This book provides valuable insights, strategies, and practical tips to help candidates navigate the product management interview process. It covers various aspects such as the variation of the 'PM' role across companies, necessary experiences, how to translate existing experience, and how to master different types of interview questions including estimation, behavioral, case, product, technical questions, and the 'pitch'. The book is designed to help candidates prepare effectively for product management interviews in startups and larger tech companies.
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen. The book provides a detailed methodology for managing tasks, projects, and information, emphasizing the importance of capturing all tasks and ideas, clarifying their meaning, organizing them into actionable lists, reviewing the system regularly, and engaging in the tasks. The GTD method is designed to reduce stress and increase productivity by externalizing tasks and using a trusted system to manage them. The book is divided into three parts, covering the overview of the system, its implementation, and the deeper benefits of integrating GTD into one's work and life[2][3][5].
This book provides essential skills and frameworks for product managers to succeed in the technology industry. It covers topics such as product skills, execution skills, strategic skills, leadership skills, and career management. The authors offer practical advice and real-world examples to help readers become effective product managers and drive successful product launches.
Jackie Bavaro is the author of the best-selling books Cracking the PM Interview and Cracking the PM Career. She was most recently at Asana, where she joined as its first product manager and later became the head of product. Earlier in her career, Jackie was a PM at Google and Microsoft, where she worked on high-impact products such as Google Search and Microsoft SharePoint.
In this episode, we cover:
1. How did Jackie become head of product at Asana? Start writing the best-selling PM books on interviews and the career ladder?
2. How and why to find a product coach.
3. What are the downsides of being a manager? How do you know if you want to go into management?
4. Can you stay an IC vs. becoming a manager?
5. What is “strategy”? What are the 3 components of a strategy?
6. What makes a good/bad strategy?
7. What are some ways to get better at strategy?
8. When should you start to invest in building your strategy muscle?
9. What are signs that your strategy is off?
10. What’s Jackie’s best piece of career advice?
11. Why is it smart to join a big company?
12. What are some of the most common mistakes PMs make early in their career?
13. What is the one thing Jackie thinks every PM should do regardless of their level?
Where to find Jackie:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackiebo
- Books: Cracking the PM Interview and Cracking the PM Career: https://amzn.to/3If6X9U
- Medium: https://jackiebo.medium.com
References:
- Jackie’s book rec: Getting Things Done, by David Allen
- Current favorite app, Paprika: https://www.paprikaapp.com
- Favorite Twitter: https://twitter.com/hels
- PEARL framework: https://jackiebo.medium.com/interview-tips-for-senior-pms-2424f7b7c967
- Eigenquestions: https://coda.io/@shishir/eigenquestions-the-art-of-framing-problems
Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
* Flatfile: www.flatfile.com/lenny
* Amplitude: www.amplitude.com
* PostHog: www.posthog.com/lenny
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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career 
