Whether they're students in college or seasoned colleagues in other fields, I get asked this question all the time: "How do I become a Product Manager?". I'm not sure there's one clear path, so I decided it might be useful to ask a bunch of product managers how THEY got into it. What are the qualities you need to be a good PM? What are the perceptions vs. the reality of working in product? Stories and advice from real product managers.
This episode is with Hannah Eickmeier. She is a Product Experience Advisor at Xero and has lots of experience as a Product Owner. She and I connected in the Product Hive Slack group. Product Hive is a Product and Design group that started in Utah, but has begun to collect humans from all over the globe. Hannah is originally from UK and is now working in New Zealand. And trust me… I asked for tips on how to get a job in New Zealand. Who doesn’t want to live in New Zealand?
Hannah is one of those multi talented humans who does lots of different things. She’s just started a podcast with her sister, she has a line of greeting cards coming out in December and most importantly for us, she’s recently written a series of blog posts on LinkedIn about Strategy (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategy-101-core-compentencies-hannah-eickmeier/). Strategy is one of those essential skills that I think Product Managers are expected to have and really NEED to have to be successful, but that I don’t hear discussed enough. And lucky for you, it's something that you can learn about and incorporate into your life without a product job. Identify where you want to go and ensure that everything you’re doing is aligned to that goal.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategy-101-core-compentencies-hannah-eickmeier/
19 Oct 2020
Jon Jensen
This episode is with Jon Jensen 2.0. He is the Director of Product, Private Markets at Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. You’re probably wondering why the “2.0”? Well, that’s because there was a Jon Jensen already working at Instructure when he arrived and we had to come up with some way to differentiate them.
Jon and I worked at Instructure at the same time, but didn’t get the opportunity to work together. He worked on a different product for a different product market. So we worked in the same building and talked gardening and canning lots, but weren’t doing any producting around each other. I’ve always enjoyed chatting with Jon and this conversation was no exception. Jon has some great advice for how get into Product. He also shares valuable experiences and things he’s learned on his journey though product. I’m especially fond of his emphasis on working with other departments in the company. It’s such an important piece that we haven’t really touched on yet in this podcast, so I’m super glad he brought it up.
As a special treat, you also get to hear from my good friend Jiminy Cricket. Mr. Cricket sang a song through most of this episode. The weather is starting to shift and the daylight is leaving us, so I don’t know how many more outdoor socially distant recordings I’ll be able to do… so Jiminy won’t have a ton more opportunities to sing for you, but I assure you that he will show up again in a few weeks.
12 Oct 2020
Kat Markava
This episode is with Kat Markava. She is the head of Product at Watsco Ventures, is originally from Belarus (how cool is that?) and currently lives in Miami.
She has a really interesting journey into Product and has some really great advice for you guys. Kat and I had a blast talking shop. We talked for hours and I’m so excited to have made a new friend. Kat has a great way of framing things and her analogy of how product is kind of like casting spells blew my mind. It’s awesome and I looooove thinking about what I do that way now. If every conversation I get to have for this podcast is this much fun, then I’m going to do a million episodes.
5 Oct 2020
McCall Smith
McCall Smith is a Senior Product Manager at Jane.com. In this episode, she tell us the story of how she went from a subject matter expert to product manager.
McCall and I worked together at Instructure where I got to learn from her honesty and fearlessness in the face of awkward moments. When she came to interview with us, I knew we should hire her within minutes of meeting her. She's a straight shooter and completely authentic human. Qualities that I find valuable in a Product Manager.
Notes on Sound Quality:
This is the best sound quality yet. We recorded in my back yard (socially distanced of course), with real microphones and everything. It's getting better! Thanks to my buddy, Travis Pierce, for helping me learn how to make all this sound equipment work.
28 Sept 2020
Shaun Moon
Shaun Moon is the VP of Product, Canvas at Instructure. He is a very creative thinker and my favorite part of this episode is his suggestion for how anyone can gather product management experience.
Shaun has the respect of many a product manager who's worked with him. I worked at the same company as he did for a few months, but didn't get the opportunity to work on any projects with him. Despite that lost opportunity, every time I get to chat with him he demonstrates his unique, thoughtful and creative perspective on the world.
Stay tuned till the end for a dramatic reading of "McSweeny's Internet Tendency, Short Imagined Monologues, I'm Comic Sans, A$$hole", ready by Mr. Shaun Moon.
Notes on Sound Quality:
Shaun didn't have a cool kid podcast mic and we were were doing this over the interwebs. His part of the conversation can be a little hard to hear from time to time, but he has some great advice, so it's worth it. If you're a Judgey McJudegerton audiophile, please leave your judgements at the door.
21 Sept 2020
Matt Goodwin
This first episode is with my pal, Matt Goodwin. He was a great sport, bearing with me as we tried to figure out how to get all the mics and recording to work while in two different places. Unfortunately, there is some intermittent echoing that we couldn't hear as we recorded, and it shows up in the podcast from time to time. But don't let that deter you. Matt has some great insights and you get to hear us giggle AND if you give it a listen, you'll get to hear what an "itchy brain" is!
Matt's Podcast: the tl;dr by canvas lms
29 Aug 2020
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The “How to get into Product Management” Podcast is coming soon. Listen to this quick trailer to hear what it's all about.
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