What’s Your Learning Goal? Get Inspired by Your Product Leadership Peers
One of the recurring themes on my blog and in my work is about professional development. I can’t help it—I’m a coach!
I’ve written before about why it’s so important to focus on your own development as a leader. The basic idea is that your impact as a leader is so much larger than when you’re an individual contributor. You don’t just benefit yourself when you work on professional development. You also benefit your team and your company in significant ways. So you’re not being selfish by focusing on yourself. You’re actually doing something that will positively influence many others! (For more on this topic, be sure to check out Chapter 1 of STRONG Product People, “Your Role in This Game.”)
What exactly should you be focusing on? That’s a question that can be difficult to answer. But it didn’t stop me from asking it. Again, I can’t help it—I’m a coach and asking tough questions is a big part of my job!
I realize that it can be hard to know where to focus your efforts, which is why I wanted to share what I’ve been hearing from others who are in your position.
Near the end of last year, I asked my LinkedIn community (which is largely made up of Heads of Product, VPs of Product, and other product leaders) to share what they’d like to learn in 2022. Here’s what they had to say:
I’d like to learn how to build a team from scratch.
I’d like to know what I’m doing well already and which blindspots I could/should discover.
I’d like to learn more about the human skills that are necessary to be a good and strong product leader who spreads positive energy.
I’d like to lead a cross-functional team on the journey of continuous product development.
I’d like to grow from developing great PMs to building a great team of PMs to shaping a company culture so it becomes product-led.
I’d like to identify any product gaps I have and then close them.
I’d like to unlearn the bad stuff I’ve been doing, consciously or unconsciously.
I’d like to be more mindful and present.
I’d like to become a long-term thinker in a short-term world.
I’d like to learn how to work more collaboratively and effectively with my peers and stakeholders.
What a fantastic list of goals people shared!
The themes I found in these learning goals
Looking these over, I see that a few main themes or topics emerge. Here’s one way to group them.
Leadership skills
I’d like to learn how to build a team from scratch.
I’d like to learn more about the human skills that are necessary to be a good and strong product leader who spreads positive energy.
I’d like to grow from developing great PMs to building a great team of PMs to shaping a company culture so it becomes product-led.
Product knowledge/expertise
I’d like to lead a cross-functional team on the journey of continuous product development.
I’d like to identify any product gaps I have and then close them.
Self-awareness
I’d like to know what I’m doing well already and which blindspots I could/should discover.
I’d like to unlearn the bad stuff I’ve been doing, consciously or unconsciously.
I’d like to be more mindful and present.
I’d like to become a long-term thinker in a short-term world.
Collaboration
I’d like to learn how to work more collaboratively and effectively with my peers and stakeholders.
Do any of these specific goals or general topics or themes resonate with you? I’m guessing they do, or perhaps they’re giving you a better idea of ways to narrow in on your own goals for the upcoming months.
Here are some of my recommendations based on what I’m seeing.
Inspiration and Resources for your learning
If you’d like to focus on leadership skills…
A talk to watch: What is your Product Leader Superpower? by Fearless Product Leadership
A book to read: Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
A blog post to check out: Managing and Developing Product Managers by Brandon Chu
Someone to follow: Hope Gurion
If you’d like to focus on product knowledge/expertise…
A talk to watch: From Pandemic to Pingdemic – Building through Uncertainty by Randeep Sidhu
A book to read: STRONG Product People (especially part 4) by me, Petra Wille
A blog post to check out: The Evolution of Modern Product Discovery by Teresa Torres
Someone to follow: John Cutler
If you’d like to focus on self-awareness…
A talk to listen to (well, specifically a podcast in this case): Self Awareness is Product Management with Kelley Amadei
A book to read: Banish Your Inner Critic by Denise Jacobs
A blog post to check out: What is Self-Awareness and Why Should You Care? by Kate Leto
Someone(s) to follow: Kate Leto, Denise Jacobs, and Natalie Nixon
If you’d like to focus on collaboration…
A talk to watch: Clarity in Collaboration by Arne Kittler
A book to read: The Team that Managed Itself: A Story of Leadership by Christina Wodtke
A blog post to check out: Your Team Needs a Comms Manual - Here’s How to Make One by Matt LeMay
Someone to follow: Lisa Mo Wagner
I hope by now you have a much better idea of what you’d like to focus on in the next couple of months as well as some specific resources to check out. And if you’re looking for someone to challenge you by asking the tough questions on a regular basis, maybe you’d like to work with me? Check out all the ways we can work together here.