Coaching

My goal is to help you succeed as a product leader

I act primarily as a trusted partner to support your decisions and development, but I also offer direct “been there, done that” advice and tools when appropriate.

In other words, I try to balance your development as a leader with pragmatic feedback that helps you get sh*t done right now.

How does it work?

Every coaching engagement begins with an initial assessment to identify and agree on your most important product-related priorities.

We then use recurring, one-hour 1:1 sessions to work on those priorities, and new ones that emerge, along with whatever else is on your mind.

Usually, we budget additional time to supplement our recurring sessions with follow-ups (usually via email) between meetings.

Typical engagement

Every client’s needs are different, but here’s of list of common areas of focus:

  • leading and inspiring the product team

  • assessing product manager candidates

  • refining and communicating the business model, often on a one-page “canvas”

  • spotlighting riskiest hypotheses and designing testing plans

  • refining and communicating product vision and strategy

  • product roadmap: reviewing tactical priorities but also the structure of the roadmap itself

  • implementing and improving customer discovery practices

  • refining key product metrics

  • implementing product team objectives (OKRs)

  • improving high-level product planning processes, including collaboration with key stakeholders

  • team design, staffing plan, and job descriptions

  • ad hoc review of key product recommendations and decisions

  • building a learning plan to address your personal gaps or concerns in product knowledge/expertise

  • improving collaboration and interaction with designers and engineers

  • better management of product managers

Structure

  • Coaching is on a monthly retainer basis with a one quarter commitment

  • Size of the monthly retainer is flexible based for your needs and budget, with a minimum size of two one-hour sessions per month

  • Frequency of 1:1 sessions, and amount of time set aside for intra-session follow-ups, vary based on the size of the retainer

  • 1:1 sessions are conducted remotely via your choice of video or voice

  • All retainers include the ability to get in touch with me anytime

Consulting

As a consultant, I act as the primary “doer” versus as a coach

Consulting can be independent of, or as a complement to, coaching engagements. Services include:

  1. Product strategy

  2. Product team assessment

  3. Company OKR strategy and implementation