This episode features an interview with Ben Ellison, Sr. Director of Product at Sam’s Club.In this episode, Ben helps us understand how he and his team are leaning into technology to create better products, shares different use cases for prioritization frameworks, and what it has looked like integrating tools and teams to enhance the Sam’s Club customer experience.Key TakeawaysKyle:Exploring the genesis of innovative products leads to solutions: Our customer problems can help us come up with an innovative solution to those problems.Overcoming the fox holes and fires happens when we utilize a good framework: Having an effective framework in place helps drive clarity through the challenge of getting things done even if we run into fox holes and fires in the process. It’s PMing 101.Lukasz: Working on and rolling out tech that works well is exciting: How many times does technology get put somewhere and is never used? All the time! Which is why it’s exciting and important to have technology that’s operational and helps a broad market.Being challenged as a PM makes our job amazing: When you learn to persevere and overcome challenges as a PM, it makes the job much more enjoyable and exciting to be able to work on such projects.Iterating can help address product problems: When onboarding new technologies, making progress happens through making iterations to our products and observing them in action.Segment Timestamps: *(00:41) - Never Have I Ever*(06:46) - Innovation, Therapy & Other Wild Tales*(18:05) - PM Power Move*(24:46) - Ship it or Skip it*(29:14) - Host TakeawaysLinks:Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich on LinkedInConnect with Ben EllisonLearn more about Sam’s ClubLearn more about Zuora  >> Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich >> Learn more about Zuora

This episode features an interview with Eugene Song, VP of Product Management at BrainPOP.In this episode, Eugene reminds us that we have to put in the hours to be good at something new, shares what he believes to be the most valuable trait of a PM, and what it was like working in edtech during a time where teachers and parents relied fully on digital learning resources. Eugene also talks about BrainPOPs secret sauce and how to evaluate the intangible spirit of a product.Key TakeawaysKyle: Invent with instinct, validate with data: Learn to trust the right instincts, check yourself, get feedback, and complete that process over and over.There are horizontal and vertical career moments as a PM: As you progress through your career, your perspective changes and there’s a wider and less vertical breadth in what you do.Remember what made your product great in the first place: Make sure all of your products align with your north star, and hand over that journey to the customer.Lukasz: Leap in and learn quickly: Look for new experiences and go into them with an open mind and be persistent. Continue to focus on the value and outcomes of your products.Great tech gets out of the way: Useful tech speaks for itself and allows for wonderful things.Segment Timestamps: *(00:42) - Never Have I Ever*(10:47) - Innovation, Therapy & Other Wild Tales*(26:12) - PM Power Move*(32:33) - Ship it or Skip it*(37:01) - Host TakeawaysLinks:Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich on LinkedInConnect with Eugene SongLearn more about BrainPOPLearn more about Zuora  >> Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich >> Learn more about Zuora

This episode features an interview with Krishan Gupta, currently a Product Manager at Google where he leads Software for Nest Thermostats.In this episode, Krishan shares his key tips for shipping hardware in an uncertain environment, the importance of knowing your individual personas and what they need, and how understanding your north star metrics sets your team up for long-term success. Krishan also shares with us his ideas for how LLMs are reshaping AI products and the specific elements product managers should be aware of when working with AI.Key Takeaways:During uncertain times, like a pandemic or other disruptions in the supply chain, you have to make decisions with imperfect information. Waiting for more data is not always the best decision.When you’re shipping hardware, planning, research and building well in advance is essential to the process. Second, is ruthless simplicity that has to be defended against thousands of possible features that could be included. And the last thing is making sure the quality bar is high.North Star metrics allows your team a point of focus for better understanding your products at any given time as well as what gets to stay versus what is thrown out.Segment Timestamps:*(01:08) - Never Have I Ever*(15:22) - Innovation, Therapy & Other Wild Tales*(26:26) - PM Power Moves*(31:58) - Ship It or Skip ItLinks:Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich on LinkedInConnect with Krishan GuptaLearn more about GoogleLearn more about ZuoraSponsor: This podcast is brought to you by Zuora. Zuora helps you monetize your services, unify revenue streams, bill with agility, and centralize your payment operations. Zuora powers recurring revenue at Bloomberg, Box, Toyota, Go-Pro and so many others. Managing subscriptions is hard, and Zuora can help.  Learn more at Zuora.com.   >> Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich >> Learn more about Zuora

This episode features an interview with Akhil Keshap, Sr. Product Manager at eBay.In this episode, Akhil shares his personal story of coming to the US and its challenges, his unique perspective on what innovation means and looks like, how he and his team approach breaking through analysis paralysis and so much more. Key Takeaways:True innovation is continuing to make incremental changes to your existing core products. If you wait for the perfect solution, it will never come, so you have to build a solution that fits.Thinking from an outcome perspective puts your customers in the driver's seat and allows you to see your products through a whole new lens.As a PM, you wear multiple hats all the time and you’re not the only one with the ideas. You have to be adaptable and willing to collaborate with your team and partners.Segment Timestamps:*(01:37) - Never Have I Ever*(19:25) - Innovation, Therapy & Other Wild Tales*(30:26) - PM Power Moves*(39:10) - Ship It or Skip ItLinks:Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich on LinkedInConnect with Akhil Keshap on LinkedInLearn more about eBayLearn more about ZuoraSponsor: This podcast is brought to you by Zuora. Zuora helps you monetize your services, unify revenue streams, bill with agility, and centralize your payment operations. Zuora powers recurring revenue at Bloomberg, Box, Toyota, Go-Pro and so many others. Managing subscriptions is hard, and Zuora can help.  Learn more at Zuora.com.   >> Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich >> Learn more about Zuora

Welcome to "Can I Speak to Your (Product) Manager?" the go-to podcast for product leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve in today’s fast paced business landscape.  Join us as we explore the latest trends, best practices and challenges facing product managers today. From ideation to launch, we’ll cover everything you need to know to build successful products and teams. But this podcast isn’t just about learning - it’s also about building a community of product managers who can share their successes, failures, and maybe even a few hilarious stories.So grab a cup of coffee, sit back and get ready to learn from your peers and build meaningful connections on, "Can I Speak to Your Product Manager?". Brought to you by Zuora.  >> Connect with Lukasz Weber & Kyle Kolich >> Learn more about Zuora