Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Driving alignment and urgency within teams, work-life balance, and the changing PM landscape | Nikita Miller (The Knot, Trello)

168 snips

Apr 6, 2023

Nikita Miller, SVP of Product Management at The Knot Worldwide and former product leader at Trello, discusses her passion for scaling product teams in high-growth environments. She shares insights on adapting Trello for enterprise needs and highlights the evolving landscape of product management. The conversation dives into effective remote team management, driving urgency in work processes, and the challenges of cross-cultural collaboration. Nikita underscores the importance of clear roles, communication, and balancing personal and professional goals for product success.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Team Alignment Framework

Clearly define roles and responsibilities within teams early on, especially in cross-functional groups like product, design, engineering, and data science.
Create a shared document where each team member writes their expectations for their own role and others', then review and agree on a "contract."

INSIGHT

Shifting PM Responsibilities

Traditional scrum master roles are disappearing, shifting project management responsibility towards engineering managers.
This shift relieves product managers of some project tracking burden, but requires clear communication and shared understanding of sprint goals.

ADVICE

Embedded Data Scientists

Embed data scientists directly within product teams rather than relying on a centralized data team.
This improves data access, analysis speed, and pattern recognition for faster product development.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

You Will Hear Thunder

Selected Poems of Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova

This collection includes translations of Anna Akhmatova's poems, which are known for their lyrical beauty and historical significance. Her work often expresses themes of love, loss, and resilience in the face of political oppression.

High Output Management

Andrew S. Grove

High Output Management is a seminal book by Andrew S. Grove that outlines his management and productivity concepts developed during his tenure at Intel. The book introduces the 'management by objectives' approach, also known as the objectives and key results (OKR) framework. It covers techniques for creating highly productive teams, methods of motivation, and the importance of measurable processes, performance reviews, and training. Grove emphasizes the role of managers in leading and motivating teams, and his book is praised for its practical advice and timeless relevance in various professions and industries.

Amp It Up

Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity

Frank Slootman

In 'Amp It Up,' Frank Slootman shares his leadership approach for achieving hypergrowth. The book emphasizes the importance of raising standards, aligning teams, sharpening focus, picking up the pace, and transforming strategy. Slootman argues that most leaders can significantly improve their organization's performance without expensive changes to talent, structure, or the business model. He stresses the need for execution, a strong team culture, and a relentless focus on the mission. The book provides practical advice on making conflicted choices, promoting collaboration, and maintaining high standards to avoid mediocrity[2][3][5].

The fire next time

James Baldwin

The Fire Next Time is a deeply personal and provocative document that consists of two letters. The first letter is to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew, warning him about the harsh realities of being Black in America and advising him to affirm his own worth and dignity. The second letter is a broader critique of American society, particularly targeting the failure of the Christian church to provide moral leadership and the societal tendency to perpetuate racial myths. Baldwin argues that white Americans maintain these myths to avoid facing their own inadequacies and moral wrongdoings. He emphasizes the need for love and acceptance to overcome these barriers and warns of a violent reckoning if racial inequality is not addressed.