Episode 72: A strong Product Manager can lift more than weights w/Petra Wille

Firstly, I felt offended. I am a professional product Besserwisser = professor. But, then I thought about it again. Being a perpetual student is a good thing, continuously learning and evolving. The learning journey never stops. But, how do we learn, how do we decide what to learn? Petra Wille has written the book “STRONG PRODUCT PEOPLE”. In it she shares several frameworks for learning and taking ownership of your career.

In her talk she shared three perspectives that we need to tackle to make learning happen:

1. Time: When are we to learn? And how much time shall we spend learning?

2. Ally: In our learning journey we always need allies to support us and discuss with.

3. Blueprint: What are we striving for?

Petra also shared four ways of learning:

1. Consume – read and watch

2. Apply – use the knowledge you have gathered

3. Reflect on what you know and when it is working

4. Contribute – Share your reflections in your company or in your ecosystem

When I meet the head of products managing a team of product managers looking to recruit, they always tell me: I am looking for product people that take ownership of the product and initiatives to grow the business. They are looking for “STRONG PRODUCT PEOPLE”