The Growth Origin Story of a Product Leader

I’m joined by Ben Williams — former VP of Product Growth at Snyk, current founder and full-time advisor at PLGeek.

Ben shared why he gifted a book with a personalized message to a new PM, how he reframed negative feedback so it stopped making him feel sick, and how he had way more fun after he stopped putting pressure on himself to know every answer.

[00:14] Introducing Ben Williams and his background

[04:10] Ben’s journey in growth and the bumps along the way

[09:40] How his experience in the space influences his interviewing methods

[12:01] His career “detour”

[16:03] On the fear of failure and the characteristics that contribute to one’s success

[25:14] Advice for people feeling uneasy in a new role

[29:54] On being a leader for people who are struggling with impostor syndrome or fear of failure

[34:34] On giving/ receiving high-impact feedback

[44:32] How your values can influence your motivation and success

[45:57] On realizing that you don’t need to have all the answers to deserve success

[51:13] Where to connect with Ben

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semanticben/

Website: www.plgeek.com