Lessons In Product Management

Summary:In this episode of Lessons in Product Management, John discusses the importance of developing into a T-shaped product manager — someone who has deep expertise in one area but broad knowledge across many disciplines. He explains how the expectations of PMs are evolving, particularly with the rise of generative AI, and gives tactical advice on building a career growth roadmap.Timestamps:00:09 – Introduction to the episode and topic.00:23 – What is a T-shaped PM? (Depth and breadth explained)01:10 – Defining the core responsibility of a PM: creating customer value that drives business objectives.02:00 – Key PM tasks: Working with teams, getting buy-in, prioritizing, synthesizing information.03:26 – Areas PMs can go deep in, and the need for broad competency across adjacent fields.03:57 – Technical competency: Importance for PMs without technical backgrounds (mention of Skip Level course).04:41 – Gaining competence in UX and research.04:58 – Understanding go-to-market functions: marketing, sales, customer success, and product marketing.05:30 – Importance of data and analytics skills: SQL proficiency, telling stories with data.06:05 – Compliance, legal, and regulatory knowledge for PMs in heavily regulated industries.06:30 – Product ethics: distinguishing between what you can do and what you should do.06:55 – Financial acumen: revenue models, ROI, and understanding value vs. cost.07:43 – PMs are at the center of organizations: Why speaking multiple "languages" matters.08:07 – Embracing a long-term career journey rather than sprinting to learn everything at once.08:35 – How to identify strengths and weaknesses to focus learning efforts.09:23 – Real-world examples of technical and regulatory knowledge gaps PMs need to address.09:42 – The need for PMs to evolve in the era of generative AI and automation.10:34 – The shift away from traditional PM roles focused only on backlogs and PRDs.11:28 – A call to action: Take ownership of your learning to remain competitive.12:08 – Summary: Developing breadth and depth will determine your ability to land jobs, get promoted, and grow.12:44 – John offers coaching help: Listeners can email him for a career growth roadmap session. john@path2product.io13:00 – Closing remarks: "Go out and kill it!"If you're trying to break into product management, come join us at Path2Product to get the experience you need!

Lessons in Product Management - Working & Communicating with EngineersGuest: Paul LunowHost: John DoeEpisode Duration: ~28 min[00:00 - 01:37] IntroductionJohn welcomes Paul Lunow to the podcast.Paul previously hosted John on Product and Cake.Background on Paul's 20-year career in tech.[01:37 - 04:05] Paul's Background in Product & EngineeringStarted in Berlin as a web developer, grew an agency to 30 people.Founded Nepos, a startup building a tablet for elderly users.Moved to eBay to experience corporate innovation.Now Head of Innovation & Technology at XU Group, building a B2B learning platform.[04:05 - 06:45] The Role of AI in Learning PlatformsDiscusses AI's role in education.AI is a tool for augmentation, not a replacement for learning.[06:45 - 10:38] How Product Managers Can Work Better with EngineersThe importance of psychological safety in teams.Engineers need a space to fail, ask questions, and collaborate.Great product managers create environments of trust.[10:38 - 14:46] How Much Tech Knowledge Should a PM Have?PMs don't need to code but must deeply understand the product.The worst thing: a PM who pretends to know coding but doesn't use the product.PMs should be the first to log in daily and experience the product firsthand.[14:46 - 18:08] Anti-Patterns: What Drives Engineers CrazyOverworked and stressed PMs create pressure and disconnection.Avoid last-minute changes and unclear expectations.Balance deep work vs. reactive work—don't just respond to messages all day.[18:08 - 22:26] Managing Workload as a PMSplit work into offense (strategic work) and defense (reactive tasks).Prioritize one key task per day instead of juggling everything at once.Time-box meetings and avoid unnecessary stakeholder discussions.[22:26 - 24:59] How PMs Can Earn Engineers' TrustBe a sparring partner, not just a requirement-pusher.Never throw engineers under the bus—own decisions as a team.A PM should always support and defend shipped features.[24:59 - 27:36] Final Thoughts & Paul's WorkMistakes happen—focus on developing strong personal values as a PM.Paul's new novel about an engineer in Big Tech (available in German).Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.[27:36 - 28:00] Closing RemarksSubscribe to Product and Cake & Lessons in Product Management.See you next week!

Podcast Summary: Megan Shulby on Post-Launch Product ManagementIntroduction & Megan's Background01:24 - 02:01 – Megan Shulby is introduced; she and John connected via LinkedIn due to her content on underrated product management topics.02:01 - 04:39 – Megan shares her journey from Hollywood entertainment (e.g., The Biggest Loser) to digital marketing, leading to product management. She pursued graduate studies in Information Systems and Marketing to gain technical expertise.04:40 - 05:47 – She discusses how her media background, especially storytelling, plays a role in product management by aligning teams and ensuring a human-centered approach.05:48 - 08:59 – Megan emphasizes the importance of balancing technical and interpersonal skills in product management. While technical foundations are necessary, storytelling is key in aligning stakeholders, engineering, and sales.09:00 - 11:37 – Discussion on the differences between film production and software development, highlighting the lack of post-launch iteration in film versus continuous improvement in software.11:38 - 13:51 – John and Megan discuss how B2B product teams can adopt a controlled introduction approach similar to film test screenings, mitigating reputational risk through phased rollouts.13:52 - 16:24 – Megan explains why post-launch is critical, yet often overlooked. Many PMs shift focus to new features rather than optimizing existing ones.16:25 - 17:22 – Importance of tracking feature success post-launch, ensuring shipped products meet their intended impact.17:23 - 19:46 – Key elements of post-launch management: stakeholder alignment (sales, customer support, finance), defining success metrics, and monitoring usage.19:47 - 22:32 – Importance of measurement and data tracking, with a focus on ensuring product success metrics are defined pre-launch and monitored post-launch.22:33 - 25:49 – Challenges in data collection, particularly in "digital adaptive" businesses transitioning from legacy systems, making it difficult to track clear success indicators.25:50 - End – Key lesson: Not all businesses have perfect data, and product managers must work with what's available, making informed correlations where necessary.Connect with Megan on LinkedInJoin us on Path2Product to gain hands-on product management experience and build a PM Portfolio to land your first PM job!

Episode Summary:In this episode, John Fontenot explores a thought-provoking topic: the potential consolidation of Product Management (PM) and User Experience (UX) roles due to advancements in Generative AI. He examines the overlap between these two disciplines, the evolving responsibilities of PMs and UX designers, and how organizations may react to increased efficiency through AI.Key Takeaways:1. Understanding the Unique Roles of PM and UX Designer (00:25 - 02:32) PMs focus on business objectives, prioritization, roadmaps, stakeholder management, and go-to-market strategies. UX designers specialize in information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, and usability testing. Despite distinct roles, there is a significant overlap, particularly in customer research, solution ideation, and user flow testing.2. Will AI Eliminate the Need for Both Roles? (02:35 - 06:50) AI can increase efficiency, but does it replace UX or PM roles entirely? Many organizations underutilize UX designers, treating them primarily as visual designers. AI efficiency gains should ideally allow both roles to focus on higher-level strategic work rather than replacing either.3. The Risk of Role Consolidation (06:55 - 09:25) Companies with limited UX investment might see AI as an opportunity to eliminate UX roles, shifting responsibilities to PMs. Similarly, strategic UX professionals who engage with stakeholders and business objectives could replace PMs in certain organizations. PMs focused only on execution (e.g., writing JIRA tickets) may find their roles at risk in the future.4. The Need for Cross-Skilling (09:30 - 13:40) PMs should develop UX skills (e.g., using Figma, understanding usability principles) to become better collaborators and future-proof their careers. UX designers should engage more in strategy, business alignment, and product thinking to solidify their role. Organizations benefit when both disciplines embrace AI efficiencies while maintaining their unique expertise.5. Future-Proofing Your Career (13:40 - End) PMs and UX designers should leverage AI as a tool rather than fearing replacement. Developing cross-functional skills ensures career longevity and adaptability. A collaborative approach leads to better business outcomes and personal career growth.Final Thoughts:John concludes by urging PMs and UX designers to embrace AI-driven efficiencies while strengthening their core competencies. By adapting and evolving, professionals in both fields can safeguard their careers and contribute more effectively to their organizations.Resources Mentioned: Interaction Design Foundation Courses Path2ProductConnect with Us: LinkedIn: John Fontenot Twitter: @productfont Instagram: @product.fontThank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review.

In this episode ofLessons in Product Management, host John Fontenot tackles a listener's question:How can a product manager succeed in a waterfall environment? He acknowledges that while Agile is often the preferred framework, many industries and organizations still operate in waterfall models, making adaptability key.Fontenot offers two approaches:The Ideal Scenario – Where leadership is open to change, product managers can integrate discovery into waterfall planning by validating key assumptions upfront, treating specifications as hypotheses rather than rigid plans, and advocating for continuous learning.The Less-than-Ideal Scenario – When change is difficult, PMs should still find ways to gather feedback on in-flight projects, document assumptions, and leverage data to push for iterative improvements.His key message: Regardless of methodology, success lies in how PMs use the time between releases to refine strategies and make data-driven decisions.If you're an aspiring PM looking to gain real, hands-on product management experience OR if you're a current PM looking to augment your current experience in other domains, come join us atPath2Product where you'll solve real problems from real users of real products.

Do you feel constantly pressured to ship new features? Do you get the space you need for proper discovery?Most Product Managers feel this pressure, and I was recently asked on LinkedIn why this is the case. What about our company cultures or human nature drives this desire for more new stuff? In this episode, I attempt to break down the top 3 reasons why I believe Product culture drives outputs over outcomes, even we say we want the opposite.Linkedin PostIf you're looking to get your shot at a job in product management and not sure how to get the experience you need to make that leap, come join us onPath2Product where over 1,200 aspiring PMs are not only learning what the job is really like, but they are gaining hands-on experience and developing their portfolio to stand out in the job market.

On today's Lesson in Product Management, this one is for the perfectionists out there. If you consider yourself a "creative" or an artist, you might be tempted to hide your work until you deem it "perfect" - but that could be hurting you more than you know. On this episode we break down why perfectionism hurts you and those around you and ultimately will set you back in your career and the progress you seek to make for customers. If you're looking to get into product management but lack the years of experience you need to get in, look no further than Path2Product where we help you bridge the gap in product management experience, build a portfolio to prove your skills and prepare you for interviews and empower you to hit the ground running once you land that first PM job.

It's easy to get overly focused on "doing your job" as a product manager. Unfortunately, we risk taking too narrow of a view of what our job actually is. When it comes to working with PMMs (product marketing managers), it's no different. And it's about time we start treating them like partners rather than someone we throw releases over the wall to and expect them to make our products sell. If you're looking to get into product management and want the training and experience you need to get there, join us at Path2Product where we bridge the gap in product management experience for aspiring product managers.

Some of the greatest leaders and leadership authors have given the advice to "Lean into your strengths." This idea makes sense in some instances. In other cases, it can handicap your career and growth trajectory. If you want to get into product management and challenge yourself to gain much needed PM experience, join a growing community of 1,000+ aspiring product managers on Path2Product where we bridge the gap of product management experience for aspiring PMs.

On today's episode, I got to chat with Bob Ainsbury, Chief Product Officer at Granicus.  Bob is a long-time Product leader who has had a winding journey from engineering to sales and marketing leadership to leading strategy and now in the C-suite as a Product executive. For most of Bob's career, he's been in highly regulated spaces like Healthcare and government.  On today's episode, we dive into Bob's experience in leading product in regulated industries and cover a bunch of fun topics such as: Privacy and Ethical Considerations in Government Technology AI and Machine Learning Trends in Government What it's like Leading Product in Regulated Spaces Compliance and Product Ethics The Future of AI and ML in Government and so much more This episode is jam-packed and we cover a lot of ground in 30 minutes, so sit back, relax, and enjoy these lessons in product management. 

What is your relationship like with your stakeholders? If you're not treating them like partners, I can promise you it's not great. In this episode, we share how to build great relationships with your "stakeholders" and create win/win relationships that stop making stakeholders feel like blockers to your desired progress. If you're looking to get into product management, join us at ⁠Path2Product⁠ to get the knowledge, experience, and coaching you need to make that transition and accelerate your path to product management!

On today's lesson in product management, John Fontenot shares a recent story about his experience working in a Scrum shop and how the rigid interpretation of Scrum almost killed his ability to ship a critical integration on time. If you're interested in entering product management and want to gain the hands-on experience you need to make that leap, join us at Path2Product and start earning much-needed experience today.

The difference between regular managers and product managers... Regular manager: "Don't bring me problems. Bring me solutions!" Product Manager: "Don't bring me solutions. Bring me problems" It's our job to care more about the problem driving the request for a solution than the solution itself. But it can be hard navigating those conversations with large customers or senior stakeholders. On this lesson in product management, we discuss this reality and practical tips for dealing with it. If you enjoy the episode, consider leaving a rating and a review and hit that follow or subscribe button so you never miss an episode. If you're an aspiring PM looking to break into this challenging job market, Path2Product has you covered. We help you get the hands-on experience, coaching, and interview prep you need to land more interviews and your first role in product management.

Key Takeaways Side projects offer valuable experience for aspiring PMs and an outlet for creativity/ownership for employed PMs Benefits include mental health, skill development, and potential innovation Time management and prioritizing core job responsibilities are crucial when pursuing side projects Companies like Google (20% time) demonstrate the value of fostering entrepreneurial creativity in employees Topics: The Broken Talent Acquisition Process in Product Management Benefits of Side Projects for Aspiring PMs Advantages of side projects for Employed PMs Potential Downsides and Ethical Considerations Company Culture and Innovation

Hello and welcome in to another episode of Lessons in Product Management, I'm your host, John Fontenot, and on today's episode I have Paul Turaew on to talk about his journey into product management and we riff on a number of topics in research. Paul's a long-time PM, having held a variety of Sr. IC and Director of Product Management roles in Healthcare. Some of the topics we cover on today's episode include the tension between research and shipping products, what's the “MVP” of research, changing the culture and perception of research inside of organizations, and so much more. This episode is longer than normal and entirely worth it, so listen to the end, hit that subscribe or follow button, and enjoy the episode! If you're looking to accelerate your path into product management, join us on Path2Product to get hands-on experience, build a shareable portfolio project, and network with like-minded professionals. Outline: 0:00-2:00 - Episode Intro 2:01-5:40 - Paul's Intro and Journey into Product Management 5:41-13:40 - A big myth about product managers and being technical 13:40-23:35 - The tension between research and shipping products 23:35-27:10 - What should anchor research objectives and activities 27:11-32:20 - The “MVP of Research” 32:21-36:00 - Successfully presenting research findings and insights 36:01-39:00 - Changing the culture and perception of research 39:00-39:29 - Outro

On today's episode, I got to speak with Stephanie Jerome, Product Manager at Akoya. Stephanie has a ton of experience managing internal products, and that was the focus of our conversation today. Stephanie also shared how she got her start in product management and lessons she's learned along the way.  If you're managing or considering managing internal products or looking to get your first shot at a PM job, this is a great episode to check out!  If you're looking to get into product management, you can get credible PM experience today at Path2Product If you need a free and powerful tool to organize and manage your research and insights, try out ResearchRepo for free today Outline: 0:00-0:35 - Episode Intro 0:35-6:50 - Stephanie's Path to product management 6:50-8:10 - Stephanie's experience with internal product management 8:10-10:55 - Key differences PMing internal products vs customer-facing products 10:55-15:10 - Biases and assumptions in internal research 15:10-18:30 - Using internal tools for internal tools (meta, I know) 18:30-21:50 - GTM and Customer Success for internal products 21:50-23:16 - Stephanie's final thoughts on research for internal products 23:16-24:16 - Outro

On today's episode, we have Emilia Kortrynska, Head of Marketing at UserPilot. In the discussion with Emilia, we talk about some incredibly interesting research that came out of UserPilot recently about how Sales Led Growth appears to beat Product Led Growth in many categories. Which to PLG evangelists like myself, really caught me off guard. But we discuss why quant data is only one piece of the story and why you need to balance quant with qual research and the benefits of research in general.  PLG vs SLG research data If you're looking for a better way to tie research to your company goals, try out ResearchRepo for free If you're trying to get into product management and need experience to accelerate your path to product, sign up at Path2Product and start getting experience today Outline: 0:00-0:53 - Episode Introduction 0:53-2:35 - Emilia's Background and Intro 2:35-7:48  Emilia's Role In Research for Userpilot 7:48-10:59  Marketing's Role in User Research and PM Collaboration  10:59-13:00  Product-Led SEO 13:00-15:25 Research Feedback loop on usage and user segmentation 15:25-16:10 The fallacy of category creation in positioning 16:10-26:54 Sales Led vs Product Led Success Rates 26:54-30:07 How can we make research matter more at our company

It's a hotly debated topic, whether you should always pay customers for their time when sourcing and conducting interviews. Spoiler alert! I think you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you make it a habit of paying customers for feedback. In this episode, we unpack all the reasons why you should never pay customers for interviews and the benefits you'll see as a result. If you're looking to get into product management or interested in up-leveling your product sense through a portfolio project, check us out at Path2Product For the article this episode is based on, check it out at the Path2Product Blog

There are pros and cons to preparing for user research. As they say, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. And the same is true with prepping for research. On this episode, we break down the benefits of user interview preparation and the potential drawbacks if you let perfection become the enemy of progress. If you're looking to get into product management but lack hands on experience, check out Path2Product where you get high-quality PM training AND the ability to put your learning into practice to get hands-on product management experience that you can show off in a portfolio project.

After taking a year off to focus on work and life, we're back and excited to be back! We've been building ResearchRepo for Product teams to collaborate, consolidate, and communicate research that ties back to company goals and objectives. I've started a new role as VP of Product at Terlumina But we're doubling down on Path2Product to help aspiring and junior product managers get the experience and practice they need to land their first job or uplevel their product sense

This is a crazy and turbulent time in Tech. Companies are hitting financial hard times or restructuring as the economy is forcing extreme prioritization of resources. If you find yourself on the unfortunate end of these layoffs, I have someone on the show who has been through several and helped several others through this process. Don't miss the great advice on this week's episode of Lessons in Product Management! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/productmanagementlessons/message

Dan Balcauski is a pricing expert and dropped by the pod to share key insights, hot takes, and practical advice for product teams and leaders to help unpack the pricing process, key variables, and mistakes to avoid. Show notes: 0:00-0:30 - Episode Intro 0:30-1:55 - Dan's Intro/Background 1:55-4:55 - From Engineer to Pricing Guru 4:55-6:42 - Biggest Pricing Pitfall 6:42-19:00 - Segmentation Myths and Realities 19:00-21:00 - defining value (3 Types) 21:00-26:35 - The Value Cascade 26:35-36:45 - How customers shape pricing 36:45-43:00 - Willingness to pay (WTP) (40:12) 43:00-47:30 - Pricing in B2B 47:30-56:50 -  Freemium Good or Bad? 56:50-57:48 - Contact Dan 57:48-58:02 - Outro --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/productmanagementlessons/message

There are great frameworks for prioritizing features, but what if prioritizing features isn't the right approach? We dig into why opportunity costs are the most underrated variables in prioritizing Product decisions. If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product to gain the hands-on PM experience you need to land your first product role. 0:00-4:20 - Episode Intro 4:20-6:54 Opportunity Cost in Action 6:54-8:50 - Economics in Product Management? 8:50-17:52 - NFL Draft Example --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message

This week's lesson in product management is brought to you by Derek Osgood, Founder and CEO of Ignition. If your product launches are less than ideal, you should listen to what Derek has to say. Even if you're launches go well, there are great tips on how to optimization the success of your launches. 0:00-0:32 - Podcast intro 0:32-2:30 - Derek's Intro 2:30-4:15 - Who is Ignition for? 4:15-4:40 - Where to find Ignition 4:40-8:40 - The PM/PMM Disconnect 8:40-10:23 - Aligning PM/PMM Teams 10:23-13:10 - Overlooked aspects of product launches 13:10-18:30 - Why Run Betas in B2B? 18:30-21:20 - How to price your new product? 21:20-24:00 - The future of software for PMs and PMMs 24:00-25:00 - Podcast Outro If you want to connect with Derek, shoot him a request on LinkedIn If you want to check out Ignition, go to their site If you're looking to get into product management, get your hands dirty and gain real experience on Path2Product --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message

Many answers to the question of "why do you want to be a product manager" have some variation of "ideation." While ideation and solutioning are definitely part of product management, it's by far NOT the most important thing to get right. If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to streamline your path to product management --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message

Story time - your competitor launched a feature. They're making a bunch of noise on all the social channels. An influencers Tie Tok of the new thing went viral. Your execs are screaming that you need to respond. As the Product Manager, what do you do? That's exactly the scenario we'll unpack on this week's lesson in product management. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message

Andrew and I both had non-traditional paths into product management, and we've both experienced and seen how broken the talent acquisition process is for aspiring PMs. On this episode, you'll hear a passionate discussion of what problems we've noticed and some fun banter on how we'd fix the problem. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message

On this episode of Lessons in Product Management, I sat down with Luke and Jakub from GetResponse as they shared their experiences launching products into new markets, what it takes to do it successfully, how to test into it, and how partnerships can be great and complicated at the same time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

On today's episode, Eva Beasley shares her experience before and after getting into Product Management. One of the things she noticed about some of the PMs she interacted with was an anti-pattern that needed to be addressed, so we did so here. If you're looking to get into Product Management, join us on Path2Product where we're bridging the gap in product management experience for aspiring PMs. Episode Notes: 0:00-1:30 - Eva Beasley Intro 1:30-2:36 - Eva's Role at UI Path 2:36-6:15 - Eva's Path to Product 6:15-12:28 - Anti-Patterns of Good Product Management 12:28-15:00 - Finding Good Mentors and Help 15:00-18:10 - Leading Up and How Ego Hinders It --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

Eric Perkins is the Director of Product at Entrata. And as Eric describes his career, it feels like he has a rocket attached to his back. In this discussion, Eric and I talk through how he got into product management, how he quickly rose into a leadership role, and what he's learned along the way. Connect with Eric and follow him on Medium: https://medium.com/@ericsperkins Join us at @Path 2 Product on Path2Product to accelerate your own path to product, mentor aspiring PMs, or find highly talented, Jr. Product Talent 0:00-1:35 - Episode Intro 1:35-9:43 - Eric's Path to Product 9:43-12:52 - The tactics of transition 12:52-19:00 - Early Lessons Learned 19:00-21:30 - Helping empower product managers 21:30-25:00 - Advice To Senior PMs 25:00-27:15 - Advice to New PMs 27:15-29:15 - Eric's Learning Resource Recommendations 29:15-29:46 - Connect with Eric 29:46-30:22 - Eric Outro --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

On today's episode, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Etienne Garbugli, Founder & CEO of Lean B2B and Author of Lean B2B, Solving Product, and Find Your Market. Etienne is a brilliant product thinker and author with a varied and diverse background, all in and around product management. Etienne joined me to shed light on the Growth section of his book, Solving Product. He answered some of my questions, clarified my understanding, and dropped knowledge bombs the entire episode. Enjoy! Connect with Etienne on LinkedIn Grab His Books! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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: --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/productmanagementlessons/support