Podcast Summary
Continuous learning and adapting: Always be open to learning new things and expanding your skillset to succeed and grow in your career. Balance learning with impact and have a supportive partner to maintain balance.
Learning from Deb Lu's career journey is the importance of continuous learning and adapting in order to succeed and grow in one's career. Deb emphasized that one should not limit themselves to their current expertise but should always be open to learning new things and expanding their skillset. She shared her personal experience of taking on roles she didn't initially qualify for and becoming a "student" of that job, allowing her to grow and move on to new challenges. Deb also emphasized the importance of balance between learning and impact, and the importance of having a supportive partner in one's personal life to help maintain that balance. Overall, Deb's advice is valuable for anyone looking to advance in their career, as it emphasizes the importance of being adaptable, resilient, and continuously learning.
Passion and humility in product management: Aspiring product managers should demonstrate passion and deep understanding of products during interviews, while maintaining a humble attitude to learn and grow. Embracing failures and turning them into opportunities can lead to success.
Passion and humility are essential qualities for aspiring product managers. The speaker shared her personal story of how she fell in love with product management through her experiences as an avid user of PayPal and eBay. During her interviews, she demonstrated her passion and deep understanding of the products, which ultimately led to her getting the job. However, she admitted that she didn't have all the answers and was eager to learn. This humility allowed her to grow and excel in her role. Another important lesson is the value of embracing failures and learning from them. The speaker emphasized that the most successful product leaders are those who have faced adversity and turned it into opportunities for growth. She shared an example of her own experience of not getting a job she wanted at Facebook and how she turned it into a chance to excel in her current role. Overall, the speaker's advice encourages aspiring product managers to approach their careers with a curious and humble mindset, a deep passion for the problem they're trying to solve, and a willingness to learn from failures.
Starting new initiatives in large companies: Patience, resilience, and the ability to fail are crucial for starting new initiatives in large companies. Leadership support and the freedom to iterate and fail are essential, but the failure rate is high.
Building something new within a larger company requires patience, resilience, and the ability to fail. The speaker shared his experience of starting new initiatives at Facebook, including the marketplace and the first direct response ad product. He emphasized the importance of seeing opportunities where others don't and having the freedom to iterate and fail. However, the failure rate for new initiatives is high, and it's essential to have the support of leadership to allow for experimentation with limited resources and scrutiny. The speaker also noted that building core products can be a valuable experience, but the energy and reward of starting something new can make the journey more interesting.
Career Product Management: Learn core skills in a stable environment before taking on high-risk projects, set milestones, and develop skills to increase chances of success in career progression.
Managing your career like a product involves intentionality and making calculated risks. For those starting out, it's important to learn core skills in a stable environment before taking on high-risk, new projects. However, as careers progress, taking big swings with potential failures can lead to significant growth and impact. It's essential to have a clear vision for your career, set milestones, and develop skills to increase your chances of success. Just like in product development, a well-rounded career includes both big bets and incremental improvements. Don't let your career drift aimlessly; PM it with purpose.
Career Planning: Having a clear career plan and intention can lead to better decision-making and more successful outcomes. Measuring decisions against long-term goals can help navigate serial job opportunities and make informed choices.
Having a clear career plan and intention can lead to better decision-making and more successful outcomes. The speakers shared their experiences of accidentally ending up in their current careers without a clear plan, but acknowledged that not everyone is as lucky. They emphasized that having a long-term goal and measuring decisions against it can help individuals navigate serial job opportunities and make informed choices. They also acknowledged the importance of overcoming bias and valuing the skills and contributions of introverts in the workplace. Overall, the conversation highlighted the importance of intentionality and planning in career growth.
Product marketing for introverted leaders: Introverted product leaders can struggle with marketing their products, but creating inclusive workplaces and reframing self-promotion can help build momentum and credibility for their team and customers.
Effective product leadership involves not just creating great products, but also marketing them well. Introverted product leaders may struggle with this aspect, but it's essential for getting the word out and building momentum for their products. Changing workplaces to be more inclusive and providing opportunities for everyone to have a voice can help. Additionally, reframing self-promotion as education or helping your team can make it feel less icky and more productive. It's important to remember that building credibility and getting resources for your product ultimately benefits your team and customers.
Public sharing of knowledge: Accountability and consistency can help overcome fear of sharing knowledge publicly and build confidence. Incremental improvements and learning from failures are key to continuous growth.
Overcoming the fear of sharing knowledge and expertise publicly can be facilitated by accountability and consistency. The speaker shared a personal experience where her manager encouraged her to write and publish something every month, which helped her build a habit and gain confidence. She also mentioned that having a friend or accountability group can be helpful in keeping the commitment. Additionally, growth is often achieved through small, incremental improvements rather than one big magic bullet. The speaker emphasized the importance of finding and focusing on "aha moments" and not being afraid to experiment with many ideas, even if most of them don't work. Instead, learning from the failures and iterating is key to continuous improvement and growth.
Optimization and growth: Optimization and growth should go hand in hand in product development. Creating a culture that values optimization and treating growth as an 'augmentation' for the core product can lead to increased user satisfaction, faster discovery of features, and overall better product performance. A thoughtful and deliberate approach to onboarding and learning can lead to significant impact in a new role.
Optimization and growth are not mutually exclusive in product development. While taking big bets and looking for step function changes is important, there is also significant value in continuously optimizing and improving the user experience. This approach can lead to increased user satisfaction, faster discovery of features, and overall better product performance. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a culture that values optimization, and suggests treating growth as an "augmentation" for the core product. This means focusing on making the product more accessible, usable, and better every day. Additionally, the speaker shares their experience with creating a 30, 60, 90-day plan when joining a new company. This plan emphasizes listening and learning first, and then taking action based on that knowledge. The speaker encourages everyone, not just executives, to use this approach when starting a new job. In summary, the key takeaway is that optimization and growth should go hand in hand in product development, and that a thoughtful and deliberate approach to onboarding and learning can lead to significant impact in a new role.
Impact of relationships on career success: Building trust through active listening and understanding relationships' impact on career, seeking partners who lift you up, and developing resilience are essential for career success.
Effective communication and collaboration are essential for building trust and success within a team. When entering a new organization or team, it's important to find your role and build trust with your colleagues. Trust can be earned through active listening and understanding the impact of relationships on your career. As Deb shared, the relationship you have with your partner can significantly influence your career success. Additionally, resilience and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities are crucial for long-term success. Coaching can be an invaluable resource for developing these skills and helping individuals navigate feedback and relationships. Deb's advice encourages young people to consider the impact of their relationships on their careers and to seek out partners who lift them up rather than weighing them down. Ultimately, effective communication, collaboration, and resilience are key to building a successful and satisfying career.
Embracing imperfection and adaptability: Embracing imperfection and adaptability can lead to growth and success for product leaders. Seek support from coaching circles, lean in groups, or individual coaching for challenges. Listen actively and communicate openly for effective problem-solving. Understand power dynamics through Jeffrey Pfeffer's book 'Power: Who Has It And Why?'. Utilize Twitter threads for real-time news and information.
Embracing imperfection and adaptability can lead to growth and success for product leaders. Perfectionism can hinder trust in one's ability to bounce back and adapt to challenges. To find a coach, consider joining coaching circles or lean in groups for early career support, or investing in individual coaching for more unique and complex situations. The power of listening and open communication is also crucial in problem-solving, as emphasized in the book "Listen" by Dr. Oliver Sacks. A key recommendation from the discussion was Jeffrey Pfeffer's book "Power: Who Has It And Why?" for understanding power dynamics and the importance of being aware of one's position in various situations. Additionally, the speaker shared her love for the Fallout TV show and the discovery of Twitter threads as a valuable source for real-time news and information.
Engaging with industry peers: Connecting and engaging with others in your industry can lead to valuable insights, learning opportunities, and growth. Deb encourages listeners to reach out to her and continue the conversation on sales technology.
The importance of connecting and engaging with others in your industry. Deb shared her insights on sales technology and encouraged listeners to reach out to her with their thoughts and feedback. Deb can be found on LinkedIn, Substack, and YouTube, and she welcomes comments and emails. Listeners are encouraged to engage with Deb and share their thoughts on the episode, either by leaving comments on YouTube or sending her a message directly. By engaging in these conversations, we can all learn and grow together. So, if you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing to the show, leaving a review, and connecting with Deb to continue the conversation.