Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Lessons from Atlassian: Launching new products, getting buy-in, and staying ahead of the competition | Megan Cook (head of product, Jira)

102 snips

Feb 4, 2024

Megan Cook, the Head of Product for Atlassian's Jira software, is an experienced leader with nearly 11 years at the company. She shares insights on cultivating a culture of play and psychological safety to boost innovation. Megan also discusses strategies for securing buy-in for product ideas and the importance of starting small. The conversation highlights Atlassian’s approach to launching new products amidst competition and offers tactical tips for effective remote work, fostering collaboration, and improving team dynamics.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Play and Psychological Safety

Create space for play and psychological safety to foster innovation and open communication within teams.
Encourage sharing rough drafts and early feedback to build trust and improve work quality.

ADVICE

Peer Feedback Groups

Establish peer feedback groups where team members review each other's work in a supportive environment.
Include different leadership levels to model helpful feedback and build relationships.

ANECDOTE

Team On-sites

Organize regular team gatherings for strategy discussions, skill-building workshops, and social activities.
Share stories of failure to normalize it and encourage risk-taking.

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

Get the app

Foundation

Isaac Asimov

Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimov's renowned Foundation series. It introduces Hari Seldon, a psychohistorian who predicts the imminent collapse of the Galactic Empire and the ensuing dark age. To mitigate this, Seldon establishes the Foundation, a group of scientists and scholars on the planet Terminus, aimed at preserving human knowledge and laying the groundwork for a new civilization. The book is a collection of interrelated short stories that follow the early history of the Foundation as it navigates various crises and challenges predicted by Seldon's psychohistory[1][3][4].

Inspired

How To Create Products Customers Love

Marty Cagan

In 'Inspired,' Marty Cagan provides a detailed and practical guide to product management. The book emphasizes the critical role of product managers in merging technology and design to address genuine customer needs while aligning with business objectives. Cagan discusses key concepts such as the importance of product vision, continuous discovery and delivery, and the need for a user-centric approach. He also highlights the differences between product management and other roles like product marketing, and stresses the importance of having a dedicated team for product development. The book is structured to help both junior and seasoned product managers understand and implement best practices in product management, drawing from Cagan's extensive experience in the tech industry.

Scaling People

Tactics for Management and Company Building

Claire Hughes-Johnson

Scaling People is a detailed roadmap for company builders to put the right operating systems and structures in place to scale their companies sustainably. The book provides tactical guidance on crafting foundational documents, strategic and financial planning, hiring and team development, and feedback and performance mechanisms. It includes dozens of pages of worksheets, templates, exercises, and example documents to help create scalable operating systems and lightweight processes. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience as a Google and Stripe executive, Claire Hughes Johnson offers actionable insights and a human-centric approach to developing talent and building a sustainable, scalable company.