Product Management Stories

Send us a Text Message.The Grande Finale of my Podcast is here!Listen to Aakash, Pat, Parv and me talking about:• What if we were not Product Manager• Why we love Product Management• Product Management in 20 years• The hottest PM take• Fun StoriesEnjoy the show!You can find all of them on Twitter: Aakash, Parv, Pat.

Send us a Text Message."Your roadmap sucks" - this is how Phil opened up his keynote at my ProductTank event back in December 2023. His views were so good, I had to get him on the podcast. In this episode we talked about roadmaps, decision making and why the answer always is: It depends.You can find Phil on Twitter and LinkedIn.Furthermore check out this:Website: https://www.forproductpeople.com/Podcast: https://www.talkingroadmaps.com Book: https://www.theitdependsbook.com

Send us a Text Message.Sanjeev is a living Product Management legend. At least for me. His hilarious parodies of the typical Product Management life are a great joy to watch and besides that, he boostrapped a company called Supermeme.ai.In this episode he shares his story and we discuss what Bootstrapping and Product Management have in common. And what not.Enjoy the show.You can find Sanjeev on Twitter and LinkedIn.Watch his hilarious videos on YouTube.Check out his company and create some (super-)memes.

Send us a Text Message.Data says, poor onboarding is the key driver for churn.Data says, good onboarding is key driver for product growth.In this episode David and I speak plainly about the topic of product onboarding. David shares his framework, gives heaps of practical advice, we talk about adding (friction) and a lot more. Enjoy the episode!You can find David on Twitter and LinkedIn.Link to Project Fuze.

Send us a Text Message.You can have the best product in the world, but when you position it wrong it will fail.Anthony and I discussed how to avoid this, how to actually position your product, what to consider, AI as a table stakes feature and a lot more.You can find Anthony on Twitter and LinkedIn.Checkout his company FletchPMM.

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, I sit down with UX expert Satyam Kantamneni to uncover the secrets of user experience design. From his journey in Human Factors Engineering to leading UX Reactor, we discuss the critical role of user-centric design, the evolving collaboration between product managers and designers, and share real-world examples of stellar and subpar UX.Discover how exceptional UX can drive business success, reduce costs, and why a strong company culture is essential. Tune in for insightful tips and strategies to enhance your product's user experience.You can find Satyam on LinkedIn.

Send us a Text Message.Nothing helps an individual and a team get better faster than talking openly about the good, the bad and the ugly. That is, what retrospective are for. In this episode Anthony shares his knowledge, insights, and gives lots and lots of tangible advice how get the best out of any retrospective. As a plus, he shares the Retrospective Radar he developed, to make this a company, not just a team success.You can find Anthony on Twitter and LinkedIn.Find his Medium article on the Retrospective Radar here.The template for the Retrospective Radar can be found on Mural.

Send us a Text Message.Gamification helped Duolingo increase retention from 12% to 55%. So it is about time to shed some light on this topic. Anastasia and I discussed what gamification is, how to apply it and give you some tangible examples.You can find Anastasia on Twitter and Linkedin.Furthermore, check out her company Milestone.

Send us a Text Message.OpenAI and Google released some incredible new AI products. Spencer and I discussed the releases, the opportunities and challenges, and after all, what the latest releases mean for Product Management. You can find Spencer on Twitter and LinkedIn.Check out Spencers company BuildBetter.

Send us a Text Message.In this episode Nils and I talk about the most special relationship in a company: the one between Product Manager and Sales Manager. The good. The Bad. The Ugly. And on top you get some great advice and practicable tips how to make the relationship work very well.You can find Nils on Twitter and LinkedIn.Nils also has a podcast, listen here.

Send us a Text Message.What's happening in the Product Management world?1️⃣ AI2️⃣ Roles are blending3️⃣ More business focus4️⃣ Layoffs are widespreadIt is currently a very challenging environment, especially when you are looking for a new job. However, we are here to help. Aakash shares his wisdom on how to land a new job even in this tough environment. Very tangible and practicable advice.Enjoy the show!You can find Aakash on Twitter and LinkedIn.Do not forget to subscribe his newsletter here.

Let's talk about project and product companies. What is a project company? What is a product company? What are the challenges in a project company?How to transform from a project to a product company!Sebastian Borggrewe (CPTO @ Product Masterclass) and I talked this through. Enjoy the episode!You can find Sebastian on LinkedIn.Check out Sebastians Product Masterclass here.

In this podcast episode, Ramsley discusses his career transition from finance to product management, the dynamics of working in a startup, and his approach to balancing roles as both an individual contributor and a product leader.You can find Ramsley on LinkedIn.

Product Management is a never ending learning journey. But sometimes you get stuck. One great way to get help is looking for a mentor. In this episode Tom and I discuss the advantages having one and Tom gives insides to Googles mentorship program Googlers-to-Googlers.You can find Tom on Twitter and LinkedIn.Tom also has a podcast, you can listen and watch it here.

In this episode I had a great conversation with Graham Reed, a pioneer in product operations! We dive deep into the evolving role of product ops and how it shapes businesses. A must-listen for all product managers and anyone interested in operational excellence.You can find Graham on Twitter and LinkedIn

In this episode Sanja and I discussed her journey from designer to product manager, highlighting the synergy between design insights and business objectives for impactful product development. Enjoy this episode!You can find Sanja on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

In this episode Diana and I discussed• her shift from PM to CEO;• the necessity of problem space immersion for solutions;• the importance of a product strategy for a stable income.Enjoy the show!You can find Diana on Twitter and LinkedIn.You can find out more about Dianas company here.

In this episode Enzo and I take you on a journey from MVP to successful product launch, we discussed the critical balance between rapid iteration and strategic vision in product development and talked about Enzo's company June. Enjoy!You can find Enzo on Twitter and LinkedIn.Check out Enzo's company here.

In this episode Quincy and I covered topics such as:➡️ The importance of curiosity and customer focus.➡️ The key components of a successful product team.➡️ Strategies to maintain high performing and innovative product teams.You can find Quincy on LinkedIn.

Daniel and I discuss how to leverage user-centered development and storytelling in product design, emphasizing user focus, alignment, and testing for impactful products. All of that is covered by a 5-step-approach from Daniel.You find Daniel on Twitter and LinkedIn.Check out his startup Persona x here.

One of the hottest topic in Product Management is: how technical should a Product Manager be? Irene and I talked this through and did not just find a valid answer for this, but also discussed how PMs can get more technical and how engineers can enable PMs. Last but not least, I got a new business idea!You can find Irene on LinkedIn.Check out her company Skiplevel.Take the technical skill mini-quiz here.Make sure to subscribe to her newsletter here.

Stephanie, a seasoned Chief Product Officer (CPO) with over 16 years of experience in Product Management and I discuss her journey, starting in product management, initially without realising it, and how her career was shaped by the influence of Marty Kagan. Furthermore,  Stephanie shares insights about leadership, emphasising the evolution from authoritative to empathetic and supportive styles and stresses the importance of self-reflection (and a lot more). A episode, with lots of personal stories and heaps of value. Enjoy! You can find Stephanie on LinkedIn.

Peter is seasoned Product Leader and at the end of 2023 Peter shared his 10 Top Lessons for Product Leaders and Creators. In this episode with discussed two of them: Why craft matters and recognizing the shadows of your superpower.You can find Peter on Twitter and LinkedIn.You can sign up to Peters newsletter here.Here you can find Peters article "10 Top Lessons for Product Leaders and Creators"

In this episode Henry and I discuss how to focus on defining who the product is for, the desired outcome for the audience, and how to deliver it uniquely. Yes, we are talking product strategy!You can find Henry on LinkedIn.Here you find the Product Thinking Board in Miro.Here you find the Product Strategy Decider Workshop.Henrys book "Product Strategy is Simple" can be found here.Link to ProdMBA.

We have a premiere! For the first time I had two guests on the podcast: Mirela and Viktoria. We discussed: • The added value by having external PMs• How to make the collaboration successful • How to upskill as a Product ManagerEnjoy the show!---You can find Mirela on LinkedIn.You can find Viktoria on LinkedIn as well.Here is your way to the website from Product People.Here you can find Mirelas article about "Blazing Fast Onboarding for Product Managers".

A product without a vision is like driving a car at night with lights switched off. Saeed and I discussed the importance of having a vision, the trouble if you do not have one, how to setup a vision, where it sits besides objectives, strategies etc. and a lot more. You can find Saeed on LinkedIn.

Leaders vs. Managers, tactical interventions, why ego is the killer for real leadership. In this episode Matt and I discussed a lot of different Product Leadership topics, shared heaps of practical advice and personal stories. Enjoy the show!You can find Matt on LinkedIn .Here you can find his website.Don't miss out on his book Product Management in Practice.

A QA Engineer is the advocate of the user. So they are naturally one of the best friends of a Product Manager. But what exactly are they doing? Why are they important? When should they be involved? Rafael and I covered all these questions! Enjoy!If you want to reach out to Rafael, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Today brings the very first podcast episode of 2024

How do you determine the quality of a product? John and I discussed this topic and came to the conclusion: there are six pillars. Which? Well, you better listen to this episode!You can find John on Twitter and LinkedIn.Here you can find his websiteAnd do not miss out on Johns Book - get it here.

"AI will replace Product Manager""Product Manager using AI will replace Product Manager"We are still here, believe it or not. However, it was about time to get a real AI expert on the podcast. So I was very happy when Yana Welinder said "Yes". We both discussed the status quo of AI, what it can do for you as a PM, what we should not do and a lot more. You can find Yana on Twitter and LinkedIn.Don't forget to check out her product: Kraftul

In Season 1 lot's of Product Manager gave the advice to get a mentor early on to get really good in Product Management. So it was about time to talk about "Mentorship in Product Management" with a real expert: Jason Knight! We covered what exactly mentorship is, why it is important, how you can get a mentor, also how you can become one and a lot more. Enjoy! You can find Jason on Twitter and LinkedIn.Listen to his podcast on Spotify.Here is his website.And do not forget to subscribe to Jason's Newsletter here.

Launching a product is a key milestone in Product Management, growing the user base is the next. Pawel and I talked about Product Growth, why it is important, how it works and what to do to have a successfully growing product.You can find Pawel on Twitter and LinkedIn.Check out his amazing newsletter here.

Being a Product Manager is good. Being a Product Manager in a great environment is even better. But how can you land your dream job? Erika and I talked about this and you will get a lot of practical advice and suggestions how to make the next step. You can find Erika on Twitter and LinkedIn.Erika also has a Newsletter, subscribe here.And here you can find her incredible website.

“Winning products come from the deep understanding of the user's needs combined with an equally deep understanding of what's just now possible.”  Marty CaganDeep understanding of user needs? That's where Product Discovery comes in. Enjoy this episode where Teresa and I talk about product discovery: why, how, what, and more.If you want to reach out to Teresa, you can find here on Twitter and LinkedInFurthermore, you can find Teresa's Blog post on Product Discovery here. 

Data is becoming increasingly important in Product Management. It can be used to make better decisions about everything from product strategy to feature prioritization. Andrea and I had a lot to talk about to make sure that everyone understands the importance of data in Product Management. We cover all of this in this episode. Enjoy! If you want to reach out to Andrea, you can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.Link to Neil Patel A/B-Tast Calculator Significance

Product Manager & Product Marketer: can they live together? Yes! And they should. In this episode Andrea and I discuss Product Marketing, the Why/How/What, overlaps with Product Management and how all of this can be very successful.If you want to reach out to Andrea, you can contact her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

What do Threads, Hot Chocolate, and Crossfit have in common? Bethan and I discussed them all as part of our conversation about Competitor Analysis. If you want to know how on earth they fit together, listen to this episode.If you want to reach out to Bethan, you can find here on Twitter and LinkedIn.Furthermore, Beth has an amazing podcast. You can find it among other platforms on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Without a product strategy, you are likely to fail. That is why I am very happy to have Pat on the podcast to talk about the importance of a product strategy, what should be included, how to build one, and more. Everything you need to know about product strategy in one episode. Tune in!If you want to reach out to Pat, you can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

If Product Manager do one thing, it is communicating. In different forms to various stakeholders. It ain't easy, but we are here to help. In this episode Sid and I talked through the pitfalls and dark sides of stakeholder communication, and of course, give practical advice how to become really good. Enjoy the episode! You can find Sid on Twitter as well as on LinkedIn. And do not forget to check out his Blog.

The relationship status of Product Roadmaps and Product Managers: it's complicated. To get some great words of advice you better listen to this episode with Janna Bastow. She shares her wisdom and practicable tips how to deal with product roadmaps.If you want to reach out to Janna, you can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.Two more additions:(1) We talked about the "Agency Trap" - you can read more about this here.(2) ProdPad has a public roadmap, check it out here.

Sometimes one email can change your life. It did certainly for Michael. Listen to his story coming from a gamer background transitioning into a Product Manager role and get lots of insights how to deal with the new role. You can find Michael on Twitter and LinkedIn.

"If you didn't win, it is a learning" - the attitude is one of the reasons for Majanas career success. She was the first product person at her current company and has gone a very remarkable path. Listen to her journey and get new insights for your Product Management career! You can find Majana on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Deepa describes herself a data nerd and looking at her career journey it makes total sense. In this episode she talks about her path into Product Management and shares unique insights what she has learned along the way. If you want to reach out to Deepa, you can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Phil used to work as a consultant and was always wondering whether the solution he worked on was actually feasible in the end. So he became a Product Manager. Listen to his journey, what he has learned, and what you should focus on as an aspiring Product Manager.You can find Phil on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Here comes a very interesting path: Software Engineering - Project Management - Product Management. In this episode, Parv talks about his journey and shares a lot of valuable insights about what he has learned.If you want to reach out to Parv, you can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

"Product Management is not done alone" - Janna knows her way around, and luckily for us, in this episode, she shared a lot of insights about her journey into Product Management.If you want to reach out to Janna, you can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Carl landed his first job in Product Management while sitting in a car and was the mayor of Peanut Butter town. Besides these stories, this episode provides insights on what to do when starting out in Product Management.If you want to reach out to Carl, you can find him on Twitter.

It was hard to find a Product Manager who started working in this profession back in the 90s, but I managed to find one! In this episode, Karine will guide us through her very diverse journey and share, among other things, some great advice on mental health. If you want to reach out to Karine, you can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn and Medium.

From librarian to Product Manager - seems like a long shot? Not for Louise Hammond. In this episode Louise will guide us through her journey and gives very practical advices what and what not to do when starting your career in Product Management.If you want to reach out to Louise, you can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

From the US Navy to Product Management - what a journey! In today's episode, Pat Bergstresser gives us insights into how he transitioned into a career in product management and what it takes to kickstart a career as a Product Manager. If you want to reach out to Pat, you can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.