Common PM Problem Areas
Recently I was at a dinner with several product leaders, and I was asked what the most common areas of confusion I encounter in product teams today? I thought it was a good question, and I described...
View ArticleMore PM Problem Areas
Last month I published an article describing common areas of confusion I see product managers struggling with. That article generated considerable discussion, and lead to some very good conversations....
View ArticleCoaching Tools – The One on One
I’d be surprised if you haven’t at least heard about the coaching technique known as the “one on one” (aka “1:1”). And you’ve probably experienced some version yourself. But judging from my discussions...
View ArticleCoaching Tools – The Narrative
In my last article I talked about the importance of the one on one coaching sessions between a manager and her product manager. That technique is about providing an ongoing mechanism for helping the...
View ArticleCoaching Tools – The Plan
In my previous article, I defined how I encourage managers of product managers to assess the current skill level of a product manager in order to identify skill gaps. In this sequel to that article, I...
View ArticleCoaching – Owner vs. Employee
As many of you know, for the past several months I have focused my writing on helping managers of product managers provide better coaching of their people. The last several articles have provided a set...
View ArticleCoaching – Thinking
So far in this series on coaching, I’ve described a tool for assessing a current or prospective product manager, and then provided detailed examples of how to craft a plan to help the product manager...
View ArticleCoaching – Collaboration
In this article, I continue the series on coaching product managers by talking about another critically important skill that is so often misunderstood or under-appreciated, and that is collaboration....
View ArticleProduct vs. Feature Teams
This article is certain to upset many people. I’m sorry for that, but the degree of ongoing noise and confusion surrounding the role of product at tech companies is only getting worse. Moreover, I see...
View ArticleCoaching – Customer-Centricity
In this article I want to continue with the series on coaching, this time to help develop the critical trait of customer-centricity in the product manager. If you ask a CEO or a product manager if they...
View ArticleCoaching – Integrity
Returning to our series on coaching, this article and the next are tackling two of the toughest yet most crucial aspects of successful product management. In this article I will address integrity, and...
View ArticleCoaching – Decisions
In the last article I discussed the importance of integrity, and how it is the basis for decision-making in an empowered product team. In this article, I’d like to focus on how I coach product...
View ArticleCoaching – Strategic Context
To continue with our series on coaching, in this article I will be covering a different aspect of coaching, which has to do with ensuring the product manager has the necessary understanding of the...
View ArticleCoaching – Ethics
In this final article on the series on coaching, I’d like to discuss one of the most sensitive, yet potentially most important topics, and that is the subject of ethics. As readers of these articles...
View ArticleThe Coaching Series
Article: The Coaching Series Over a year ago I published an article on Empowered Product Teams that described the main focus of my work for the next couple years. As many of you know, most articles I...
View ArticleCoaching – Happiness
This article may seem an odd topic. You may be thinking that it’s not the manager’s job to be responsible for her team’s happiness. However, pretty much anyone that’s worked in tech for any amount of...
View ArticleWorking From Home
For many readers it might seem surprising to you to see me publish on working from home when I’m such a vocal fan of the magic of co-located teams. But in this situation of COVID-19, with the need to...
View ArticleEmpowered Engineers FAQ
In my last article I spoke about the concept of an empowered engineer, which I consider the single most important concept for companies that want to move from feature teams to product teams. Overall my...
View ArticleProduct Management – Start Here
There has never been more interest in becoming a product manager. There has also never been so many strong and helpful voices that can help these aspiring product managers (at the end of this article...
View ArticleProduct Manager Job Description
One of the most common requests I’ve received over the years is to share a good job description for a product manager of an empowered product team. And for about as long as I can remember, I’ve...
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