Leading

Dueling Goals

There are always competing demands on PMs. We expect PMs to prioritize. It's their job. But many CPOs don't bother to discuss the prioritization algorithm with their PMs.

Pull Planning

When we assign work, the leader who made the plan is the one who owns the plan. Everyone else is just 'helping', but not responsible for the whole. How can we get better engagement?

Coaching PMs for Growth

Unlock intrinsic motivation by asking PMs to create development plans that drive their own career goals.

Soft Promotion

What to do if you can't give promotions or hire senior leaders, but you need more leadership capacity

One Roadmap

When there are many different product roadmaps, scattered across many decks, and nobody is sure which one to trust, this one trick will help.

Roadmap Sync

The roadmap is a mess. It's full of a mix of solid plans, understaffed boondoggles, and wild fantasy. What if we could talk honestly about the real state of things?

Product Lines

If your product org is overly flat and communication is breaking down, grouping teams into product lines can help.

Do you want to be here?

Dealing with performance problems is the least enjoyable part of product leadership. Shifting from a parent-child approach to an adult-adult approach can change how this feels for everyone.

Product Area Roadmap Template

The dreaded 'roadmap' - a word that could mean 'commitment', or 'forecast', or something else. For bigger product teams, a standardized approach can reduce the cognitive burden for stakeholders and make it easier to have frank discussions about the outcomes that matter.

Multi-Track Storytelling

Business communication operates in multiple tracks at the same time, with different concerns. Help your PMs develop additional storylines beyond the daily 'getting stuff done' story.

Loose Goals

I would love to have SMART goals all the time, but sometimes executives resist being specific. Sometimes it's more valuable to keep options open...

3 Quarterly Rocks

Your team needs focus, but the larger organization struggles with setting measurable goals. Instead of OKRs, find your 'big rocks'

Oxygen Mask

Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Before you take action or applying other plays, ask yourself, "Am I asphyxiating? Am I being buried alive? Am I suffering self-induced overload?"

Intentional Calendar Design

Outlook and Google calendar have one goal: To fill every hour of your day with meetings. Is that the best way for you to be productive?

No-Agenda PM weekly

Book an hour on Thursday or Friday for the team to meet. Don't have an agenda, don't try to lead the discussion, and don't collect action items. Simply talk informally about whatever comes up, like a Quaker meeting.

Office Hours

Most product leaders have packed calendars, and this can mean it's hard to find time for quick, spontaneous conversations. Book set times each week when PMs know they can always find you.

Short Videos

Does your team ignore written messages? Get in the habit of making quick videos, not more than 7 minutes.

Change Experiments

You want to roll out a change, but that change involves other humans who have other things in mind.