An inside look at how CNN builds product | Upasna Gautam

Feb 23, 2023 58m 11s 11 insights Episode Page ↗
Upasna Gautam, a Product Manager at CNN and mindfulness teacher, discusses thriving in the chaos of news product management. She shares how CNN's product team collaborates with journalists, uses unique protocols like breaking news dress rehearsals, and leverages mindfulness for effective leadership.
Actionable Insights

1. Cultivate Equanimity for Chaos

Develop mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in stressful situations, by pausing before reacting. This skill provides an outsized advantage in stakeholder management, team morale, and translating user feedback to product development velocity, helping to cut through chaos.

2. Practice Mindful Communication

Engage in conversations by being deeply aware and fully present, actively listening rather than immediately reacting. This involves speaking in the language of the listener, avoiding technical jargon with non-technical stakeholders, and helps build trust and respect while extracting the root cause of problems.

3. Prioritize Direct Customer Dialogue

Regularly engage in direct conversations with your customers and users, understanding that your assumptions are not always accurate. The more frequently, consistently, and earlier you have these conversations in the process, the better for collecting feedback and building trust.

4. Embed Engineers in Discovery

Include your tech lead and engineers in the product discovery process, such as user testing sessions and design jams. This enables them to understand user needs at the same level as product managers, leading to greater clarity and precision in defining technical solutions and improving overall efficiency.

5. Build Buffers into Planning

Incorporate buffer time into planning cycles to account for unexpected chaos and disruptions, especially when working with stakeholders who have unpredictable schedules. The length of the buffer can vary (days, weeks, or months) depending on the scope of work, allowing for flexibility and adaptation.

6. Establish User Touchpoints

Implement a system of regular touchpoints with users to manage intake and gather feedback, such as weekly demo days, working sessions, breaking news dress rehearsals, and office hours. This ensures continuous communication, allows for recreating workflows, addressing friction, and previewing new features.

7. Conduct Stress Test Rehearsals

Create scripted simulations of critical scenarios, like breaking news, to stress test your platform and processes. This provides valuable feedback in a short amount of time, helping to identify weaknesses and understand how far features can be pushed under pressure.

8. Start Simple Meditation

Begin a meditation practice by integrating mindfulness into daily routines, such as brushing your teeth, by engaging all senses and being fully present for a few minutes. Consistent practice compounds over time, cultivating clarity of mind and thinking.

9. Assess Situations Objectively

Cultivate the ability to objectively view a scenario for what it is, allowing for quick decision-making and progression to the next phase. This daily practice is crucial for navigating dynamic environments and adapting to changing circumstances.

10. Celebrate Team Milestones

Make a conscious effort to celebrate team achievements and successful launches, even with small gestures like sending gift boxes for remote teams. This helps maintain team morale and acknowledges hard work, especially when major launches can feel anticlimactic.

11. Cultivate High Agency

Develop a unique skill of high agency under high pressure, which is the ability to take initiative and drive action in challenging situations. This combination of skills is a valuable asset for any product development team, enabling rapid development and risk reduction.