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Product Teacher

In-depth essays and thought-provoking reads for product managers.

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Weekly Product Hits: Reframing Networking, Negative Ideas, Little Marketing Channels

Product Hits: July 21, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Networking, Reframed by Deb Liu Deb Liu, CEO of Ancestry.com, reframes networking as long-term community-building rooted in generosity and consistency, rather than selfish short-term transactions. When PMs invest early in authentic relationships, they can draw on that trust when it’s time to seek support. Avoid incepting negative ideas by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of...

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Product Hits: June 30, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Saying No Is a Strategy, Not a Sacrifice by Noa Ganot Noa Ganot, founder of Infinify, argues that trying to please everyone is the fastest path to mediocrity. She urges PMs to treat “no” as a strategic tool (not a reluctant compromise!) because focus and trade-offs are what make a product truly valuable to the right customers. 6 Principles for Structuring...

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Product Hits: June 16, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! You’re more free than you think by Linda Zhang Linda Zhang, founder of Product Lessons, argues that remote and asynchronous work have unlocked new levels of career freedom. She encourages product managers to embrace flexibility, focus on learning, and build resilience by seeking out rejection. One Foot in Front of the Other by Deb Liu Deb Liu, CEO of Ancestry.com,...

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Product Hits: June 9, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! The Right Principles of Agile by Noa Ganot Noa Ganot, founder of Infinify, explains that Agile succeeds when teams focus on core principles like flexible planning, continuous assessment, and early value delivery. She urges product managers to prioritize learning and adaptability, even if the broader organization isn’t fully agile. Know Your Weaknesses by Victor Cheng...

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Product Hits: May 26, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! 5 Superpowers Every Facilitator Needs by Jackie Colburn Jackie Colburn, product consultant and facilitator, outlines five core skills that help teams unlock better ideas and stronger alignment. She emphasizes that facilitation should focus on guiding creativity, navigating conflict, building trust, enabling curiosity, and adapting in real time to drive better outcomes....

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Product Hits: May 19, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Finding People to Interview Before You Have Customers by Teresa Torres Teresa Torres, founder of Product Talk, highlights how PMs can kickstart continuous discovery even before having customers. She shares practical strategies for recruiting interviewees through platforms like LinkedIn, Craigslist, and UserInterviews. Torres emphasizes that weekly customer conversations...

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Product Hits: April 28, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Sales, not logistics by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, warns that jumping into logistics before securing buy-in is a critical communication mistake. She urges PMs to frame requests around impact and motivation first, using her "sales, not logistics" approach to drive action and influence stakeholders more effectively. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery by...

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Product Hits: April 21, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! PhDs Aren't Starting Companies Like They Used To by Nnamdi Iregbulem Nnamdi Iregbulem, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, examines how the growing burden of knowledge and lack of division of labor discourage PhD-level talent from entrepreneurship. Therefore, PMs who work with PhDs like data scientists or ML researchers can attract and empower PhD talent by implementing...

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Product Hits: April 14, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Too detailed by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, emphasizes the importance of tailoring communication details to the audience and context. She advises PMs to reduce cognitive load by focusing on clarity and actionable takeaways. Aligning Teams Around Strategy by Victoria Wisot Victoria Wisot, Partner at AKF Partners, outlines seven practices to keep teams focused...

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Product Hits: April 7, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Weighted ACV by Nnamdi Iregbulem Nnamdi Iregbulem, partner at Lightspeed Ventures, introduces "Weighted ACV" (WACV) as a more insightful metric for SaaS businesses. Unlike traditional Average Contract Value, WACV accounts for revenue concentration and highlights the customers driving the most value. Iregbulem encourages product managers to use WACV to prioritize...