The Product Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to Create a Product Team Context by Pandora Product Lead Jan 08, 2018

Show notes

In this talk, Karl Sluis will recap the different approaches to creating the right context for a team, what's worked for him, what hasn't, and provide a few things Product Leaders can try right away to provide better context for their teams. One of the most important jobs a Product Leader has is making sure everyone working on a product, at any time, clearly knows why they're spending their time (minute to minute, commit to commit) on a given piece of work. In Karl's role at Next Big Sound, he experimented constantly with how to create the context for the team. As the direction of the company changed everyone wasn't just brought along for the ride, but was part of determining the course of action.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

What Is Mobile App Product Management by Verizon former PM Jan 03, 2018

Show notes

In this talk, Shyam Vijayakrishnan discusses and explores the big world of mobile apps. Specifically he talks about the key concepts when creating and implementing a new app, challenges around scaling a product, and all critical functions that need to perform to sustain and allow the app to thrive! He also sheds light into what to focus on when you put a mobile app out, how to scale a mobile app and how to use analytics/tracking in mobile apps.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Succeed as a Non-Technical PM by Spotify's Product Owner Jan 01, 2018

Show notes

Many companies require Product Managers to have a technical background - whether it be a formal Computer Science degree or experience with writing code. "Over the years I've been self-conscious about my lack of technical background, yet I’ve learned that technical skills aren’t everything when it comes to Product Management." Jori Bell from Spotify breaks down the myth of needing technical skills to be a successful Product Manager. She talks about how you need to understand the types of skills that will make you a successful Product Manager. She also discusses the importance of bringing non-technical value to a team and how to do it, and how you can build trust with a technical team.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Design Inclusive Products by Google's Sr. Product Manager Dec 20, 2017

Show notes

Product managers have to be user centric to build great products, but many Product Managers stop short and focus only on generic use cases. A great product that reaches the masses needs to be inclusive of the many different types of users that might use it. Laura Holmes, Senior Product Manager at Google, talks about how to build inclusive products and discusses how biases can impact product design and the many tools for counteracting bias as you build the next unicorn.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Solve People's Problems as a Product Manager by Facebook PM Dec 18, 2017

Show notes

In this talk, Product Manager at Facebook provides a clear scope of a product manager role, the mechanics of the product development process, and the communication needed to ensure transparency across stakeholders. Additionally, she talks about how to use user feedback to inform decisions. Aigerim Shorman is a Product Manager at Facebook. Before Product Management, she founded her own company Wist, was in investment banking, and taught with Teacher for America. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Science.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Use Data to Influence Teams by DropBox Product Manager Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

Influencing without power is a key aspect of being a Product Manager. Being data-driven and data-comfortable is critical for today's product managers to influence without power. You may know how what A/B tests are, but how can you tactically set yourself and your teams up for success? What strategies can you adopt? In this talk, Ketan Nayak, Product Manager at Dropbox, covers how you as a Product Manager can use data as your biggest weapon to influence people, set your teams up for data success and go beyond just AB testing to make decisions.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

Navigating Your Way to a Product Manager Job by former Amazon PM Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

"Transitioning to a product management role from scratch or another position is a process that I have been through many times - and fundamentally what has helped me is following product management processes to get the job (and life!) of my dreams!" This talk covers some of the key practices to help you get your desired Product Manager job and more out of what you want in life. Jocelyn Miller discusses what hiring managers need to see to say yes to hiring you into a product role and what specific processes and approaches to use (as inspired by great product management) to get a Product Manager role.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Jump from Engineering to Product Management by LinkedIn PM Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

Product managers are sometimes reviled and other times revered. In this talk, Sammy Shreibati, Product Manager at LinkedIn, goes over the differences between the roles and what to expect. He discusses how to shift your thinking from "what" to "why", how to start working like a product manager and why you should always have a story.

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Crack the Product Manager Interview by Gayle McDowell Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

In this talk, Gayle McDowell, the author of the book "Cracking the PM Interview", teaches how to prepare for Product Manager interviews, what top companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft really look for, and how to tackle the toughest problems. Gayle discusses how the ambiguously-named "PM" (product manager / program manager) role varies across companies, what experience you need, how to make your existing experience translate, what a great PM resume and cover letter look like, and finally, how to master the PM interview questions (estimation questions, behavioral questions, case questions, product questions, technical questions, and the super important "pitch").

Social Links:

Find out more about Product School here
Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

How to Put Customer Feedback to Action by Zendesk Growth Leader Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

Growth Leader from Zendesk, Brianne Kimmel, and Director of Partnerships at Trello, Anthony Marnell, talk about the best practices on how to turn customer feedback into actionable insights. They also discuss why customer feedback matters, what the best practices for sharing customer feedback with internal teams are and how to evaluate signal vs. noise.

Social Links: