Today we're examining Palantir's "Forward Deployed Software Engineers" - and separating fact from the hype!

Everything old is new again! Move over companies that have been doing this for decades such as SAP, IBM, and countless consulting firms!

https://blog.palantir.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-palantir-forward-deployed-software-engineer-45ef2de257b1

Listen as we break down Palantir's 2020 blog post about their Forward Deployed Software Engineers (FDSEs) and discover what these engineers actually do versus what the marketing claims...

Key topics covered:

• What FDSEs actually do, day-to-day
• How this compares to traditional consulting roles
• The difference between software configuration and software engineering
• Why embedded customer roles aren't new
• Career advice for aspiring technical professionals

If you're interested in understanding the reality behind tech industry buzzwords, this is your episode!

#ProductManagement #SoftwareEngineering #TechCareers #Consulting #Leadership #AgileCoaching

LINKS
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YouTube: https://youtu.be/SGvJK-aruJ8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: http://arguingagile.com
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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Today, we're delivering a not-your-typical-leadership-book review: "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin!

Ed Martin joins hosts Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel for a chapter-by-chapter review of how military leadership principles directly translate to product management, agile coaching, and team development. 

The core message? 

True leadership isn't about barking orders - it's about taking complete ownership, empowering others, and leading with discipline and humility.

Some quotes from our discussion include:
• It's not what you preach, it's what you tolerate
• If you can run retrospectives people actually want to attend, you've got leadership skills
• Communication isn't just part of your job as a product manager - it IS your job
• There's no 100% right solution, but leaders must act decisively amid uncertainty

Listen to discover the striking parallels between leadership skill and "agile practices" such as decentralized command and the ability to prioritize and execute under pressure. Whether you're leading a development team or coaching organizational transformation, these principles apply.

#ExtremeOwnership #Leadership #ProductManagement

LINKS

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: http://arguingagile.com
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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

The Scrum community is buzzing about a new 55-page expansion to the Scrum Guide. Is this the depth practitioners have been asking for, or is it turning the lightweight framework into bloatware? 

In this episode, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando critically examine the "DLC" that claims the original guide was "deliberately oversimplified." 

We explore new concepts like outcome vs output definitions of done, the "supporters" role, and the inclusion of complex frameworks like Cynefin.

Stick around as we debate whether these additions help teams navigate complexity or create more confusion, while highlighting crucial omissions around organizational structure and practical implementation guidance. 

#Scrum #Agile #ProductDevelopment

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LINKS

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http://arguingagile.com

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile

Spotify 

https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3

Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Jensen Huang has 60 direct reports and does no 1:1s, so neither should you - right?!? 

Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel examine NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's claim that he champions "radical transparency" and his policy of no one-on-ones. 

Join us as we explore what this means for the rest and listen or watch as we agree that one-on-ones should be employee-driven, focused on growth over status updates, and designed to build the trust that actually gets work done, as well as other topics such as:

• Jensen Huang's leadership philosophy analyzed
• Employee-driven vs manager-driven agendas 
• Building trust through private conversations
• Remote work and relationship building
• Practical frameworks for better 1:1s

Whether you're a product manager, team lead, or individual contributor; whether you own a snappy leather jacket or not, owning your 1:1 agenda is crucial for career development.

Now accepting all takes (hot or not) in the comments - do you vote for mass transparency or intimate coaching conversations?

#Leadership #OneOnOnes #ArguingAgile

LINKS 

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

http://arguingagile.com

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

We're talking about either the terrifying or totally mundane new world of "vibe coding" - using AI to generate code without deep technical expertise. 

Joining Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel for this podcast, we're happy to welcome back to the podcast Lenar Mukhamadiev, CEO of iDelsoft (https://idelsoft.com)!

Listen as we discuss how this trend is changing product development, software engineering careers, and business innovation. Stick around while we argue over resistance, how vibe coding enables faster market testing and many more points, including:

• Accelerating time-to-market for new ideas
• Evolving role of professional developers
• Understanding business problems is more valuable than coding
• Emergence of "product engineers," or not
• A future where everyone is a software creator

#AIinTech #ProductDevelopment #FutureOfWork

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YouTube

Subscribe on YouTube

Apple

Spotify

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Do you want to hear a story about stifling growth and creativity through the lens of one developer's personal story?

You're in luck! 

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as they watch and react to Theo's YouTube video: "Being a good engineer kinda sucks," April 28, 2025.

It's a tale about the tension between excelling at your craft versus navigating organizational politics and dysfunction. 

That's right, today, we're talking about themes of career development, team dynamics, and leadership, so feel free to stick around for our thoughts on these and:

• The sustainability trap of overworking to meet unrealistic expectations
• How organizational politics can punish innovation and excellence
• The importance of product sense vs. documentation-driven development
• Finding and nurturing relationships with like-minded professionals

#Leadership #ProductManagement #CareerDevelopment #TechCareers

LINKS

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YouTube

Apple

Spotify

REFERENCES
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Check Out Theo's Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VuM1GCadt4
...and his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@t3dotgg
...and his website: https://t3.gg/

MUSIC

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Who coaches PMs if Directors or CPOs don't understand how features get built? 

...or don't understand how to build a strategy?

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we analyze Ravi Mehta's PM competency framework and debate which skills actually matter at each level of product management!

#ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategy

REFERENCES

"How to Become a Peak Product Manager" by Ravi Mehta: https://www.ravi-mehta.com/product-manager-skills/

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LINKS 

• Arguing Agile: http://arguingagile.com
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/d9byEWuGbBo
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Listen or watch as Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando debate whether communication is the primary function of product managers. 

We explore how and if PMs can balance effective communication across stakeholder groups while still delivering results, in addition to other topics, such as: 

• What percentage really is communication
• The power-interest matrix for stakeholder management
• Balancing narrative leadership vs technical excellence
• Creating vision without authority
• Making the invisible turn visible
• What makes a good one-page vision documents

#ProductManagement #Agile #Communication

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REFERENCES

1. Arguing Agile 201: Mastering Stakeholder Communication and Management
2. Arguing Agile 205: Debating Impact versus Visibility in Product Management
3. Arguing Agile 123: PRDs
4. Who Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson, 1998
5. Geoffrey Moore, Crossing the Chasm, 1991
6. Working Backwards, Bill Carr & Colin Bryar, 2021
7. The Power/Interest Grid, Eden & Ackermann, 1998

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LINKS 

Arguing Agile: http://arguingagile.com

YouTube: https://youtu.be/MEKYApOb4xc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Ever been in a meeting where an executive decrees: "Engineering needs to go faster!" without any nuance or understanding of the underlying issues?

What a coincidence - so have we!!!

Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel discuss this common yet problematic demand. Join us as we unmask deeper organizational issues, explore how to respond to this request, and discuss the potential causes, constraints, and solutions.

Whether you're in engineering, product management, or leadership, this episode provides practical insights for addressing the "go faster" demand in ways that deliver business value quickly, under budget, and right on-time!

#EngineeringLeadership #ProductManagement #AgileTeams

REFERENCES

1. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, by Richard Rumelt (book)
2. Arguing Agile #185 "What Companies Do Instead of Strategy"
3. Arguing Agile #103 "Challenges to Building Product Roadmaps"
4. Inspired, by Marty Cagan (book)

LINKS 

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
• Website: http://arguingagile.com

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Discover why the ability to ask for what you need is a critical skill that separates high performers from average ones. 

Join Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando as we explore the "how and why" of the skill that is: making more explicit requests for support!

We dive into the dangers of hustle culture, the limitations of traditional hierarchies, and practical ways to improve your communication skills. Listen or watch to better understand how to navigate team dynamics, establish healthy boundaries, and move beyond "hope as a strategy" to get what you need to succeed; including...

Key topics:

• Why hUsTlE cUlTuRe leads to burnout and diminishing returns
• How to make explicit requests without appearing demanding
• The importance of sharing your needs and inviting others to do the same- Practical communication skills for navigating organizational politics
• Why rejection shouldn't stop you from asking for what you need

#AgileCoaching #ProductManagement #TeamDevelopment

LINKS 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

Website: http://arguingagile.com

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Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)

By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)

CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)