Episodit
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In this episode of Product Voices, I speak with Cristina Crespo, VP of Product at Paytient, about the crucial role of empathy in product management.
Cristina defines empathy, differentiates it from sympathy, and emphasizes its impact on creating user-centered products. We discuss how empathy correlates with business success through frameworks like the product-led growth flywheel, and she shares strategies for leveraging research to enhance user experiences.
Cristina also highlights the importance of fostering an empathetic workplace culture and the need for self-empathy among product managers.
The conversation illustrates that embedding empathy in product processes is key to success. -
In this episode of Product Voices, we engage in an in-depth discussion about the evolving landscape of product management and the challenges it faces in what we term the "new age of product."
Two exceptional guests, Tara Goldman and Mackenzie Hughes, who bring decades of experience in leading product teams and navigating the complexities of the tech industry, help unpack the realities of current product management practices and explore how the community can redefine its approach to create meaningful outcomes.
We begin by addressing the notion that "product isn't working anymore." This statement may seem dramatic, but it truly reflects a sentiment echoing across organizations. We examine how the product management field has become overly complicated, veering away from its essence due to unnecessary intricacies introduced over the years.
Tara and Mackenzie articulate the evolution of product management through several eras, detailing how we transitioned from a focus on delivery to embracing chaos and agility, and now find ourselves in a precarious yet promising new era. -
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In this episode, I talk with Teresa Cain, a prominent product and design expert, about her book "Solving Problems in Two Hours: How to Brainstorm and Create Solutions with Two-Hour Design Sprints."
We delve into the two-hour design sprint methodology, emphasizing its role in rapid problem-solving and empowerment of product managers to lead collaborative sessions and shares practical steps for implementing these techniques, offering valuable insights for product management professionals looking to enhance their methodologies. -
Hannah Clark, the Editor of The Product Manager, joins to discuss the complexities of change fatigue in product management. We explore how the relentless pace of change can drive innovation while simultaneously leading to team exhaustion and frustration.
Hannah shares insights from her experience in startups and emphasizes the necessity for leaders to balance innovation with stability to maintain morale. We discuss the importance of psychological safety for individual contributors and offer practical strategies to navigate change fatigue constructively.
This conversation serves as a vital reminder for both team members and leaders to approach change with mindfulness, ensuring a thriving and engaged work environment. -
Connor Joyce, author of "Bridging Intention to Impact" and senior user researcher at Microsoft joins us to discuss his book where he emphasizes the importance of focusing on user outcomes and behaviors in product management.
He shares his journey in writing the book, stressing the need for evidence-backed decision-making and experimentation to drive successful products. Connor advocates for prioritizing user needs over usage metrics and implementing a culture of data-driven decision-making throughout organizations.
The episode provides practical advice for product managers looking to create impactful product outcomes. -
Purni Siddarth, Principal Product Manager at Peek shares key insights from her experience at Expedia, Dividend Finance, and Peek, emphasizing the importance of optimized processes, software choices, and infrastructure for successful scalability. She advocates for a minimum viable approach, collaboration, and feedback to drive effective product scaling. Tune in for valuable perspectives on enhancing your product management skills.
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Join us in this episode as we chat with Chad McAllister, a renowned product management expert. Chad emphasizes the importance of continual learning in product management, touching on key aspects like strategy, portfolio management, and team dynamics. He offers advice on leveraging diverse backgrounds, transitioning into product management, and aspiring to leadership roles. Chad's insights shed light on navigating the dynamic landscape of product management for those aiming to excel in the field.
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In this episode, we discuss the vital skills of listening and observing and how these can lead to success in product management. Guest Monika Murugesan, a seasoned product executive, advisor, mentor, and guest lecturer at Northwestern University, shares practical tips are shared for enhancing these skills, leading to informed decision-making and successful product development.
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Sheetal Rajpal, an amazing product leader with experience at Amazon, LendingTree, and PepsiCo joins the podcast to discuss the future of B2C subscription products (and all digital products, for that matter) and how ML, AI, data analysis, and more will be shaping that future.
Learn more at ProductVoices.com. -
In this episode of Product Voices, our guest Kalia Aragon, Director of Product at Flatiron Health, discusses infrastructure and future-proofing products. She emphasizes the importance of diverse teams and a problem-solving approach. Kalia highlights the key attributes of future-proofing and advises product managers to engage early, build tech competency, and foster communication. She raises concerns about data privacy in AI advancements and encourages empathy and thoughtfulness in the field.
It's a great episode filled with insights and advice. -
On this episode, we discuss how to stand out in the product management job market. Our guest is Chris Mason, co-founder of Intelligent People, a product management recruitment agency.
Chris shares his expertise on the evolving job market and the increasing visibility of product management as a discipline. He highlights the growing number of graduates and better training options in this field. Chris also mentions the rise of Chief Product Officers and product-led organizations. However, he cautions that the job market has become more competitive due to recent layoffs and an influx of talent. Big tech companies have been making cuts, leading to a flood of candidates. Despite the challenges, Chris believes there is still optimism for those pursuing a career in product management.
This is an episode you won't want to miss, whether you're currently in job market or not, this discussion has something for everyone. -
In this episode, we explore the crucial relationship between the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). We discuss the need for partnership, open communication, and trust between these roles. Our guest, Jodi McDermott, shares valuable insights on building a strong CPO-CTO foundation. We emphasize the importance of compromise, alignment, and transparency in leadership, as well as fostering a unified team culture.
Listen for insights on...
Building a Strong Foundation between CPO and CTOHandling Tension between CPO and CTOThe Importance of Showing Work and Friction PointsThe Power of Repeating and Sharing the VisionBuilding a Unified Team: Breaking Down SilosEffective Communication and Leadership in Scaling OrganizationsCreating a Human and Mentoring Environment -
In this episode, we discuss the book "Product Momentum Gap" with authors Andrea Saez and Dave Martin. We explore indicators of a momentum gap in product management and the importance of aligning on customer value. Implementing the product value creation plan (VCP) helps filter out requests that don't align with defined value. Regularly articulating the VCP ensures alignment with the product strategy. We discuss the need for clear business and product strategies. Listen to the episode then get the book today!
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Natalia Burina, a product leader with deep expertise in AI, joins this episode to discuss Generative AI and its potential impact for product managers. The conversation with Natalia, a former leader at Meta, Salesforce, Samsung, eBay, and Microsoft, weaves through many important focus areas, including:
The potential and limitations of generative AI. Generative AI and its potential impact on business. AI technology and its applications in product development. AI technology risks and challenges in product management. Cultivating psychological safety for AI teams. Generative AI, product management, and leadership.Find out more at ProductVoices.com.
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In this episode of Product Voices, Gayatri Diwan, a seasoned product leader, joins to discuss product strategy and its importance in product management.
She emphasizes that product strategy should answer three important questions:
Why the product is neededWho it is being built for, and What it aims to achieve.Gayatri also shares her seven-step plan for creating a product strategy:
Who is your customer?What is the problem statement?What is the impact and benefit to the customer with supporting data?What is the ideal state? What does good look like?What is our criteria for success and how will we measure our success metrics?What are the core product tenets or principles?What are the key pillars and themes we want to invest in?Throughout the conversation, Gayatri stresses the significance of involving the right stakeholders, having a shared understanding of the problem, and aligning with them for success.
Learn more at ProductVoices.com/gayatridiwan.
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Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles, authors of Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale, discuss the concept of product operations and why it is crucial for product teams and organizations. Product operations is the enablement function of product management, providing data and insights for strategic decision-making and ensuring alignment within the product development lifecycle. As organizations scale, product operations become increasingly important in managing complexity, prioritizing strategies, fostering transparency, and facilitating collaboration across departments.
Melissa and Denise decided to write the book on product operations after realizing the need for a resource for product managers and stakeholders. Their goal was to share their framework, which revolves around three pillars: business and data insights, customer and market insights, and process and governance. They wanted to get ahead of the growing trend of product operations and provide a structure for enabling product teams.
We dive deeper into each of these topics, starting with business and data insights. This pillar focuses on extracting information from current systems and analyzing it through a product lens. Many companies focus on financial metrics in board meetings but fail to analyze the data in a way that benefits product development. By implementing cohort analysis and utilizing internal information from financial, sales, product development, and HR systems, leaders can make data-driven product decisions and effectively monitor product strategies and performance. To bridge the gap between business skills and technology skills in product management, financial acumen classes for product managers have been introduced.
Next, we discuss customer and market insights, which provide qualitative and anecdotal perspectives from users. Product operations help set up the infrastructure for research and enable teams to conduct repeatable research by building tools and finding ways to engage users. Product managers should maintain a strong understanding of market insights to stay connected with customers.
We then share a real-life case study on streamlining user research processes and discuss the importance of process and practice in the context of product operations. Establishing clear guidelines and consistency in working approaches helps product managers focus on strategic work rather than getting caught up in unnecessary tasks. Product operations, when done right, brings efficiency and consistency without adding bureaucratic processes.
We emphasize the need for transparency and tracking in companies and explain that product operations can be implemented gradually, starting with one pillar and then expanding to others as priorities shift. It is crucial to showcase successful case studies and demonstrate the potential benefits of product operations to gain buy-in from the organization. The decision to start a product operations team depends on factors such as the number of product managers, scaling plans, and the need for structure and efficiency in managing data and processes.
We conclude by advising listeners to start somewhere and focus on the pillar that provides the most value. The book mentioned earlier serves as a valuable resource, offering advice, insights, frameworks, and case studies for anyone interested in product operations.
Overall, this conversation provides a comprehensive overview of product operations and its importance in organizations, offering practical insights and guidance for implementation.
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In this episode, we explore the Octalysis Framework with expert Amit Arora to understand how it drives product adoption. The conversation covers the 8 core drivers of customers: Epic Meaning, Accomplishment, Empowerment, Ownership, Social Influence, Scarcity, Unpredictability, and Avoidance. We discuss the relevance of psychological drivers and the importance of human emotions in decision-making. Amit emphasizes the framework's applicability in both B2C and B2B contexts and highlights the need for fine-tuning and continuous education. Success stories and measurement techniques are shared to illustrate its effectiveness. Overall, the conversation emphasizes staying informed and connected with customer behaviors and motivators to drive product adoption and success.
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In this episode of Product Voices, we venture into a world transformed by emerging technologies, with esteemed guests Eva Agapaki, Tatyana Mamut, Katharina Koerner, and Yuying Chen-Wynn. These tech pioneers offer their insights into emerging technologies that will impact our world for years to come.
We grapple with the immense promises of AI as it has evolved from predictive to generative, and from domain-specific to generalizable - while acknowledging the monumental challenges and responsibilities tied to this potent tool. We discuss the future of product management in the AI era, and the panel offers advice for product managers on the skills that will be needed to succeed.
This episode is brought to you in partnership with Product Advisory Collective, a firm that accelerates product with curated Product-Leader Fit™ and outcomes-driven advisory and consulting services. -
In this episode of the Product Voices podcast, we speak with Yasmin Kothari, the product director for Bumble for Friends. Bumble for Friends is an app designed to connect people nearby who share similar interests and friendship goals. It provides a convenient way to expand your friendship circle, with features like group conversations and a 72-hour response window. Yasmin shares insights on building meaningful connections through technology and excelling in product management. Download Bumble for Friends and join us in combatting loneliness with technology.
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What if there was a roadmap to break into the dynamic field of product management? We've got Rajat Tiwari on the show today, a promising future product manager and current master's student at Johns Hopkins, to guide you through his personal journey. Rajat's humble beginnings dreaming of Silicon Valley led to the creation of a hospitality website showcasing his web development and API knowledge. He offers insights on how finding a unique selling point can be the game-changer in this highly competitive market.
Rounding off our fascinating conversation, Rajat dives into the importance of preparation for job interviews, not merely job applications, in product management. He also underscores how traditional practices like patience, user empathy, and understanding the customer's needs should be a part of every product manager's repertoire. The future belongs to those combining unique strengths with state-of-the-art technology tools. Tune in for Rajat's insights that promise to be invaluable for anyone contemplating a career in product management. - Näytä enemmän
