Feb 3Why Being ‘Diverse’ at the Start of Your Product Career is not all Fun and Games, But You’ll Gain These 7 Valuable Skills Through the Challenges4 years into my product management career, I wondered: “If I were to speak in front of high school students, would I recommend taking a non-traditional path to a career they want to pursue? …Product Management3 min read
Jan 31“How” and “What” questions are a PM’s Secret Weapon to Solving Problems Quickly and EmpatheticallyIf we’ve sent humans to the moon, we can build pretty much any product. Approaching situations with an intention of getting to the ‘how’ and ‘what’ is needed to make it happen will have everyone in the discussion focused on the solution. The opposite is asking ‘why’ questions, to which…1 min read
Jan 29Here’s How I Got from Struggling to Run 400 Metres to Running 50km Ultra-Marathons.In high school, I found running 400 metres difficult. In 2019 I ran my first 50km. It turns out that when you find a deeper purpose to running you can run any distance. Change your mindset, the body will follow. Learn to enjoy the sensation of running When I started running I didn’t have a watch, I…2 min read
Jan 27Analogy, a Tool for Exlaplanation or Breakthrough Innovation? 2 Characteristics that Make the DifferenceIn 1913 Bohr discovered the structure of the atom using an analogy. If you’ve ever been skiing, you’ve benefitted from an analogy innovation. The fact that skis don’t vibrate when you’re moving at a high speed is the result of a technology found in bowed instruments like violins and cellos…2 min read
Jan 24Your Podcast Experience Will Transform in These 4 Ways in the Next YearPodcasts have not kept up with the modern listener. As a podcast-lover and Product Manager, I’m predicting transformations based on how I’d evolve the podcast experience so that I listen twice as much, learn relevant content quickly and make podcasts an even more powerful medium for content creators. Hosts will no longer say ‘tune in next Wednesday’ to listen to their next episode ML algorithms…2 min read
Jan 233 Strategies Product Managers can Transfer from Stock Trading to Optimise Decision-Making and Reduce Product RiskStock traders make profits from exploiting uncertainty with calculated decision-making. The higher the uncertainty, the higher the potential profits. Their strategies are useful for Product Managers to optimise the daily decision-making and reduce risk during product development. (1) Resist committing too early Uncertainty is psychologically uncomfortable. Conversely, it’s comfortable being certain about what will happen…2 min read
Jan 213 Ways to Get People to Criticise Your Product Management Skills and Increase Your ValueGiving constructive feedback is hard because givers risk hurting people’s feelings. It’s scary because if it’s taken personally the giver risks retaliation. It also takes effort and thought. It’s much nicer to give compliments, keep up good vibes and save the energy for more interesting, personal endeavours. …2 min read
Jan 20Why empathy is key for Product Managers to build products users loveEmpathy is understanding that people don’t listen to Spotify because they like Nina Simone, it’s because they want to create a relaxing atmosphere for their guests. It’s a skill that taps into the depths of a human problem, and an essential one for product managers to master. Empathy enables problems to be understood within their context Problems are not…2 min read
Jan 19A simple trick for Product Managers to make the Confusion Matrix a favourite tool for setting clear AI/ML performance objectivesConfusion Matrices are suitable for setting performance metrics for AI/ML models that predict yes or no answers. For example, « will Bob default on his mortgage, yes or no? », « is this a Covid cough, yes or no? …2 min read
Jan 173 ways in which long-distance running taught me to be a brave and curious Product Manager who deliversLong-distance running and building products are both endurance sports. In one you’re managing a distance, in another a technology. Here is the knowledge I applied to Product from running marathons You don’t know until you try it Running a new, longer distance at a new cadence may seem daunting. What if you commit to a distance and…2 min read