How to Make Time for Real Product Work

Product management is such a busy job. The hectic day-to-day in itself contains more work than one can do, but we all know that real product work requires much more than that. How can you make time to get to the important things? Here is a quick guide.

How I Invented the Google Assistant

Coming up with the next big thing is hard. Or is it? Where do big creative ideas come from, and how important is this skill for product leaders? Some takeaways for you from a product interview I had at Google many years ago.

If You Love Your Decisions Let Them Go

There are times when you just know that your decisions are right. The data says so, the experts say so, but your colleagues or stakeholders disagree. Sometimes, the best way to get them to accept your decision is to give it up altogether. Here’s how it works.

How to Onboard a New Product Manager

Onboarding new product managers is not a trivial task. They need to learn many different things, but more importantly – they typically take ownership of an area that was owned by someone else before. Here is a three-phase method to make it a smooth transition.

How Fast Is Fast Enough? Understanding Speed in Startups

Everyone knows startups need to move fast. It is often part of their advantage against larger and more traditional companies. But what does moving fast really mean, and why is it that important anyway? To answer this question we need to break speed down to its various meanings and treat each differently, as well as holistically where they all converge. Here is the detailed breakdown as well as tips to increase each type of speed.

Measuring Product-Market Fit: The Full Mixpanel Interview

Can product-market fit be measured? And if so, how? What are the most important things to keep an eye on during your journey towards the holy grail of startups? Here are the answers that I gave Mixpanel to their questions about this super-important topic.

Black Box vs. White Box Product Leadership

There is an inherent conflict between the product leader and the CEO, which can often be summarized into one question: who has the final say. To start resolving it, remember that it is not a zero-sum game. Here are two leadership styles that define the spectrum, and a guide that will help you find your sweet spot between them.

3 Things Missing From Your Product Requirements

Product requirements are there to help the team understand what you want to build. Whether you write them in detailed documents or share them briefly and verbally with the team, it’s easy to go directly to the bottom line and give clear instructions. However, there are many more important things to include if you want the team to succeed. Here are three things that if you include in your product requirements would make your life easier and help your developers deliver on what you really intended, not on what you told them to build.

How To Manage People Who Are More Experienced Than You Are

Product management requires so many diverse skills that most likely your people are more experienced than you at least in some of them. When these skills are core to what your team needs to achieve, it can become confusing. If the people reporting to you know better how to do their job, what is your role as a manager? Don’t worry, you are still needed. Here’s why and how.

Your Problem Isn’t the Leaky Bucket, It’s the Clogged Pipe

The leaky bucket is a known metaphor in sales. If your funnel isn’t converting well, there is no point in adding more leads into it, since they will not convert and there is no gain here. But the truth is, that not only will it not result in a positive impact, it can also actually cause you harm. To understand why, we need to switch to another water-related metaphor: the clogged pipe.

The Four Components of Product Success

Strategic product thinking is hard. Especially when done as an afterthought – when the product is already in the market – it is nearly impossible to rise above specific features and metrics. Here is a framework that will help you do just that.

Are You a Real Problem Solver?

Problem-solving is one of the core characteristics of product managers. But the ability to solve customer problems does not always translate into the ability to solve problems for your own company. It is a slightly different skill to master, but very important for your ability to succeed.