How to unlock your product leadership skills | Ken Norton, Ex-Google

Jul 24, 2022 1h 14m 29 insights Episode Page ↗
This episode features Ken Norton, a former Google product leader and executive coach, discussing the creative vs. reactive mindset in leadership, overcoming imposter syndrome, and common blind spots for product managers. He also shares insights on finding and evaluating an executive coach.
Actionable Insights

1. Adopt Creative Leadership Mindset

Strive to shift your leadership mindset from reactive (fear, problems, threats, defensiveness) to creative (openness, possibility, curiosity, purpose). Research shows creative leadership is positively correlated with success.

2. Define Success Internally

Shift from defining your career goals based on external metrics (e.g., promotions, titles) to internal motivations like creativity, challenge, and purpose. This internal alignment leads to more fulfilling and authentic career navigation.

3. Challenge Leadership Archetypes

Challenge your preconceived notions and underlying beliefs about what an effective leader ‘should’ be, and redefine leadership authentically for yourself, embracing your unique strengths rather than trying to fit a mold.

4. Redefine Long-Term Admiration

If you tend to be a people-pleaser, redefine your goal from immediate likeability to earning long-term admiration and respect. This allows you to lead with purpose and decisiveness while still valuing connection.

5. Manage Inner Critic

When experiencing imposter syndrome, recognize it as an ‘inner critic’ or ‘saboteur’ trying to protect you. Gaining awareness and self-distancing from this voice can help you regain power and perspective.

6. Reassign Inner Critic’s Role

Practice ‘parts work’ by personifying your inner critic (e.g., giving it a name) and consciously reassigning its role. Recognize it as a part of you, not the whole, allowing you to take control and prevent it from dominating your decisions.

7. Identify Your Reactive Tendency

Reflect on which reactive posture you most often fall into: seeking approval, needing to be right, or being controlling. Recognizing your default tendency is the first step to shifting towards a more creative approach.

8. Embrace 10X Thinking

Cultivate a mindset and environment that encourages ‘10X’ thinking, aiming for massive breakthrough innovations rather than just incremental ‘10%’ improvements. Be willing to take big swings and accept potential failure for significant payoff.

9. Prioritize People Skills

Recognize that as you advance in product leadership, ‘people skills’ (communication, collaboration, persuasion, vision-setting) become paramount. Invest in developing these ‘soft skills’ as much as technical ones.

10. Tackle Hard, Squishy Problems

View hard, ‘squishy’ problems without clear-cut solutions as opportunities for growth and impact. These challenges often require adapting your internal complexity management system and are highly valuable to tackle.

11. Practice Self-Coaching & Values

Engage in self-coaching by exploring your core values and what truly matters to you, fostering inner curiosity about your purpose. This internal reflection can be done at any career stage, with or without a formal coach.

12. Ask Yourself Coach Questions

Learn to ask yourself ‘coach questions’ when experiencing emotions or facing challenges. This practice, developed through coaching, helps you gain self-awareness and navigate situations more effectively.

13. Seek Coaching at Milestones

Consider seeking a coach when you’re at a significant career milestone or crossroads, especially if you feel ‘what got me here, isn’t going to get me there.’ This is often when internal transformation is most needed for the next level.

14. Embrace Day-One PM Leadership

Recognize product management as a leadership role from day one, even without formal authority. This helps you embrace the leadership responsibilities inherent in the role.

15. Beware Advice’s Limitations

Be aware that receiving or giving advice often provides a temporary ‘sugar high’ but rarely leads to lasting change or addresses underlying issues. True growth comes from internal discovery, not just external directives.

16. Train Soft Skills

Actively seek training for ‘soft skills’ like having difficult conversations or storytelling, just as you would for technical skills. These are crucial for effective leadership and impact.

17. Dismantle Systemic Bias

As a leader, acknowledge that imposter syndrome can stem from systemic issues like bias and microaggressions, not just individual shortcomings. Take responsibility to identify and dismantle environmental factors that contribute to it for your team.

18. Allocate Innovation Space

Dedicate specific, even small, pockets of resources or time within your team for innovative ‘10X’ bets, separate from core business and incremental work. This fosters a culture of experimentation without betting the entire company.

19. Prioritize Coach Fit

When seeking a coach, prioritize personal fit, trust, and authenticity over specific credentials or experience in your field. Most coaches offer free introductory sessions, so take advantage to gauge compatibility.

Expand your search for a coach beyond those with direct experience in your industry or role. A coach who hasn’t ‘done the job before’ can offer unbiased, pure coaching without defaulting to an advisory role.

21. Evaluate Coach’s Approach

When evaluating a coach, ask them to describe their coaching philosophy and approach (e.g., structured vs. client-led). This helps you determine if their style aligns with your preferences and needs.

22. Use Coach Finding Resources

Utilize resources like the International Coaching Federation, matchmaking services (BetterUp, Torch, Prismatico), or curated lists (e.g., Scale’s list of top PM coaches) to find potential coaches.

23. Ask for Coach Referrals

Seek coach recommendations from leaders whose styles you admire, as they can often suggest coaches aligned with specific developmental needs or coaching philosophies.

24. Hire for PM Intangibles

When hiring product managers, look beyond structured interview questions and technical skills to assess intangible qualities like their ability to inspire, collaborate, and lead cross-functional teams. Ensure they have the right mindset for the role’s demands.

25. Ask About Product Team

As a candidate, ask prospective employers ‘How does the company define a product team?’ This question reveals crucial insights into the company’s culture, collaboration norms, decision-making processes, and the actual role of product management.

26. Inquire About Product Genesis

As a candidate, ask the interviewer to describe how a recently shipped product came to be. This reveals insights into the company’s product development process, empowerment levels, and overall product culture.

27. Leverage Mentors as Coaches

Seek out mentors and managers who adopt a coaching approach, asking curious questions and challenging your perspective rather than just giving advice. Encourage your managers to explicitly switch to a ‘coach hat’ when discussing your growth.

28. Read Key Leadership Books

Explore recommended books like ‘Dare to Lead,’ ‘The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership,’ ‘Mastering Leadership,’ and ‘Immunity to Change.’ These resources offer frameworks and insights for personal and leadership development.

29. Decentralized Team Treats

In a remote world, consider sending DoorDash codes for local treats to team members’ homes. This acts as a decentralized, thoughtful gesture, similar to the ‘bringing the donuts’ metaphor for servant leadership.