How To Succeed In Product Management | Jeffrey Shulman, Red Russak & Soumeya Benghanem

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board member Soumeya Benghanem welcome Mandy Bhullar (Lululemon) and Ada Lopez (Lenovo) to talk about bringing an inclusive lens on product design. When designing a product, inclusivity should be taken into consideration at the very beginning - when looking at data and conducting research, when planning and structuring, and when finding a diverse team to work on the product.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:41 Diversifying inclusive product design  11:02 What inclusive product design? 16:09 The curiosity and investigating the ways in which diverse users might experience technologies differently  18:43 Inclusive thinking is everyone’s responsibility 19:51 There’s always opportunities to add inclusion  21:21 A lot of the technological advances were designed with inclusion 22:41 Think who is not benefiting from a product and build for them 28:00 Data research tools: survey, screener, and asking the right questions 31:21 Having a diverse team helps in designing inclusively 35:10 Adaptive gaming controllers are fun inclusive designs 39:20 Build awareness around who to include or exclude 45:18 Collect different inclusive information in repository for future reference 47:35 Constantly search within the context of your product 50:35 “Develop products with inclusive design and accessibility from the beginning.” - Ada Lopez 51:07 “Be intentional about making inclusive decisions.” - Mandy Bhullar  54:07 “Inclusion is a different way of going about product design.” -  Soumeya Benghanem

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Chris Chestnutt (Nike), Malaika Paquiot (Avalanche Insights), Raul Salcedo (Fluent Inc.), Andrew Nguyen (Bark), Pooja Tripathi (Salesforce), Gordon Ruby (Technical Safety BC), and Sandy Huang (Amazon) to talk about the lessons learned in the past year as they continue to give back to the community and share their knowledge and expertise to anyone and everyone who needs them.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 02:58 What have you learned this past year as PM? 07:23 Build relationships is not something we can rush 10:56 Don’t let naysayers throw you off track 15:57 What can you do to help the community grow? 23:57 Connect and get involved in the community 30:33 Flexibility as an employee, manager, or boss 35:22 Practice time boxing 42:00 Always ask a clarifying question 44:18 Concepts of truth and assumption are irrelevant at any given moment 48:42 What are you most proud of?   

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Mark Cramer, Abhishek Bhardwaj (PayPal), Sangeeta Kulkarni (Compass) to discuss time management. Throughout a PM’s work journey, time is essential and one of the most valuable assets that is difficult to manipulate or control. But with the right tools and frameworks paired with experience and expertise in the field, time can be managed and allocated effectively.     Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 05:33 Let’s talk about time management 09:21 New PMs often face time management challenges 17:48 Tools and frameworks that help manage time 32:22 How do you find an MVP? 34:42 Finding balance between what needs to be solved and how to solve it 40:03 Use frameworks as loose suggestions to accomplish something 44:09 What happened to our commute time? 46:50 Always do the most difficult task first 50:56 Taking breaks in between meetings 56:03 Trick your brain that there’s a big reward 

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Arvind Dutta (Microsoft) to talk about roadmaps and prioritization. A roadmap isn’t simply a to-do list that anyone can change or check off. It is a consolidated plan and execution that helps the product team prioritize and progress through the product development more organized and productive.    Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 03:05 Why roadmapping and prioritization are important 06:23 Who owns the roadmap? 09:11 Avoid turning the roadmap into a to-do list 16:39 Know the audience the roadmap is aimed at 24:09 Question-based approach roadmap 33:14 The product team should make the roadmap work for them 39:43 Other tools effective in implementing a roadmap 42:41 Providing updates to the upper management 48:39 Where the real value lies 51:02 The ability to prioritize and drive clarity through roadmap   

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Ronke Majekodunmi (PayPal) to talk about finding your leadership voice. When you have a voice powerful enough to be a catalyst of change, then you are on your way to becoming an effective leader. Your leadership voice, when used correctly, will greatly benefit your organization and the people you work with.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:52 Why do you need a leadership voice? 08:53 You use your leadership voice to make a difference 16:35 How do you find your leadership ears? 21:38 Four things to focus on when talking about communication 28:14 It’s easier for engineers to transition into a PM role 31:39 Give as much time as possible in mentoring new PMs 34:51 How to settle in a new role/organization 38:18 Always try to build something 46:02 Follow the social accounts of the top people in the organizations 50:53 Get exposed and reach out to the right hiring people 53:43 Don’t let fear hold you back  56:20 Don’t hesitate to use your leadership voice 

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Clarissa Silva (C Silva Solutions LLC), Michele Heyward (PositiveHire), and Jedidiah Jonathan (Amazon) to talk about hiring product managers. The first thing most hiring managers do during the hiring process is to look for skills that match the job description and what the applicant can bring into the company. But, it’s also important to ensure that diversity and inclusion is always taken into consideration.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:38 When it’s time to hire, train, and delegate to other PMs 02:57 Myth: All hiring processes are the same 07:45 The landscape of what it looks like for executive recruiting 12:37 What’s the best approach to gaining the best talents? 16:45 Offer expertise to bigger organizations to build partnerships 23:48 Dos and Don’ts for a PM hiring another PM 29:05 Always keep communication clear 31:20 Understand the minimum skills required for the job   34:45 A diverse interview panel is important 37:43 Flexibility between structured interview and human connection during interviews 39:42 Universalizing the outcomes of the methodology in the interview 43:25 Start asking good PMs and map those skills down 47:44 Inclusivity in companies require more creative approach

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board member Soumeya Benghanem welcome Ron Berman (Marketing Professor at Wharton) to talk about experimentation. Since data is one of the most valuable components to all product development, is it right to say that AB testing is the ultimate go-to experiment method? Or will it depend on the availability of samples and the number of experiments your team is willing to test? Tune in to find out!   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 05:06 Is AB Testing the best experimentation process? 08:48 Run the test, design two versions, check the conversion rate 12:38 If you change something very small, the effect is not very large 22:34 We need to think of good things to experiment with 30:34 When the result is indisputable and when it becomes inconclusive 34:50 Running multiple versions of an experiment 42:02 Conducting a test with very small samples 46:21 AB test is just one method of quantitative experimentation 56:34 Let data drive in making critical decisions 

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem  welcome Sagar Kulkarni (Microsoft) to talk about creating a customer centric vision within any organization. Whether there is misalignment in vision between teams within the same organization or working in opposing workflows, what matters the most is that the product vision aligns with the customer needs.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:29 Creating a customer centric vision 06:59 What does vision stand for in product management? 11:43 The core of user-centered visions 18:02 Customer feedback is a big indicator of your success 22:54 Focus on vision around strategic prioritization 32:07 The mindset you should have to meet customer requirements 41:50 Bridging through misaligned vision but completely aligned with customer needs 49:15 Is it possible to keep the same domain and break into product management? 50:26 Customer centricity is sometimes taken for granted

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board member Red Russak welcome Kelcey Joyce (Bright Health) to talk about PMs having an MBA. Is it a necessary credential for all aspiring and existing PMs? Will it matter if you have one? Listen in to find out if pursuing advanced education is a must!    Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 00:57 Do I need an MBA? 08:26 People with technical background may not need an MBA   10:01 How does having an MBA help? 12:39 Diversity for people pursuing an MBA 15:05 Juggling priorities between work and pursuing advanced education 19:27 Understand what other players are within your industry 25:29 Moving things through in a heavily regulated industry 31:00 What is the role of a product manager? 36:51 Help customers find the products that will solve their problems 41:54 It’s about presenting the product and giving value to it 47:23 Find a good resume matching tool 51:39 An MBA can help accelerate your career shift, but not a requirement 53:02 It depends on your end goal

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Diego Granados (Microsoft), Welly Lee (Microsoft), and Shyvee Shi (LinkedIn) to talk about the value of transferable skills and experiences. It’s never about building from scratch, it’s all about the journey that helps build your skills as a PM and the experiences you can bring with you wherever you go and whenever you work on a new product.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:35 Some PMs aren’t aware of the multitude of experiences and skills necessary in other roles 13:15 The most valuable transferable experiences or job roles 19:27 Create a compelling argument why an undervalued area can work 23:52 What aspiring PMs should have: transferable skills & complete understanding of product management 27:21 Product management is about managing risks 32:41 The PM role is a practice of balancing tension 35:16 You cannot be a good product manager if you don't like people 44:51 Resources to look into to learn product management 48:49 Start by doing the baseline, understand the gaps, then create a plan 52:49 At the beginning, you have to be good at execution 57:51 PMs a lot of time wear multiple hats 58:47 Important career pivoters 01:00:34 No single recipe is going to work for everyone 01:02:49 It’s the journey to learn new things