125 / Product Management Communities of Practice, with Petra Wille

Product managers seem to enjoy talking about how tough it is to be a product manager. And it is no matter the context of your specific business. Fortunately, as the role becomes more professionalized – and more populated – product communities are popping up and providing ready access to others we can learn from, network with, and vent our frustrations to. All of which, Petra Wille says, underscores the significance of product communities and the need for a collaborative mindset.

Petra is a product coach, author of STRONG Product People and STRONG Product Communities, and co-organizer of the Product at Heart conference, in Hamburg, Germany.

The fact is, “we can’t innovate without involving,” Petra says, emphasizing the collaborative nature of successful innovation. It’s the sense of belonging, of being in the same game and facing similar struggles, that draws product managers to one another at community events, Petra adds.

“Before you decide to join a product community or even attend a meetup,” Petra advises, “make sure you know what you want to get out of it. Understand your personal and professional goals.”

Some product managers want to learn a new technical skill. Others are looking to benchmark their organization’s product management practice against others. And some just want to vent, Petra continues. Find the right fit, she jokes, “because there’s nothing more frustrating than getting a lot of helpful tips when the only thing that you wanted to do was release some steam.”

Petra tailors her coaching and guidance in ways that align as well with veteran product leaders as with freshly minted ones. The one constant is that no matter where you are in your career, great product people are always learning and collaborating with others.

Be sure to catch the entire episode with Petra Wille for take on upcoming trends in 2024, including:

• Profitability and the sustainability of ‘digital business models’
• Moral & ethical concerns around AI
• Regulatory compliance with ecological restrictions, especially in the EU
• First principles thinking, now from the perspective of a ‘global product community’

You can also watch our conversation with Petra Wille on the Product Momentum YouTube channel!

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