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Put me in (product) coach...
As the adoption of the product operating model spreads, more and more organizations realize they may need some help. This week’s resources explore product coaching, who you should (and shouldn’t) look to for help, and when you may not need a coach. To top things off, we include a deep dive into Shopify.
Meanwhile, in product news, folks in Houston took tracking power outages into their own hands. On the AI front, you can now use AI to create new apps and remove music from a video quickly, but concerns about an AI bubble are becoming more prevalent.
What is product coaching and do I need it? Put the term 'Product Coaching' into Google. You'll get a plethora of definitions ranging from people who help you build your first startup to 'trillion dollar coaches' who work with senior leaders at established tech companies. However, as coaching becomes increasingly popular for people working in product, a more clearly defined picture of a product coach has emerged. Robin Zaragoza with The Product Refinery examines this definition of a product coach, what they do, how they add value and what skills and experience they typically bring.
Agile coaching or product coaching. Why are agile coaches so much more common than product coaches when product is supposed to bring home half the bacon? Anna-Liisa Reinson concludes that a lot is being invested in increasing the speed to roll out new features and products, but not nearly as much effort goes into the steering wheel and the breaks — ensuring that the teams are not just moving fast but also in the right direction, making good (data-based) decisions and building only products and features that truly benefit the customers and the business.
When should you NOT work with a coach? There are a few situations when coaching is probably not the best option: when you need to build basic knowledge or skills, when you aren’t willing or able to make time for it when you haven’t committed to the process, and when you’re not sure if you need an agile coach or a product coach. Petra Willie looks at each one.
Deep dive: Behind the product - Shopify. Our own Mike Belsito sat down with Glen Coates, VP of Product at Shopify Core. He leads the development of Shopify’s core commerce platform, including the storefront, checkout, back office, marketing, and analytics tools. In this discussion, Mike and Glen talked about various topics, including what it’s like to ship products at Shopify, what it’s like implementing AI into existing products, and the unique “fresh” perspective for Shopify product teams.
This week on Rocketship.fm: The Art of influencing without authority (and wisdom from ancient Eastern sages). In this episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito talks through the crucial skill of leading without authority with guest Jocelyn Davis, author of The Art of Quiet Influence. Drawing from ancient Eastern wisdom and modern leadership research, Davis offers invaluable insights for product managers and leaders who must guide teams and influence stakeholders without formal power. The episode explores three key themes: participation, power, and progress, providing practical strategies for building genuine engagement, aligning interests, and maintaining momentum in product development.
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If you like what you're reading, go to ProductCollective.com and subscribe. That way, you can get this newsletter in your inbox every Friday before everyone else.
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This Week’s Interview:
What Do The Best Product Coaches Do? (And What DON'T They Actually Do?)
Product Managers have been turning to product to Product Coaches more and more over the last several years. But what do the best Product Coaches actually do? And what don't they do? In this video, Product Collective's Mike Belsito breaks down insights from renowned coaches, JJ Rorie and Ken Norton.
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Unlock AI Secrets to Supercharge Your Product Management Skills at INDUSTRY: The Product Conference!
AI is the hottest topic in tech right now. To say it will be impactful is an understatement, considering how transformative this era-defining marvel is destined to be. So, what are we going to do about it?
An excellent first step is to assess how we can leverage this technology today. We are doing that at this year's INDUSTRY: The Product Conference, which will be held September 23-25 in Cleveland, Ohio.
There, you'll be treated to several sessions delving deep into the topic:
- 4hr Workshop: Mastering the use of Generative AI
- Keynote: Product in the Age of AI
- Keynote: Selling AI Transformation
- Keynote: A.I. & the Future of Product Management
- 1 hr Working Session: AI for Product Managers
And Group Roundtable Discussions to discuss the findings with your peers.
You are running out of time to save on your INDUSTRY ticket! Earlybird pricing ends on August 1st -- so register before then and save $100.
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Let's talk about product coaching
Let's talk about product coaching. Not the "I'll tell you exactly what to do" kind, but the type that helps you unlock your own product superpowers.
I recently stumbled upon an article about football coaching that got me thinking about how we approach mentorship in product. Stick with me here – there are some gems we can steal.
First, great product coaches aren't just instruction manuals in human form. They're more like skilled excavators, helping you dig deep to unearth insights you didn't even know you had. As John Harbaugh said, "We talk about football a little bit. We talk about life more than anything." Replace "football" with "product," and you've got a mantra to start effective product coaching.
Like the best sports coaches, the best product coaches know that technical skills are just table stakes. Sure, they know how to help you refine your roadmapping or level up your prioritization game. But the real magic? That's in developing your product sense, leadership chops, and ability to inspire a team to build the future.
Take this nugget from legendary coach Tom Crean: "There's nobody that can't fake sympathy. You can get really good at it. But you can't fake empathy." That's product coaching gold right there. A great coach doesn't just teach you to go through the motions of user research. They help you genuinely connect with your users' pain points and desires.
Remember, the goal of product coaching isn't to create mini-mes. It's about helping you become that person and become the best version of yourself as a product leader. The best product coaches leave an indelible mark, not by giving you all the answers but by helping you discover your own path.
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No outage app? No problem. When Hurricane Beryl left around 1.8 million utility customers in Houston, Texas, without power, they searched for some way to track what areas had power restored. Frustrated with local utility CenterPoint Energy, which doesn’t offer an app, Houstonians got creative and used the Whataburger app. Talk about fulfilling a job to be done you didn’t foresee.
No code? No problem. Amazon AWS introduced App Studio, a generative AI-powered service that uses natural language to build enterprise-grade applications. The tool allows people without deep software development skills, such as product managers, to create business applications tailored to their organization's needs quickly. Product people can use App Studio to create prototypes to test solution ideas.
No copyright? No problem. Did you “accidentally” add copyrighted music to your video? No worries, YouTube rolled out a new AI feature that detects and removes copyrighted music from your video without ruining the rest. What used to take hours will now take a few minutes. This seems like a pretty helpful use of AI’s capabilities.
No business case? AI might have a problem. Convinced that AI models will become increasingly sophisticated, tech companies have been plowing billions into building AI apps and data centers and sourcing the inordinate amounts of electricity needed to power them. Wall Street is bankrolling the frenzy, but a recent Goldman Sachs report cautioned that the massive AI bets could disappoint if the ultra-pricey tech doesn’t lead to a game-changing use case that won’t get trashed by YouTube reviewers. Don’t look now; there may be an AI bubble.
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The ONLY 3 Questions You EVER Need: Decision Making Made Simple
Wednesday, August 21st @ 01:00 PM EST
We are all plagued by decision fatigue from analysis paralysis, second-guessing, and buyer’s remorse, but there is a better way. Everyone can improve their decision-making speed and confidence by being more outcome-oriented, and I want to make that simple for everyone. By always asking 'Where to?', all choices are framed with the destination in mind.
Leveraging this mindset and two other vital questions, the most valuable and impactful options are chosen more often, and over time, we get closer and closer to our desired outcomes.
From this talk, your team will walk about with an easy-to-implement framework they can deploy anywhere and for any decision.
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