VP of Product at Shopify on Decision Making and Mental Models
Jul 11, 2023
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Brandon Chu, former VP of Product at Shopify, shares insights on high-conviction decision making for product managers. They discuss the value of the Minimum Viable Product mindset, mental models for product success, explaining new products, survivorship bias, the role of language models, and the potential of AI in streamlining document work and improving internal decision making.
High conviction decisions are crucial for product managers to navigate ambiguity and complexity.
AI can be leveraged in product management for tasks that don't require 100% accuracy or perfection.
Product managers must develop leadership skills, effective communication, and the ability to make persuasive arguments to advance in their careers.
Deep dives
The Journey into Product Management
The guest shares their journey into product management, starting with a finance background, founding a startup called Tunesy, and eventually joining companies like FreshBooks and Shopify.
Lessons Learned from Startup Experience
The guest reflects on their startup experience, highlighting the importance of getting to market quickly, validating ideas, and learning from real customers. They emphasize the need to avoid getting caught in a cycle of building without user feedback.
The Role of AI in Product Management
The guest discusses the role of AI in product management, suggesting that AI can be leveraged for tasks that don't require 100% accuracy or perfection. They specifically mention internal use cases, such as aligning teams and summarizing meetings, as areas where AI can add value.
The Importance of High Conviction Decisions for Product Managers
High conviction decisions are crucial for product managers as they play a vital role when there is ambiguity or complexity in making choices. Inaction or analysis paralysis leads to poor outcomes, so product managers must take decisive action. At the senior level, a significant portion of the job involves being the tiebreaker in difficult decisions. It is necessary to be right more often than not, as trust and respect depend on it. To advance in their careers, product managers must focus on developing leadership skills, communication, relationship building, and the ability to make persuasive arguments.
Preparing for Senior Product Management Roles and Executive Leadership
To transition into senior product management or executive leadership roles, product managers need more than technical skills. They must invest in relationship building, effective communication, leadership development, and the ability to motivate teams and make high conviction decisions. These skills are critical at the senior level, where the majority of the job involves strategic thinking, decision making, and managing cross-functional teams. Gaining diverse experiences and pursuing opportunities that allow for broader leadership roles, such as becoming a General Manager or taking on business operating roles, can help prepare product managers for advancement. It is also important to develop a well-rounded skill set and be able to bridge the gap between product functions and company outcomes.
In this episode, we speak with Brandon Chu (former VP of Product at Shopify) about why product managers need to make high-conviction decisions to propel their product and career success. We discuss why the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) mindset is still critical for launching successful products. Additionally, we explore the mental models PMs need to expedite their product success.
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