AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
What sets great teams apart | Lane Shackleton (CPO of Coda)
Oct 1, 2023
01:29:51
Snipd AI
Lane Shackleton, CPO of Coda, discusses the principles that set great PMs apart, rituals of great product teams, the fine line between OKRs and strategy, the story of how skippable YouTube ads were born, and his personal career growth. He also shares insights on 'Two-way write-up' collaboration, 'Tim Ferriss Day' impact on Coda's history, and how he bootstrapped his way to CPO.
Read more
AI Summary
Highlights
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Seek out uncomfortable moments for personal growth
- Focus on systems, not just goals, for sustainable growth and success
- Adopt a cathedral mindset to drive collaboration and purpose in teams
Deep dives
Seek out moments of discomfort and growth
The speaker emphasizes the importance of seeking out moments that stretch you or make you uncomfortable. These moments of discomfort and growth are valuable as they provide new foundations and opportunities for personal development. Rather than focusing on career growth in a general sense, the speaker suggests asking oneself how many 'oh shit' moments they have experienced in a given time frame. This approach to personal growth helps individuals identify whether they have been challenged or stretched in a meaningful way. The speaker argues that actively seeking out these moments is crucial for personal and professional growth.
Focus on systems rather than goals
The speaker highlights the importance of focusing on systems rather than goals. Drawing inspiration from Jerry Seinfeld's approach to writing, which involved building a system of daily writing rather than fixating on a specific goal, the speaker suggests that product managers should adopt a similar mindset. By developing systems that encourage consistent and targeted efforts, individuals can turn ambiguity into clarity and make progress in their roles. The speaker argues that goals with good intentions often fall short, while prioritizing and following effective systems lead to more sustainable growth and success.
Embrace the mindset of building cathedrals, not laying bricks
The speaker discusses the importance of orienting oneself and their team towards a broader vision or goal, rather than getting lost in individual tasks and execution. Using the analogy of laying bricks versus building a cathedral, the speaker encourages individuals to focus on the bigger picture and understand the impact of their work in a larger context. By adopting a cathedral mindset, teams can cultivate a sense of purpose, engagement, and a shared vision, ultimately driving stronger collaboration and productivity.
Implement rituals for effective team collaboration
The podcast episode explores various rituals that can contribute to the success of product teams. One highlighted ritual is 'Catalyst,' which addresses the issues of standing attendees and single-threaded discussion in product review forums. 'Catalyst' divides the review process into three one-hour blocks throughout the week, allowing the right stakeholders to participate and increasing the throughput of decisions. Another mentioned ritual is 'Tag Up,' aimed at eliminating one-on-one discussions about project work. 'Tag Up' provides an opportunity for the whole team, including key stakeholders, to discuss project-related topics, enabling better alignment and avoiding miscommunication. The episode also mentions the importance of creating a handbook to document and share these rituals, fostering continuous learning and implementation of effective practices.
Importance of Taking Action
One of the main ideas discussed in the podcast is the importance of taking action rather than just talking about ideas. The speaker emphasizes the need to stop talking about ideas and instead actively create something by running experiments, building prototypes, or writing documents. It is emphasized that people, regardless of their level in an organization, should strive to learn by expressing their ideas and putting them out there. Taking action and learning from the experience is considered more valuable than endless discussions and speculation.
Customer-Facing Experience and Product Impact
Another key point highlighted in the podcast is the significance of being customer-facing and the importance of understanding customer needs. The speaker shares their experience working in a role where they interacted with customers directly and learned the value of truly understanding and addressing their needs. They emphasize that most people don't actually care about the product itself, but rather the problems it solves for them. The speaker encourages concise and impactful communication, emphasizing that assumptions of engagement and interest should be avoided both internally and when addressing customers.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode