Product Thinking

Episode 151: Reflections and Revelations: Best of 2023

Dec 27, 2023

Guests include Blake Samic from Uber and Stripe discussing product operations, Hubert Palan on standardization of product management, and Jason Fried of 37 Signals on keeping product teams fresh and relevant. Other topics include the importance of tough skills, prioritizing people and process, and why startups fail.

13:10

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Episode guests

Jason Fried

Blake Samic

Hubert Palan

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Importance of standardization and connection between product teams and go-to-market/compliance teams in scaling tech companies.

Working in shorter timeframes and completing complete ideas to ensure product teams remain fresh and relevant.

Deep dives

Setting up Product Operations

Blake Samick, head of product operations at OpenAI, shares insights on setting up product operations at Uber and Stripe. He discusses the similarities in scaling tech companies, the importance of streamlining feedback channels, and the need for standardization and connection between product teams and go-to-market/compliance teams.

Introduction

2min

Similarities, Standardization, and Predictability in Product Management

3min

Approach to Product Management and the 'Shape Up' Methodology

2min

Angel Investing and the Importance of Soft Skills

1min

Empathy and the Journey to Chief Product Officer

5min

In this special episode of Product Thinking, host Melissa Perri takes a look back at what we have learned from some of our top guests across product management, operations, and leadership, featuring:

Blake Samic speaks about setting up product operations during his time at Uber and Stripe.
Hubert Palan shares the Standardization of Product Management and how the Product Operations Function creates consistency.
Jason Fried of 37 Signals outlines how they ensure product teams remain fresh and relevant without getting stuck in the details.
Glen Stoffel and Caryn Fried unveil how tough skills are important when creating great product managers.
Stephanie Leue dives into the necessity of prioritizing people, purpose, process, and performance in Product Management.
Tom Eisenmann, Professor at Harvard Business School, provides a deep dive into why startups fail.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts; instructions on how to do this are here.

You’ll hear them talk about:

Blake Samic - Initially skeptical about the relevance of product operations at Stripe, based on his experience at Uber, Blake's perspective changed upon deeper engagement with the company. He recognized numerous parallels in the challenges both companies faced, especially in scaling tech operations. Both were rapidly expanding, not just geographically, but in their product offerings and market strategies. Also, both companies shared a deep ambition in product engineering, with a relentless focus on shipping high-quality products. Stripe, in particular, set an exceptionally high bar for quality.
Hubert Palan - The evolution of product management is on the horizon, with a change towards greater standardization similar to practices seen in sales, customer success, and engineering. Historically, product teams have enjoyed a degree of autonomy, embracing individualized methods and tools, which fostered innovation but often led to inconsistencies and challenges in decision-making and portfolio management at a larger scale. The emergence of a product operations function signals a change in this landscape and the need for a more uniform approach to product management. Such standardization is crucial for enhancing predictability and effective leadership within the product organization, ensuring a balance between innovative autonomy and strategic alignment.
Jason Fried - Jason's approach to project management prioritizes flexibility and efficiency, as shown by the six-week work cycle. By limiting any task or feature to a maximum of six weeks for completion, Jason and his team relieve the stress and rigidity that comes from long-term planning, such as two-year roadmaps. This timeframe is not only manageable but also adaptable, allowing us to respond to changes and prioritize different tasks without being overly committed to pre-set plans.
Glen Stoffel and Caryn Fried - As product managers evolve towards CPO roles, a critical skill often overlooked for success is facilitation. While strong product professionals typically excel in vision and strategy, understanding the complex connections between different aspects of the customer and employee experience, they risk falling into the trap of control rather than collaboration.
Stephanie Leue - Recognizing the need for a shift towards a product-led approach, Stephanie decided to avoid past mistakes by ensuring data-driven and customer-feedback-oriented product releases and deprecations. Her strategy focused on four pivotal areas: people, purpose, process, and performance. She highlights to her teams that performance is a result of excellence in the first three areas.

Tom Eisenmann - Tom's book identifies six common failure patterns that startups encounter, divided into early and late stages. Early-stage challenges, occurring before a startup achieves product-market fit, include False Starts, Bad Bedfellows, and False Positives. In the later stage, post-product market fit, startups face Speed Trap, Help Wanted, and Cascading Miracles.

Episode Resources:

If you enjoyed this episode, please visit:

Previous guests include: Shruti Patel of US Bank, Steve Wilson of Contrast Security, Bethany Lyons of KAWA Analytics, Tanya Johnson Chief Product Officer at Auror, Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School, Stephanie Leue of Doodle, Jason Fried of 37signals, Hubert Palan of Productboard, Blake Samic of Stripe and Uber, Quincy Hunte of Amazon Web Services

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Product Thinking

Episode 151: Reflections and Revelations: Best of 2023

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Setting up Product Operations

Standardization and Consistency in Product Management

Freshness and Relevance in Product Teams

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
podcast player

Discover
highlights

Save any
moment

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Product Thinking

Episode 151: Reflections and Revelations: Best of 2023

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Setting up Product Operations

Standardization and Consistency in Product Management

Freshness and Relevance in Product Teams

Get the Snipdpodcast app

AI-poweredpodcast player

Discoverhighlights

Save anymoment

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