The Secrets of Product Management Podcast

Innovation is important, but how do you measure it? Mostly in this episode I actually talk about what innovation is, and some history of innovation in tech and other domains, but it all started with a LinkedIn post about “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Resources for this episode A web site Read More

Laplace’s Rule, aka The Rule of Succession I don’t know why it’s called the “rule of succession.” But it’s called Laplace’s Rule because it was developed by Pierre-Simon Laplace in 1774. It’s also called the Laplace-Bayes Estimator, because it’s related to, or a result derived from, Bayes’ Theorem of 1764. Say there is a event Read More

Product management and rules of thumb A rule of thumb is defined as “a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.” A lot of what we “know” in product management is actually a “rule of thumb.” In this episode, I talk about three product management rules of thumb I Read More

This episode is a follow-on to last week’s. Andy Bowden asked the following on LinkedIn a few weeks ago: Do you show your value through quantifiable results? If so, how? If not, why not? Many of us struggle coming up with numbers that reflect what our employers seek from us. In last week’s episode I Read More

“Data-driven” Product Management Andy Bowden raised a great question for product managers on LInkedIn last week: Do you show your value through quantifiable results? If so, how? If not, why not? Many of us struggle coming up with numbers that reflect what our employers seek from us. That question was the springboard to this episode Read More

Retrospectives can lead to a 20-25% improvement in team performance. Yet most teams don’t do regular retrospectives. Why? Because 20% is boring. How to do the math to make 20% turn into 10x - and why this is such a critical skill for persuasion (not just retrospectives!).

What Is Agile Product Management? “Agile Product Management” is a common job description nowadays. What does it mean? In this episode let’s drill into the mental model of “agile,” how it arose, why it’s better than the alternatives, why it’s great for product managers, and what we need to know about it. Three things you Read More

Decision-making is a core competency for product managers Greg Prickril, who’s been a guest on the podcast, just did a LinkedIn post about the most important competency for product managers. He said it was “prioritization” – which I don’t disagree with. And one important facet of prioritization is decision making. And in this episode I Read More

Mental Models, Strengths, and The Tour de France Somehow in this episode I manage to make a souffle from the 2021 Tour de France, the winner of Stage 12 Nils Politt, Mark Cavendish winning his 34th TdF stage, tying Eddie Merckx’ record, and Eddie Merckx’ famous maxim for getting fast – “Ride lots!” Eddie Merckx Read More

In this episode, my good friend Sabrina Braham shares her insights on Clifton Strengths and amplifying your potential by applying strengths and other positive psychology ideas like the growth mindset. Sabrina is a celebrated executive coach and consultant, specializing in leadership excellence and business growth, with many years of experience coaching Fortune 500 executives and Read More

What does data-driven product management really mean? In episode 83 of this podcast my guest Noa Ganot reminded us that the term “data-driven product management” originally meant you weren’t prioritizing what to build simply based your own opinions, out of your own head, or the opinions of your colleagues. You would use “data” – such Read More

In this episode, answers to a few questions I get often when I’m presenting or training product managers on storytelling. A great story is about a problem worth solving, a difficult and challenging path to a solution that only you can navigate, followed by a meaningful transformation when the problem is solved. Very simple to Read More

This episode of The Secrets of Product Management is about strengths and weaknesses, and especially how to use mental models and other tools to augment your weaknesses. Rebranding the podcast This is the first episode of the rebranded podcast. I’m changing the name from All The Responsibility to “The Secrets of Product Management” so it’s Read More

Your storytelling power is not only a differentiator, it’s a risk reducer In this episode I’m talking about this challenge – roughly and simplistically let’s call it “getting your next product manager job” – from a few different angles. Your stories of what you actually did – although still somewhat subject to wariness on the Read More

In this episode Noa Ganot tells us about what being "data-driven" really should mean, plus how product leaders can be more effective. And why product leadership is so difficult even for experienced managers.

Is there a “perfect product manager resume?” Not really. But there are ways to make your resume a lot better. And it comes from thinking like a product manager.

Kristy Olinger – Communication Guru I met Kristy Olinger a few months ago, introduced by our mutual friend Greg Prickril (a guest on the podcast last year). We immediately hit it off and I knew she’d be a great guest for the podcast. In her day job Kristy is a product manager for credit card Read More

“How Can I Make A Name For Myself As A Junior Product Manager?” This episode arose from a question I got in a recent Clubhouse session: Q: How can I make a name for myself as a new junior product manager? I have an earlier episode on this (#72 – “Proven Ways Deliver Value Fast Read More

Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia solved his own problem with Product School In our interview, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia recounts what led him to create Product School back in 2014. It started as a one-many enterprise, and a first class of eight people. His goal? Helping others learn the product management skills and mindset he’d had Read More

This episode is a little trip down memory lane for me, as I recount two very influential articles about software engineering I read in the 2000s. But their influence extended far beyond software engineering, to product management and understanding how products can be successful. Links Rub-a-Dub-Dub, by Joel Spolsky The Guerilla Guide To Interviewing, by Read More

The end of the year always prompts thoughts and reflections on what went down, what was worth celebrating, and where tweaks or even overhauls are needed.

Psychological safety is essential for excellent team performance. In this episode, how product managers can contribute to their teams' psychological safety.

This episode addresses a fundamental concern for everyone - how to be better. How to achieve more. How to be more effective. my guidance is to focus on playing to your strengths, unleashing your aptitudes, and mitigating - not improving - your weaknesses.

As product managers, we intuitively understand Deming's 95/5 rule on behalf of our users. But we seldom turn the lens back on ourselves.

How to have more confidence when presenting This episode arose out of a conversation I had a while back with a young product manager. She was struggling with preparing a presentation, and not just with the content, but with how to present it effectively. She’d gotten some feedback that she needed to show more self-confidence. Read More