Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

4 questions Shreyas Doshi wishes he’d asked himself sooner | Former PM leader at Stripe, Twitter, Google

Oct 31, 2024

Shreyas Doshi, a former product leader at Stripe, Twitter, and Google, now guides founders as an advisor and coach. He discusses the overwhelm often felt by product leaders and how to combat it. Shreyas emphasizes the need for developing good taste and effective listening skills to enhance leadership. He shares insights on avoiding common pitfalls in annual planning, stressing the importance of a clear product strategy. The conversation is both informative and filled with relatable humor, offering valuable advice for aspiring product managers.

45:34

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Episode guests

Shreyas Doshi

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Product leaders must focus on high-leverage activities rather than getting overwhelmed by increasing responsibilities and tasks in their careers.

Developing good taste and the ability to listen actively are critical for product leaders to enhance decision-making and team collaboration.

Deep dives

Understanding Busy Work

Constant busyness often leads to frustration and dissatisfaction among product leaders. Many individuals find themselves overwhelmed despite utilizing various productivity techniques. The core issue lies in the expansion of scope as one progresses in their career, which can make even the best productivity hacks ineffective. Realizing this can help leaders refocus on higher leverage activities instead of getting lost in the noise of endless tasks.

Intro

2min

Reflections on Career: The Importance of Introspection and Balance

6min

Rethinking Product Management Efficiency

17min

The Importance of Strategy in Product Management

5min

Cultivating Taste in Leadership

14min

The Art of True Listening in Leadership

2min

Shreyas Doshi is a former product leader at Stripe, Twitter, Google, and Yahoo. He’s now a full-time advisor and coach to founders and executives. Shreyas is known for his incredibly insightful writing on products, which has garnered him a passionate following in the PM and startup community. Last week, we sat down together at the very first Lenny and Friends Summit in San Francisco for a special live episode. We covered:

• Why product leaders often feel overwhelmed with work, and how to combat it

• The importance of developing good taste, and how to do it

• How to reduce frustration in your product leadership role

• The critical skill of truly listening as a leader

• Common pitfalls in annual planning and decision-making

• Lots of laughs

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To learn more from Shreyas, check out these courses:

• Improving Your Product Sense: https://bit.ly/product-sense

• Managing Your PM Career: https://bit.ly/pm-career-course

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shreyas-doshi-live

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Where to find Shreyas Doshi:

• X: https://x.com/shreyas

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyasdoshi/

• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@shreyas.threads

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/shreyasdoshi

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShreyasDoshiVideos

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction

(05:35) Question one: Why am I so busy?

(10:08) Annual planning as an example

(16:48) Tactical tips for staying less busy

(25:20) Question two: Do I actually have good taste?

(38:09) Question three: Why does my job feel so frustrating?

(43:29) Question four: Am I really listening?

(44:35) Closing remarks

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Referenced:

• Shreyas Doshi on pre-mortems, the LNO framework, the three levels of product work, why most execution problems are strategy problems, and ROI vs. opportunity cost thinking: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/episode-3-shreyas-doshi

• LNO framework: https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1492345184171945984

• Time management techniques that actually work: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/time-management-techniques-that-actually

• Part 2: Time management techniques that actually work: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/part-2-time-management-techniques

• Eisenhower quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dwight_d_eisenhower_164720

• Stripe Connect: https://stripe.com/connect

• Jeff Bezos explains one-way door decisions and two-way door decisions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxsdOQa_QkM

• Spotify Is America’s Most Loved Workplace: https://www.newsweek.com/2021/10/29/spotify-americas-most-loved-workplace-1639982.html

• Shreyas on “thinking is cheap”: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shreyasdoshi_thinking-is-very-cheap-doing-is-very-expensive-activity-7225237421813116929-Qzi3/

• Good Product Strategy, Bad Product Strategy from Shreyas: https://x.com/shreyas/status/1244810075908128768

• Shreyas on annual planning and metrics:

https://x.com/shreyas/status/1302423854095036421

https://x.com/shreyas/status/1304628719374544896