Hi, Tamer and Ben here! 👋 

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The following post is about the power of coaching your product managers. It includes Ben’s proven step-by-step coaching guide. The newsletter contains 650 words and can be read in 3.5 minutes.

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Coaching is your superpower!

As a product leader, your most valuable skill is coaching.

Why?
Because coaching and developing your team has the biggest leverage. Each minute you spend on improving your team will pay back multiple times in the future.

You can be great at stakeholder collaboration, be a stellar communicator, and create the most engaging product strategy. When your team cannot pick up those impulses and drive change in their teams, your efforts are wasted.

I (Ben) have had the privilege of coaching numerous product managers and leaders over the years. Through this experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of attentive and outcome-oriented coaching. Teams that feel heard and see their career aspirations taken seriously are more motivated and capable of achieving great things.

In the following, I’ll walk you through my coaching process designed to develop your product team effectively.

Overview Coaching Process

Step-by-step Coaching Process

1. Define Company Goals and Reflect on Product Principles

• Your company’s vision profoundly influences the products you build and the structure of your product organization.

• Determine the type of product managers you need, aligned with your product culture and principles.

2. Evaluate a Product Manager’s Skill Level

• Use a tailored evaluation matrix to assess the skills of your PM. In my coaching, I’m using my own evaluation matrix inspired by Marty Cagan and Petra Wille’s methodologies. You can download it here.

• Conduct a collaborative review of each skill dimension with your PM, ensuring a mutual understanding of expectations and definitions.

• The PM and the boss fill out the evaluation matrix independently prior to a 1on1 discussion.

• During the 1on1, go through each dimension, compare ratings, and explore differences. For any rating below 10, ask, “What would elevate this score?”. Note down the answers in the “Growth opportunities” column.

3. Create and Prioritize Growth Opportunities

• Discuss your PM’s long-term career vision. Encourage them to think beyond their current role and organization.

• Align their career aspirations with the growth opportunities identified during the evaluation. Use an Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize these opportunities, focusing on what is both urgent and important right now.

4. Develop an Actionable Coaching Plan

• Formulate specific, actionable steps that can be completed within 1-2 weeks. For example, instead of “Improve at user research,” aim for “Conduct four user interviews in the next 10 days.”

• Tip: Use a tool that feels native to both the boss and the PM so it’s easy to work with and to integrate it into their daily routines. Notion and Miro are my favorite tools to create a visually appealing plan. Check out the free templates here 

5. Reflect Frequently

• Hold regular check-ins, ideally bi-weekly, to review progress and hold the PM accountable for their next steps.

• Build and maintain momentum by preventing daily tasks and responsibilities from blocking career development.

• Regularly step back (e.g. quarterly) and reassess priorities and growth opportunities, ensuring alignment with the PM’s evolving self-reflection and vision.

Get the Free Miro Template

Subscribers can download/copy this free Miro template covering every step of this guide.

Demand your coaching today!

Are you a product manager without a coaching relationship with your boss? Schedule a one-on-one today to discuss this, using this post as a guide. If you need external coaching, feel free to reach out. Investing in your growth is the best step you can take for your career.

Learn more about the Essentials of Product Management

We’re offering a hands-on, 6-week, live & digital course on a product manager’s most important, yet hardest skills. Learn from 25+ years with over 70 companies. The next batch starts on September 2nd, 2024