1:42 - Meet Jeff and his big question for product managers: "How can we ensure we have the right understanding from our leaders?"

4:30 - Ryan emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes over outputs to clarify product manager responsibilities.

7:35 - Todd jokes about where their "outputs over outcomes" tattoo should go.

9:20 - Ryan urges product managers to seek clarity when they don’t understand the "why" behind a request.

10:30 - Todd shares a story from his LA Times days on asking for clarification from his boss.

15:12 - The group discusses how product managers can overcomplicate unclear requests.

16:00 - Joe suggests playing the "New Guy" card when in doubt.

19:00 - The team highlights that asking questions is a strength for a product manager, not a weakness.

23:35 - Ryan poses the question: Is there ever a time when product managers shouldn't ask for clarification?

24:28 - Joe shares a story about when he had to "bite his tongue" as a product manager.

26:30 - Todd adds that timing is everything; knowing when to ask is part of the product manager job.

30:00 - Joe discusses the role evolution from order-taker to partner for a product manager.

33:26 - Todd revisits Jeff’s story to highlight the importance of avoiding wasted time and resources on misaligned products.

34:30 - Joe shares a product manager tip: develop internal personas to better manage stakeholders and understand their goals.

35:20 - A lightning round on common requests that product managers initially misunderstood.

36:40 - The infamous "JIRA-slinging ticket monkey" term makes an appearance. Shoutout to Dean Peters!

38:46 - Key takeaways (and some friendly teasing of Joe for his wording choices).

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.

Episode Description

1:00- Meet Nils Davis

2:47- Nils reminds us that Product Managers are really “Unicorns” in the workforce

7:00- Nils shares his favorite phrase as a Product Manager “Your obvious is your art”

8:47- Nils shares the pros/cons of understanding your “spike”

10:03- We discuss how it's difficult to share our superpower with the people that surround us

12:08- Nils shares the different ways we can discover our PM spike/superpower

15:45- Todd shares the struggle with asking for feedback to identify your PM spike/superpower

17:52- Nils shares one of his PM spikes

20:15- Todd shares the PM spike he wishes he had

22:12- Todd compares Joe’s PM spike to that of a Golden Retriever

25:20- A new word is introduced to the Product Porch- “Pragmatic Empathy”

28:15- Todd asks the question of whether or not the PM role has a unique set of capabilities

33:19- We review the stable of “Product” Unicorns-

36:19- Todd reminds us why he’s against Annual Performance Reviews and not a coder 🙂

39:10- We wrap up with our advice for the PM community struggling to find their “spike” (Nils-leverage Clifton Strengths Finder assessment)- people are the stars of their own movies

40:18- Todd- Don’t feel guilty for your spike. Find that thing that you love and lean into it

41:30- Joe- Be genuine and true to yourself (not as profound as Todd/Nils)

42:00- Nils ends with a very profound thought- “Product Managers are amazing creatures, yet you would never know it from reading their resume”

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.

2:15 What are the Product Management trends everyone is talking about

4:30- Todd asks the question: Are we focusing on the problem at the expense of the solution?

7:00- Joe explains why he believes we have over-indexed on some of the common PM themes

10:05- We are getting paid to deliver- reality check for all PMs

11:45- Ryan tells how this is a struggle for Type A personalities

13:16- Todd walks us through his approach to move to execution (from high-level concepts to delivery)

14:21- Joe’s shares an unpopular opinion about SAFe and its value for Product Leaders

16:08- Todd shares how he uses Ryan and Joe for some very specific product needs- team bonding moment

18:45 Todd admits that SAFe quarterly planning is awesome. Joe and Todd have a moment

22:54- What is the Product Managers Role in Solutioning? Ryan shared his POV

27:12- Todd shares a current situation on what to do with competing perspectives on proposed solutions-

29:09- You need to have confidence and conviction- Ryan Cantwell- this is what a PM needs to do

30:30- Sometimes you just make calculated risks as Product Managers- we discuss as a team

35:03- Todd kicks off a Job title game- problem or solution. Grab your popcorn!

39:01- Todd shares why he loves “defining the problem”

41:04- Key Takeaways-

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.