#12 Being the coach your product team needs | Petra Wille, author of Strong Product People
Jul 21, 2024
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Petra Wille, author of "Strong Product People" and founder of the Product at Heart conference, shares her expertise as a leading product coach. She discusses the common challenges faced by product leaders, emphasizing the importance of tailored frameworks and time management. Petra highlights the benefits of coaching and creating strong Communities of Practice. Listeners can enjoy a unique role-playing exercise that showcases effective coaching techniques, making this a must-listen for anyone in product leadership.
Effective implementation of tailored frameworks is crucial, as many organizations discard them prematurely without thorough consideration of their principles.
Time management challenges are significant for product leaders, who must prioritize strategic reflection and coaching over daily firefighting tasks.
Building communities of practice within product teams enhances collaboration and learning, creating safe spaces for sharing challenges and resources.
Deep dives
The Dilemma of Framework Adoption
Many organizations struggle with the effective implementation of frameworks and methodologies in product management. After briefly trying a framework, teams often dismiss it when they perceive it as ineffective, suggesting a lack of commitment and understanding within the organization. There's a notion that companies do not invest enough time and effort examining the frameworks thoroughly before abandoning them. This phenomenon highlights the importance of giving proper attention to the teachings of recognized thought leaders and systematically applying their principles instead of jumping to conclusions too quickly.
The Journey to Effective Coaching
Petra Villa's transition into product coaching is significantly influenced by her clients' needs, which showcase the value of individual coaching sessions. Initially focusing on product discovery, she recognized the demand for ongoing coaching even after her clients' primary engagements concluded. This experience led her to a deliberate choice to elevate the focus to developing product leadership skills within organizations, emphasizing the importance of structured coaching frameworks for broader application. By sharing her personal insights and practical strategies in her writings and presentations, Petra demonstrates the transformative potential of coaching in product management.
Time Management Challenges for Product Leaders
Time management emerges as a primary struggle for product leaders who often juggle numerous responsibilities. Many recognize the need to prioritize the development of their teams but find themselves caught up in daily firefighting rather than engaging in strategic reflection or coaching. Petra emphasizes the mental shift required to accept that taking time to think critically is just as essential as completing daily tasks. Establishing blocks in their calendars for reflection, strategy discussions, and coaching is essential in creating a more productive and focused work environment.
Defining Competence in Product Roles
To foster growth within product teams, it's crucial for leaders to define what a competent product person looks like in their specific context. This involves establishing clear expectations and using frameworks, such as the product management wheel, to guide conversations about personal development and role clarity. By encouraging high standards and ambitions for their teams, product leaders can help steer the organization towards improved performance and innovative practices. Ultimately, providing individuals with a clear pathway to accountability and growth ensures that they can align their efforts with organizational goals effectively.
The Importance of Communities of Practice
Establishing a community of practice is vital for product organizations, fostering open communication and shared learning among product professionals. These communities can create a safe space for members to discuss challenges, share resources, and develop collaboratively, thereby improving overall product maturity. Even without a substantial budget, teams can initiate these communities by organizing informal discussions in person or online, focusing on learning objectives rather than project updates. Such initiatives can significantly reduce silos and encourage a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.
My guest today is one of my favorite product people out there: Petra Wille
Petra is the author of one the best books for product leaders you can find "Strong Product People", she's the founder of an amazing product conference "Product at Heart", and one of the few product coaches featured in Marty Cagan's new book Transformed.
Petra is such a great human being, and I am a big fan of her work.
We covered a lot and, even though I am clearly biased, every product leader and manager should listen to this.
We discussed:
* Common struggles of product leaders and how to address them
* Why many product leaders struggle with time management and understanding their role
* Why product leaders need a framework tailored to their context and that works for them, to develop their people
* What you need to know to get started with developing strong product people
* The benefits of coaching and tools product leaders can use to help their people grow
* Why reading good books and contextualizing their lessons is important
* Navigating the "Instagramification" of the product industry (as John Cutler is putting it)
* Building strong Communities of Practice and their benefits
We even have a little surprise for you: we did some role-playing of a coaching conversation, so you can actually hear Petra in action and what great coaching is all about! Quite unique :)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com
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