Manage your time like the best / PM Snacks #55
Manage your time like the best / PM Snacks #55
Learn advanced time management principles thanks to Shreyas, how to become a product centric company, why PMF doesn't exist and more...
1️⃣ Advanced time management principles
Feb 2022 • 10 min read • #manageyourself #mustread
Imagine having the best 1:1 with you manager, who also happens to be talented product expert. In a matter of minutes, he helps you cope with your perpetual source of stress i.e. “lack of time” and help you unlock new superpowers. It’s exactly how it feels to read the gems that Shreyas Doshi shared in this thread. Here are some of my favorites but you should read them all:
1/ You calendar is your to-do list. Plan accordingly: limit meetings by adding scheduled work blocks; at the end of the work-day, plan the next day by adding your tasks in the calendar (= forces prioritizing); at the end of the week, plan the next one (= go onto the week-end with a clear mind)
2/ Categorise your tasks for better prioritization: L (leverage x10), N (neutral x1), O (overhead <1x). Spend time & energy accordingly. Feeling low? Go for task in N or O. In the flow? Go for task in L. Running late? Go for task in L only.
3/ The more your scope grows, the more you should delegate. Radically. Go beyond the Eisenhower matrix. If you are a product leader, everything will be important & urgent. Use this matrix instead, to help your team grow.
2️⃣ Why do so many Product Centricity transformations fail?
Feb 2022 • 12 min read • #leadership #culture
If you are part of a company with product managers but little product centricity / culture, this article could definitely help you diagnose the situation and even solve some of the resulting issues. Pierre shares a simple framework, with deep implications and tons of examples to put his point across. I definitely would have loved to read this article before joining some of my previous companies!
According to him, many transformations fail because the CEO and the product leaders skip the alignment phase. It’s mandatory to align on the current and desired state. Only then can you imagine tactics that fit your context.
3️⃣ Product-Market Fit is a Broken Concept. There’s a Better Way
Sept 2020 • 6 min read • #data
Basically, the author argues that there is no such thing as product-market fit. It’s an invention. A shallow term & notion. This is a refreshing and thought-provoking piece. Let’s deep dive:
1/ The notion is usually defined in a binary way: either you have it or not. There is no spectrum nor a shared definition of how to measure it. But we all know that reality is more nuanced and complex.
2/ Companies completely change their way of working whenever they “feel” they reached it. From small iterations to scaling as fast as possible in a matter of weeks, creating a lot of issues along the way.
3/ In the first days of a startup, marketing is usually focused on brand building and not on building reliable acquisition channel to fuel the search for PMF. Or even better, no one is creating a message-market-fit engine that enables the company to test ideas faster (= produce materials and test it on different customer groups).
4️⃣ How to Stop Fighting: A Guide to Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Aug 2020 • 7 min read • #communication
Better communication is a never ending journey, especially for product people. A skill I still have much to improve on. So lately I’ve taken the time to finally read about nonviolent communication. In this post, you’ll learn why it matters, and how to differentiate needs from strategies in order to find peaceful resolution. If you want to improve and read more, please buy this book. You won’t regret it.
5️⃣ Advertise your hard choices
Feb 2022 • 1 min read • #execution
Nothing more to add, I thought it was a very good reminder 👇
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A warm welcome to the 12 new subscribers, we are now 1921 readers strong!
Thank you for reading me.
Have a great week!
Olivier Courtois
10y+ in product, co-founder of 🥕 uku.wtf, coach & advisor
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