Petra Wille is an independent product leadership coach who’s been helping product teams expand their skill sets since 2013. She’s also the author of Strong Product People, which she published in 2021. Alongside her freelance work, Petra curates and co-organizes Mind The Product Engage Hamburg. She started her career as a software developer and in 2008 went to work at Xing, a German social media site, where she learned from two incredible product leaders: Marty Cagan and Jason Goldberg. In today’s podcast, we talk about Petra’s book, and how to help your team grow as a product leader. Petra also shares how to improve your storytelling skills, get better at public speaking, and why community is so important for product managers.—Find the full transcript here: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-be-the-best-coach-to-product—Where to find Petra Wille:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/loomista• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-wille-b8b1329/?originalSubdomain=de• Website: https://www.petra-wille.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making this episode possible:• Flatfile: https://www.flatfile.com/lenny• Mixpanel: https://mixpanel.com/startups• AssemblyAI: https://www.assemblyai.com/?utm_source=lennyspodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nov27—Referenced:• PMwheel framework: https://www.strongproductpeople.com/pmwheel• Marty Cagan’s assessment: https://www.svpg.com/coaching-tools-the-assessment/• PM Daisy: https://pmdaisy.com/• The Eisenhower matrix for prioritization: https://www.productplan.com/glossary/eisenhower-matrix/• Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value: https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309• Mochary Method Curriculum: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FiJbYn53fTtPmphfdCKT2TMWH-8Y2L-MLqDk-MFV4s/edit• Matt Mochary on Lenny’s podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/how-to-fire-people-with-grace-work-through-fear-and-nurture-innovation-matt-mochary/• Hans Rosling’s Ted talks: https://www.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling• Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter: https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter?• Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That is and What You Can Do About It: https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Wants-Read-Your-Sh-ebook/dp/B01GZ1TJBI• Selling the Dream: https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Dream-Guy-Kawasaki/dp/0887306004• Nancy Duarte’s website: https://www.duarte.com/• The 72 Rules of Storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/72-rules-commercial-storytelling-jeremy-waite/• The Art of Thinking Clearly:https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thinking-Clearly-Rolf-Dobelli/dp/0062219693• Outcomes Over Output: https://www.amazon.com/Outcomes-Over-Output-customer-behavior/dp/1091173265• Martin Erickson’s Decision Stack: https://martineriksson.com/the-decision-stack• Present Yourself Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/womentalkdesign/present-yourself-a-public-speaking-book• The Product Experience podcast: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/the-product-experience/• Product podcast in German: https://www.produktmenschen.de/• Watch New Amsterdam on Peacock: https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/new-amsterdam• Harvest bookkeeping and time tracking: https://www.getharvest.com/• Qanto: https://qonto.com/en—In this episode, we cover:(03:35) Petra’s background(05:51) The things leaders of product teams don’t always understand(09:33) Why Petra wrote the book Strong Product People to help managers of product teams (11:21) The five ingredient coaching method(17:00) Why Petra usually recommends starting coaching with a development plan(19:31) Why weekly time should be carved out for ‘people development’(21:16) How to define a competent PM in your organization and tools to help you(24:06) Petra’s PM Wheel and how she developed it(27:36) Other info product leads will find useful in Petra’s book(30:46) Tips for coaching your team(35:17) How to improve your storytelling(40:56) How to get better at public speaking(44:45) Why it’s important to develop good storytelling and public speaking skills (53:36) The importance of a community of practice for product people(56:14) Why people tend to stick around when they are supported and growing in a community(57:53) What to look for in a community(1:06:48) Lightning round—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

In this enlightening discussion, bestselling authors Teresa Torres and Petra Wille share their expertise on product discovery. Teresa, known for her insights in 'Continuous Discovery Habits,' emphasizes the difference between user research and true product discovery. Petra spotlights the importance of aligning product outcomes with strategic goals. They explore pitfalls to avoid, the significance of strategic context, and how to leverage KPI trees for success. With practical advice and storytelling tips, they reveal how to effectively communicate product vision to leadership.

Season 2 of the ProducTea! Petra is an expert in coaching and wrote one of the most popular books on the topic “Strong Product People” which is a fantastic operative, down-to-earth guide to growing future leaders.Timestamps:0:00 Petra’s Introduction04:40 The issues with conferences09:20 What do people get wrong about Petra?13:30 The time is right to be in Product Management17:40 Academia-led education is losing its importance & Petra’s most valuable source of knowledge20:05 Who are Petra’s favorite product people to help out?22:50 How does anyone in product prepare for this industry today?27:00 Define your realistic Learning Roadmap29:50 People idolize thought leaders, and realism in our day to day34:00 Learnings from Being a public product figure35:40 Personal Development, learning from and with each other39:30 Most of the time we’re just not correct. We live in an “it depends” world43:50 Trends in the industry, where does this all go?Show notesPetra Wille: Strong Product PeopleConnect!Petra’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-wille-b8b1329Send us a textLeah on Linkedin / Twitter / Youtube

Experienced product leader Petra Wille and Arne Kittler discuss coaching dynamics in product leadership, the importance of emotional regulation, navigating difficult conversations, balancing individual agency and environmental impact in product management, and exploring deep thinking for effective team guidance.

Petra Wille, author of 'Strong Product People' and 'Strong Product Communities', discusses the benefits of forming communities of practice for product managers. These communities lead to better teamwork, knowledge sharing, and breaking down of silos. Each community is unique and valuable in its own way. Petra also highlights the challenges of establishing and maintaining these communities.