Read

Listen

image of Stories From The Everyday Life of a Product Manager - Idoh Gersten, Circle CI
Saturday, May 7, 2022
40:00
minutes

Stories From The Everyday Life of a Product Manager - Idoh Gersten, Circle CI

Listen on

Podcast information

Share:

Episode Details

In this episode, Idoh and Sergey unfold stories and insights from Idoh’s career in project management. They discuss why you should have product bias, why design doesn’t have to be perfect before shipping a product, what makes product development challenging, how to align your clients with goals that make sense, and the fundamentals that many B2B SaaS companies don’t prioritize.

Show notes

Embracing product bias. Navigating conflicts with design teams. Directing clients that don’t have clear goals. Everything is on the table as behind-the-scenes anecdotes of client meetings and discussions are revealed.

Idoh’s main frustration with B2B SaaS companies is that they don’t talk to end-users enough. In fact, he tells the story of his time consulting for a company that has never before spoken to its end users. Tune in to find out what he discovers when he becomes the first person there to speak to an end-user - and lots of other tales from his product management escapades with many different clients.

About Idoh
Idoh Gersten is a Product Manager at Circle CI. Previously, he was Senior Product Manager at Dynamic Signal and Director of Product Management at ROBLOX among other roles. He is a law school graduate from the University of Iowa. Idoh believes that there is a universal consciousness that we collectively tap into. Also, if it were up to him all websites would be designed like Craigslist.


SHOW NOTES:
0:00 | Who is Idoh Gersten?
03:17 | Why having product bias is POSITIVE. OR Why you should have product bias.
08:54 | Should you release products that aren’t fully polished?
11:46 | Having conflicting design philosophies
15:37 | Most difficult features to work on as a product manager
21:52 | How to convince clients to prioritize workflows.
23:32 | Important product data that B2B SaaS companies skip over.
34:12 | The golden rule of shipping better products.
34:29 | The right question to ask customers (instead of asking them what they want).
35:22 | Only throw money at your product problems after achieving this.
36:46 | Is there a universal consciousness?
37:34 | Idoh’s personal goals and note to self.

QUOTES:
“One way of thinking about bias is what tradeoffs you’re making. Where on the tradeoff spectrum do you just kind of land?”  [07:25]
“I think there’s a huge amount of uncertainty around plans and I think having a very high-level vision makes a lot of sense but having an extremely detailed plan that stretches out for 6 months…once things go out into the real world and hit customers, plans always change.” [08:13]

Follow Idoh:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idohgersten/ 

What is Product Innovation Series with Aram Melkoumov?

Product Innovation Series is an in-depth interview series featuring product & innovation leaders from small startups all the way to Fortune 500 behemoths. Our guests share their battle-tested perspective on what prevents teams from shipping a great product. The show is hosted by Aram Melkoumov, the CEO of Crowdlinker.

Related podcasts

August 10, 2023
63:44 minutes
Maarten turned 79% of his product pitches into signed agreements. Listen how his strategy is reshaping the innovation landscape.In this episode of Product Innovation Show, Maarten and Aram delve into the intricacies of managing a product team, especially when you don't come from a technical background. Maarten sheds light on his journey, managing multiple SCRUM teams, and the challenges and rewards it brings. Drawing parallels between the world of professional sports and product management, they discuss the importance of asking 'why not' and how to align different priorities for collective success.About the GuestMaarten began his entrepreneurial adventure at 19 in the music scene. After dodging some iffy record deals, he thought, "I can do better!" and launched his first venture. He quickly noticed that the way entrepreneurship was taught was flawed. So, six years ago, Maarten founded BW Ventures. Since then, he's guided over 200 startups, helping them find solid business models. Yet, even with a plan, many still struggle to secure their first investment.SHOW NOTES:[03:19] Nurturing Ideas[10:20] The Role of Predictability in Innovation[16:30] Managing Stakeholder Pushback[22:02] Pivoting or Killing Projects[25:17] Assessing Company Ideas[28:31] Driving Innovation[35:27] Stakeholder Expectations[39:38] Building Solid Business Cases[43:33] Martin's Key Principles: [47:00] Corporate Acquisitions & StrategyQuotes from Maarten:"Showing progress and showing what works and doesn't work is more valuable than just getting that perfect business case out.""People are most of the times too scared to build a super big business case because they think decision makers are going to ask for that. But what's more important is showing progress and understanding what you're doing."Books We Mentioned:1. Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography2. Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey3. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful BusinessesFollow Maarten van Kroonenburghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenvankroonenburg/
June 26, 2023
15:30 minutes
Mounika Sanikommu, Senior Product Manager at Zuora, is sharing her thrilling journey with ChatGPT, experiments she runs, plugins she discovered and how she uses AI for data analysis in her day job.Monica and Aram also spills the beans on the future of jobs in an AI-dominated landscape. About Mounika Mounika is a Senior Product Manager at Zuora building and leading their ecosystem products. She is an unstoppable learner who pivoted her career from engineering to Product while working in tech firms across the globe. She enjoys sharing her product knowledge and offering mentorship to aspiring PMs through various platforms. SHOW NOTES:7:53 | Monica’s experience with the new plugins available in ChatGPT8:20 | The benefits of using ChatGPT for data analysis in product management8:55 | Challenges Monica has faced using ChatGPT9:24 | The role of input prompts in ChatGPT’s functionality11:27 | The most valuable investments Monica has made in understanding AI technology14:16 | Monica’s views on the growing trend of generative AIQUOTES:"I don't think AI is a doomsday for our jobs yet. Right now, it's a tool that can increase our efficiency and productivity when used ethically and correctly."
May 15, 2023
21:05 minutes
In this episode, our host Aram Melkoumov is speaking with with Jorge, a product leader at Resilia, about the growing influence of AI, particularly GPT-4, in the tech industry. They dive into the ways AI can change our everyday experiences and discuss the potential for AI to replace certain roles.Key Takeaways:The Power of GPT-4: Jorge reflects on the advancements in AI with introduction of GPT-4. He shares his experiences about the potential uses of and capabilities of this tech in writing human-like text.Medici Effect: Jorge emphasizes the power of interdisciplinary knowledge and how viewing use cases from different perspectives can lead to innovative ideas.Real-World AI Integration: Aram and Jorge explore the application of AI in real-world scenarios, particularly through the use of browser extensions and APIs. They discuss how these integrations can help create more relevant and updated information, improving efficiency.AI in Content Creation: Jorge shares his experience with using AI in content creation, particularly in real estate. He also mentions Synthesia, an AI avatar company, as a potential tool for those who may not feel comfortable being on camera.SHOW NOTES 1:06 - Guest Introduction2:15 - Initial Reaction to ChatGPT4:09 - Prompt Engineering6:57 - Learning and Challenges8:19 - Leveraging ChatGPT Plugins13:16 - Investment in AI14:16 - Learning and Content Consumption16:28 - Doomsday Scenario or Paradise18:14 - Finding Irreplaceable RolesAbout Jorge SierraJorge, with over nine years of experience, has honed his skills as a Product Manager, Startup Advisor, and Consultant across the technology industry, from startups to large corporations, and as a founder of his own businesses. His entrepreneurial achievements include the successful establishment and management of two startups and a software factory firm, all aimed at introducing disruptive technologies to Latin American and Hispanic markets. Across multiple sectors, including e-commerce, fintech, and artificial intelligence, Jorge has consistently adhered to user-centric design and agile methodologies to develop intuitive, effective products. Connect with Jorge:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-sierra-guerra/Connect with Aram:https://www.crowdlinker.com/
GET IN TOUCH
GET IN TOUCH

Want to learn more?

Let’s start collaborating on your most complex business problems, today.