Just like that, another year has wrapped up! I’ve had the pleasure of talking to so many amazing product people this past year. The podcast remains a huge source of inspiration for me in many ways. I even wrote an entire keynote presentation about the lessons I’ve learned from chatting with product leaders and influencers (you can read it here). I’m lucky to have met and talked to some of the wonderful minds behind some of our most beloved products. Each episode has been special in its own way, but here are five of my favorites.
No. 1. Episode 61: Benjamin Earl Evans
Benjamin Earl Evans, inclusive design lead at Airbnb, was an absolute joy to talk to. No doubt, this was one of my favorite episodes this year. Benjamin dove deep into the true meaning of inclusive design and how we can begin to tackle our own biases. This episode is great for many reasons — Benjamin is hilarious, eloquent, and his passion for inclusivity is so contagious. Listen to this for ways to add inclusive design into your product, and to become an even better product manager.
No. 2. Episode 69: Tatyana Mamut
Tatyana Mamut, head of product at Nextdoor, talks about customer-centricity and how product teams should always promise to do no harm. Customer-centricity should come naturally to product managers — it’s a fact that PMs can’t succeed without their customers. But Tatyana challenges us on how we really promote customer-centricity. You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? She shares the numerous ways that customer-centricity is embedded in Nextdoor’s culture and business model.
No. 3. Episode 43: Dheerja Kaur
Dheerja Kaur, head of product at theSkimm, talks about the way she evangelizes product management within her own organization. In this episode, she talks about how she gives her product teams opportunities to do spotlight presentations within the company. This allows them to build credibility internally and forces them to master the context of what they’re building. This is a great episode for those who need more strategic advice for making their organizations more product-led.
No. 4. Episode 53: Supriya Uchil
Supriya Uchil is the CEO of AccelerateProduct. Previously, she was responsible for BookingGo’s impressive digital transformation. In this episode, Supriya explores two frameworks that have guided her in her product career and personal life. She talks about premortems and pretotyping — two lessons that allow product manager to improve risk mitigation (and their confidence). She also talks about how she’s helped her product team build credibility within the organization. This is a must-listen for product managers who want to improve their experimentation methods.
No. 5. Episode 55: Jeetu Patel
Jeetu Patel, CPO of Box, offers a more business-oriented perspective into product management. He’s had experience in almost every business area you can think of, so this episode is jam-packed with great anecdotes and tips. When it comes to building teams, Jeetu shares how Box builds product teams to be small and focused. When it comes to building products that people will love, he talks about the importance of keeping it simple to avoid debt. Check out this episode if you want to learn how to scale successfully while also being resourceful.
We hope you enjoyed listening to Product Love this year, and look forward to sharing more thoughtful conversations with product leaders in 2020.
