Product Academy Tough Stuff

In this episode, Mareike Müller shares with Francesca Cortesi about her insights on maintaining high performance sustainably. Topics include assessing your current state, balancing work and private life, listening to your body, and practical tips for resilience and long-term success. CHAPTERS 00:46 Sustaining High Performance: The Challenge 06:11 Defining Balance: A Personal Perspective 12:31 Mind...

OUR GUEST Iulia Jacobsson is a product advisor and coach with 10+ years of experience leading product teams at scale — including as VP Product at Beekeeper and Head of Product at FIFA. She advises scale-up founders on product strategy and pricing, and brings a rare combination of hands-on operator experience and investor-fluent strategic thinking. Based in Zürich. EPISODE In this episode of Produc...

In this episode, Francesca Cortesi and Parveen Downer explore the concept of confidence, emphasizing that it is a skill that can be developed rather than an innate trait.  They discuss the importance of taking action to build confidence, the role of mindset in overcoming inner criticism, and practical strategies such as rejection therapy and creating a confidence playlist. The conversation highlig...

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Stéphane Turquay discuss the Shape Up methodology, a product development framework that emphasizes fixed timelines with variable scopes. Stéphane shares insights on the shaping and building phases, the challenges faced during implementation at SmallPDF, and the importance of team dynamics. They explore how Shape Up allows for greater ownership among teams and th...

In this episode, Francesca Cortesi and Caroline Clark talk about the complexities of imposter feelings, exploring their prevalence, the impact of perfectionism, and the importance of language in framing these experiences. They discuss strategies for overcoming feelings of inadequacy, emphasizing the significance of connection and belonging in professional environments. Caroline shares insights fro...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Alena Ipanova dig into the complexities of navigating cultural differences in the workplace, especially for expats. They discuss the importance of understanding both personal and national cultures, the significance of effective communication, and the challenges of aligning personal values with company culture. Alena emphasizes the need for self-awareness...

Dive into the latest episode of Product Acaemy Tough Stuff Season 3, where Francesca and Todd Birzer tackle one of the most challenging questions in the professional world: "How do I manage my time better?" . Discover why traditional time management techniques might not work for product managers and learn about strategic focus and strategic neglect. Todd shares insights from his career, including...

Francesca Cortesi and Kai Stevens discuss the complexities of conducting discovery in hardware. They explore the unique challenges faced in hardware development, including long timelines, irreversible decisions, and the need for robust usability testing.  Kai shares insights on balancing discovery with development, innovative approaches to user feedback, and the importance of collaborative decisio...

In this conversation, Corinne Ruckstuhl (Product Manager Data & AI at SRF) shares her insights on transitioning to internal product management, discussing the unique challenges and dynamics involved. Tanja and Corinne discuss the importance of stakeholder management, prioritization, and balancing efficiency with business value. They explore ways of of measuring success through user satisfactio...

Francesca Cortesi and Tim Herbig dive into one of the trickiest questions in product: how do you know when you’ve done enough discovery? They talk about the real purpose behind discovery, how to avoid getting stuck in process for process’ sake, and why defining your assumptions early matters more than sticking to a framework. From using strategic clarity to guide your work, to building a strong na...

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Nesrine Changuel explore the concept of customer delight, emphasizing the importance of emotional connections in product experiences. They discuss how delight can be created even in seemingly boring products, the significance of understanding and measuring delight, and the business case for investing in delightful features.  Nesrine spent 12 years of her product...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Rich Mironov discuss product managers' challenges in quantifying their initiatives and communicating effectively with sales and finance teams. They explore the importance of using the right language, preparing for sales conversations, and understanding the value of initiatives through rough estimations.  Rich emphasizes the need for product managers to b...

In this conversation, Tanja Lau interviews Justin Groep about his journey from working as a barista in South Africa to securing a product management role in a challenging job market. Justin shares insights on the importance of networking, strategic job hunting, the value of feedback, and the resilience required to navigate the job application process. He emphasizes the significance of community su...

SUMMARY In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Alexander Hipp discuss the challenges of balancing long-term and short-term goals in product management.  They analyze the complexity of finding a balance and identify three practical steps on how to handle conflicting goals. The conversation emphasizes the necessity of hard conversations and the role of communication in navigating the complexiti...

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Vanaja Sriskandarajah discuss the challenges and changes that come with balancing parenthood and a career in product leadership. They explore how becoming a parent shifts one's perspective on work, the importance of time management, and the necessity of setting boundaries. Both share their experiences of returning to work after parental leave, the adjustments th...

In this conversation, Radhika Dutt and Francesca Cortesi discuss the challenges of implementing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) in organizations, emphasizing the pitfalls organizations encounter when they only steer with OKRs, not considering vision and strategy. Radhika introduces the concept of 'vision debt' and advocates for a shift towards a hypothesis-driven approach to product management,...

SUMMARY In this special episode, Francesca Cortesi and Tanja Lau share their main takeaways from season 1 of Tough Stuff. CHAPTERS 00:50 Francesca’s Takeaways 04:10 Tanja’s takeaways QUOTED EPISODES Episode #3 How do you recover when your product fails? - Pippa Topp (Coach & Consultant at EQ Product Group) Episode#7 How do I align my product strategy? - Erik Almenberg (CPO Kognity) Episode #9...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Nina Schneider talk about market fit, exploring its definition, the challenges of maintaining it, and strategies for regaining it when lost. Nina shares her experiences from two companies, emphasizing the importance of a clear value proposition, customer satisfaction, and the dangers of premature diversification. They discuss the impact of market changes...

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Sebastian explore the concept of an entrepreneurial mindset, discussing its definition, key traits, and how it can be cultivated in individuals and organizations. They delve into the importance of accountability, risk management, and decision-making processes, emphasizing the role of leadership in fostering an entrepreneurial environment. The discussion also tou...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Erik Almenberg discuss how to align a product strategy, emphasizing the importance of shared insights and alignment across teams. They discuss the economic drivers of product strategy, the significance of collaborative opportunity solution trees, and the value of engaging with customers to gain insights. The conversation also touches on overcoming intern...

Is your boss a micro-manager? Or do you wish for more guidance and clarity about the product strategy? In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Petra Wille discuss the concept of 'managing up'—the practice of individual contributors actively shaping their relationships with their bosses to foster better communication and feedback. They explore the dynamics of feedback, the expectations employees can ha...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Stephanie Leue explore the implications of AI in product management, discussing how AI can enhance efficiency, the importance of strategic thinking, and the need for PMs to adapt to new tools and methodologies. They emphasize the balance between leveraging AI for repetitive tasks while maintaining the human element in product management, ultimately advoc...

In this conversation, Julia & Tanja discuss the challenges of over-customization in B2B, particularly in the SaaS industry. How do you find a good trade-off between short- and long-term strategy? What does cash flow have to do with customization? And how do you co-create instead of customize? Julia explains why there is no such thing as a small customization request and which strategies she de...

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Pippa Topp discuss the challenges faced by product leaders when crises arise, particularly focusing on the emotional and practical aspects of navigating failure. Pippa shares her personal experiences of redundancy and the importance of self-reflection, understanding control versus influence, and the need to decouple self-worth from professional success....

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Dominique Jost discuss the topic of burnout and its impact on careers. They explore the importance of owning one's narrative and turning a negative experience into a positive one. You'll learn more about Dominique's view on how to seek help and the potential career implications of talking about burnout openly. If you detect signs of burnout in yourself, please s...