How to Encourage Your Team to Take More Risks

Taking risks is an inherent part of product leadership. But what happens when your team members have a hard time doing so, at least to the extent that you need them to? Here are a few things you can do to help them master this important skill.

The Right Way to Ask For Additional Resources

Did you ever find yourself struggling to explain to your manager why you need more people? You know you can’t continue this way, but while they sympathize with your struggle, they are not willing to give you what you ask for. The good news is that there is another, much more effective way to ask for additional resources, and here it is.

Finding Your Sweet Spot When Managing Product Managers

A good manager balances being involved in the details and giving their people more freedom. This is often easier said than done though. As a product leader, is this a skill you already master?

3 Blind Spots in Your Product Leader Interviews (Company Side)

Hiring a product leader is never easy. You are looking for a partner to join your team and take a significant leadership role. In most cases, you have never been in this position yourself before, so interviewing could be a challenge. Here are a few things to consider when you seek your next product leader.

3 Blind Spots in Your Product Leader Interviews (Candidate Side)

Finding your next job as a product leader is not necessarily easy. This is especially true if you are interviewing as a product leader for the first time, even if you had done the job before. Here are a few things that if you pay attention to would make it much easier for you to get your dream job.

You Can’t Take Everything Upon Yourself

As product leaders, our success depends on others. We are so used to helping people and making sure the company gets what it needs, that we sometimes take it too far. Where is the line that you shouldn’t cross? Here are three examples of things you shouldn’t do.

Empowerment Is Not the Opposite of Management

In the effort to create empowered teams, many managers struggle with their role in the process. It is easy to think that an empowered team requires less guidance, but it’s far from the truth. It requires a different kind of guidance, but your management and leadership are still required nonetheless. Here is the right kind of guidance to bring to the table.

Management Routines That Work for You

Part of your role as a product leader is pure management: management of the execution, and of the people who report to you. It can be quite challenging, both because it is objectively complex and because of time management. In order to succeed, make sure to create the management routines that would help you. Here’s how.

Two Pitfalls of Great Managers

Great managers empower their people. They give them the freedom and their full trust to simply show their greatness and shine. But there is a thin line between empowerment and too much freedom. Too much freedom doesn’t work for them as much as it wouldn’t for you, even if you are not willing to admit it. Here is what you need to be aware of if you want to keep being a great manager, not just in your head.

How Product-Market Fit Really Works (Part 1)

If you are on the journey toward product-market fit, you know it’s not easy. Part of it is because it’s really hard. Every new product has its own fit to find. But it gets easier when you understand what this journey should look like, and how to navigate it all the way through. Here is a quick guide to help you understand what to expect.

What Your Customers Won’t Tell You

Product managers need to talk to customers. It’s not always easy, and they don’t always tell us what we want to hear. But if we listen carefully, we can learn much more than what they actually say. Here is what my boss once taught me about how to really listen to our customers.

Insight From Marty Cagan’s Coach the Coaches Workshop (Part 2)

In part two of this summary, I am moving to talk about strategy and leadership insights. As these are topics close to my heart, I had a lot to say – so here are my thoughts backed by SVPG’s insights on these topics.