero. We tackle the difficult topic of ego, where it comes from, what the symptoms are, and what the effects of ego come to be.  To connect with Tony, request to connect on LinkedIn If you're an aspiring PM, check out Path2Product to help you on your journey by building product management experience and a product portfolio to prove it

Great PMs are like sponges, they soak in info from anywhere We can’t assume we’re always right, we don’t have all information, and the info we have is not always perfect or correct We need allies - we can’t ship successful products on our own However: We should have an opinion - we just don’t always have to express it in an argumentative fashion This doesn’t mean we say yes to everything - we can’t be order takers So, if we can’t say yes, then how do we say no… we don’t - the best way to not say yes is to ask questions Ask for clarification Ask for context Ask for data It’s pointless to argue as a product manager. We have zero power, and we need allies across our company in order for our team’s work to be successful. Next time you get tempted to argue, remember those six tips: Always accept and encourage feedback and counter-opinions Never assume you’re always correct - we rarely are You need allies, so don’t alienate them You should have an opinion but be tactful in expressing it Don’t say yes to everything But don’t say no to anything. Use questions to put the ball back in the court of the requestor I hope these tips are helpful as you go about your week, and I’ll see you next week for another lesson in product management. If you're looking to get into product management, love helping aspiring PMs, or looking for Jr. PM talent, come join the Path2Product Marketplace Beta: Sign Up For Path2Product Beta

You need experience to land a product job, but how do you get it? In this episode, I unpack two feasible ways of gaining and documenting tangible experience to help create your own path to product.  Check out our blog series on Path2Product: 

There is no easy path into product management, but there are 4 simple steps to get you there. We cover step 1 in today's lesson in product management, and it's all about learning first. Before you can do the job, you need to learn what the job entails and how to execute different skills within it. In today's episode, I share some free and inexpensive places to acquire the knowledge you'll need as a foundation for your path to product management.  Subscribe to the Path 2 Product YouTube Channel to see the video and get other exclusive content Follow me on Twitter @productfont

In this episode, I share 3 tactics for making better decisions in a group setting. Help your team and your organization take your decision-making capabilities to the next level. Your company and your customers will thank you.  Subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube channel for free product management courses and exclusive video content

There's no shortage of debate as to whether individual or group ideation yields better results. We're not going to take sides. What we're going to do is explore how to make better decisions by generating better ideas, regardless of the setting you're in. In Part 1, we examine a few ways you can increase your decision success rate by generating better ideas. For more and exclusive video content, subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube channel

Most features never get adopted, and I'm betting these three tips will help shift your success ratio upward.  Be sure to rate and review the podcast! Subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube Channel for exclusive video content. 

Today’s Lesson in Product Management comes from Jonathon Hensley, Co-Founder and CEO of Emerge Interactive and Author of Alignment: Overcoming Internal Sabotage and Product Failure. When I first heard about Jonathon’s book, I ordered it immediately. Alignment is one of the hardest parts of my job as a product manager, and I’ve enjoyed putting his advice and frameworks into practice. In this conversation you’ll get to hear the origin story that drove Jonathon to write the book, how to build the foundations of alignment in your own company, and the pitfalls that you should be aware of as you do. And Be sure to grab the link to Jonathon’s book in the show notes before you close the podcast app. Here's what we discussed: 1:18 Johnathon's Introduction 2:24 Origin story of Alignment 4:34 How Jonathon defines Alignment 6:45 The importance and definition of vision 8:35 How to build the foundation of alignment 11:05 Three themes of the book: Assumptions, Communication, and Strategy 13:24 The difference between reality and truth 17:30 The danger of the “fail fast fail often” mantra 19:57 The pillars of good strategy 25:08 Product Management hack to get unique customer insights 30:45 The four levels of alignment 32:00 Where alignment falls apart 38:30 The impact of written communication and documentation 43:00 Grab Jonathon’s book Alignment: Overcoming Internal Sabotage and Product Failure Grab a copy of Alignment on Amazon Connect with Jonathan and Emerge Interactive

It’s funny how first releases have become synonymous with MVPs, but how many first releases have you seen that are able to stand on their own and sustain a business? In the early days it’s about testing and learning. You want Minimum TESTABLE Products If you wait until you have something you think is a fully coded up MVP with what you believe to be the features that make the product minimally viable, you’re almost guaranteed to be wrong. You can support the podcast for .99 a month by clicking the link below, and for exclusive video content, be sure to subscribe on our Path2Product YouTube Channel