Sponsored by

What you need for better GenAI applications

Learn more from Pinecone Research on how Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) using Pinecone serverless increases relevant answers from GPT-4 by 50%.

- The larger the search data, the more “faithful” the results.

- RAG with massive on-demand data outperforms GPT-4 (without RAG) by 50%, even with the data it was explicitly trained on.

- RAG, with a lot of data, ensures state of the art performance no matter the LLM you choose, encouraging the use of different LLMs (e.g., open-source or private LLMs).

Career cheat codes for product leadership
(part 2)

Hello Product Leaders!

If you missed part 1 last week, it was about understanding why being technically good and great at execution is not enough.

And it took me years to understand the reasons.

This week I’ll cover the communication angle.

Now, let me share some important tips in part 2 to help you accelerate your product growth.

So let’s dive in.

Today at a glance

• The Clear Communication Paradox

  • 1- Framework for “Any situation” communication

  • 2- Framework for leadership communication

  • 3- Be a maker, Not a taker

• Key Takeaways

• How I Can Help

In Case You Missed Them

👉️ Career cheat codes for product leadership (part 1) (Link)
👉️ Build my Executive Presence as a Product Manager (Link)
👉️ 3 High-Leverage Career Frameworks for PMs (Link)

The Clear Communication Paradox

In workplace communication, it's important to be both brief and comprehensive.

Being concise helps grab attention and convey key points quickly while being thorough ensures understanding and completeness by providing relevant details and context.

Balancing these aspects will get you to the leadership communication level you need to accelerate your career.

Now…Let’s get to the key frameworks to get you there.

1- Framework for “Any situation” communication

When you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind when speaking or writing, disaster often follows.

Instead, I prefer the "what, so what, and what now" framework to convey any information, avoiding confusion.

Begin by stating

What has happened or what needs to happen (What),
Followed by explaining the significance or impact (so what),
And conclude with the proposed next steps or actions (what now).

For instance, if discussing a decline, start with what happened –

• WHAT: a drop in user interactions by 15%.

• SO WHAT: address it by explaining the implications, such as potential customer dissatisfaction or decreased retention.

• WHAT NOW: your proposed actions to address the decline, like implementing targeted user surveys

To sum up, by embracing this framework, product leaders can streamline their communication, ensuring clarity and actionable insights.

Remember to include a confidence level to navigate the inherent uncertainties, fostering trust and credibility in your role.

• ✅ Use it for all convos with leaders in your organizations and coach your team to do the same.

2- Framework for leadership communication

When communicating with busy executives, simplicity and clarity are critical.

The thing is if your message is cluttered or unclear, it risks being overlooked or misunderstood in the fast-paced environment.

So, using the Minto Pyramid Principle ensures that key messages are communicated first, making it the best framework for engaging busy executives. This is often used in consulting such as McKinsey

So remember:

• ✅ Last Thing First: Start with the main point or conclusion, then provide supporting points and details. This helps the reader or listener understand the core message before exploring the supporting information.

• ✅ Organize ideas hierarchically: with the most important concept at the top and more specific points as you move down.

Trust me, that raised my profile the day I learned about it.

3- Be a maker, Not a taker

Another important aspect to consider is the idea of being a creator rather than just a consumer.

Most employees tend to just accept plans handed to them without much thought.

During my time in various companies, I always made it a point to write my own versions of plans.

I believed that if I wanted to reach the level of a CEO/leader, I needed to start doing the things CEOs do. They write annual plans, so I started writing them too for my teams or just myself. Then I'd compare what I wrote to what was given to me, seeing areas for improvement and learning from them.

Being proactive in writing plans, proposals, and updates isn't just good practice—it's what sharpens your skills for leadership.

Many people think they'll start acting like a leader once they get promoted, but it doesn't work like that.

Leadership starts with taking initiative and being proactive.

Take charge of key documents like the annual plan, quarterly updates, and launch guides by writing your own versions.

This not only improves your skills but also shows your readiness for leadership roles. You will be promoted in no time.

That’s it for today!

Key Takeaways

How I Can Help

Here are more ways I can help:

1. Upgrade to Growth plan to increase your PM impact faster

2. New Course: Manage Your PM Career to Product Leadership

3. Advertise with us? Get in touch today here

Get 1% Better Every Day. Execution Matters Most.