Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Annie Pearl, Chief Product Officer at Calendly and former CPO at Glassdoor, discusses her journey in product management and the evolution of Calendly's strategy. She shares insights on transitioning from product-led growth to incorporating a sales team and the importance of strategic hiring. Annie emphasizes mentorship, networking, and practical experience as key to breaking into product roles. She also explores building collaboration between product and sales teams, fostering a user-centric culture, and the challenges in establishing effective Associate Product Manager programs.

Upasna Gautam, a product manager at CNN Digital and meditation coach, takes listeners behind the scenes of CNN's product development. She discusses the intricate balance between building new features and maintaining systems, especially amid high-pressure events like elections. Upasna highlights the importance of mindfulness and effective communication in product management and shares how meditation practices can enhance team dynamics. Listeners also hear about the challenges faced in the fast-paced world of journalism and insights on fostering collaboration between editorial and product teams.

Patrick Campbell, the founder and CEO of ProfitWell, shares his journey of bootstrapping a $200 million business. He emphasizes the importance of aligning team values, effective pricing strategies, and customer retention. Campbell discusses the critical role of customer research in driving growth and offers practical advice for scaling SaaS companies without losing sight of their core values. He also highlights the need for face-to-face interactions to better understand customer needs, along with the significance of navigating cultural assessments in hiring.

Christine Itwaru, Principal Strategist at Pendo, shares her insights from over 12 years in product management. She sheds light on the growing field of product operations, discussing its vital role in enhancing collaboration and efficiency. Learn what makes a great fit for product ops and the red flags to watch for. Christine emphasizes the importance of community and transparency, and explores how product ops can automate routine tasks and facilitate strategic initiatives, ultimately shaping the future of product development.

Lauryn Isford, a product growth leader with experience at Airtable and Facebook, shares her expertise in optimizing onboarding flows. She reveals how a revamped onboarding process boosted Airtable's activation rate by 20%. Discussion includes the importance of North Star metrics, the transformative effects of personalized user experiences, and innovative concepts like reverse trials. Lauryn emphasizes balancing user experience with metric analysis, and how focusing on user growth can drive long-term engagement and strategic decision-making.

Keith Yandell, a seasoned leader from DoorDash with a rich background in legal and HR, shares his insights on leading with empathy. He discusses the WeDash program, which encourages employees to deliver food to better understand customers. The conversation delves into the significance of transparency in leadership and effective one-on-one meetings for career development. Yandell emphasizes the power of empathy in decision-making, especially when balancing profitability and growth, and offers valuable advice for founders on team dynamics and resource allocation.

Marily Nika, an AI Product Leader at Meta and previous Google expert, dives into the evolving landscape of AI in product management. She emphasizes the future necessity for Product Managers to embrace AI tools and coding skills. Marily shares insights on navigating AI's rapid advancements and its impact on product strategies. The conversation touches on the importance of collaboration with data scientists and the challenges AI product managers face. She also highlights the benefits of her AI Product Management course and suggests essential resources for aspiring PMs.

Eeke de Milliano, Head of Product at Retool and former product lead at Stripe, shares her expertise on fostering innovation in tech teams. She discusses the importance of a culture of writing and structured brainstorming for cultivating creativity. Eeke dives into tactics for managing product resources and the balance between flexibility and structure in product launches. Her framework prioritizes core products and big bets, leading to the successful launch of multiple products at Retool. Get ready to rethink how your team approaches innovation!

Zoelle Egner, Head of Marketing and Growth at Block Party and former marketing lead at Airtable, shares insights from her remarkable journey in tech startups. She discusses Airtable’s inventive marketing strategies that helped them grow and connect with super-users. Zoelle elaborates on the importance of community engagement during the Vaccinate CA initiative and how unconventional advertising can enhance credibility. Tune in for valuable tips on customer feedback and the power of templates in driving user engagement!

Vijay Iyengar, Head of Product at Mixpanel and former engineer at Amazon and Uber, shares valuable insights into product strategy and user experience. He discusses Mixpanel's evolution from rapid feature development to a more thoughtful approach focusing on design. Vijay highlights the importance of direct customer feedback and has tips on using internal tools for better engagement. He also shares his favorite SaaS products and books, wrapping up with recommendations for enhancing product strategy and planning.