Lessons In Product Management

How PMs Can Improve Working & Communicating with Engineers w/ Paul Lunow, Head of Technology and Innovation at XU Sustainable


Listen Later

Lessons in Product Management - Working & Communicating with Engineers

Guest: Paul Lunow
Host: John Doe
Episode Duration: ~28 min

[00:00 - 01:37] Introduction

  • John welcomes Paul Lunow to the podcast.
  • Paul previously hosted John on Product and Cake.
    • Background on Paul’s 20-year career in tech.


    [01:37 - 04:05] Paul’s Background in Product & Engineering

    • Started in Berlin as a web developer, grew an agency to 30 people.
    • Founded Nepos, a startup building a tablet for elderly users.

    • Moved to eBay to experience corporate innovation.

    • Now Head of Innovation & Technology at XU Group, building a B2B learning platform.


    [04:05 - 06:45] The Role of AI in Learning Platforms

    • Discusses AI’s role in education.
    • AI is a tool for augmentation, not a replacement for learning.


    [06:45 - 10:38] How Product Managers Can Work Better with Engineers

    • The importance of psychological safety in teams.

    • Engineers need a space to fail, ask questions, and collaborate.

    • Great product managers create environments of trust.


    [10:38 - 14:46] How Much Tech Knowledge Should a PM Have?

    • PMs don’t need to code but must deeply understand the product.

    • The worst thing: a PM who pretends to know coding but doesn’t use the product.

    • PMs should be the first to log in daily and experience the product firsthand.


    [14:46 - 18:08] Anti-Patterns: What Drives Engineers Crazy

    • Overworked and stressed PMs create pressure and disconnection.

    • Avoid last-minute changes and unclear expectations.

    • Balance deep work vs. reactive work—don’t just respond to messages all day.


    [18:08 - 22:26] Managing Workload as a PM

    • Split work into offense (strategic work) and defense (reactive tasks).

    • Prioritize one key task per day instead of juggling everything at once.

    • Time-box meetings and avoid unnecessary stakeholder discussions.


    [22:26 - 24:59] How PMs Can Earn Engineers’ Trust

    • Be a sparring partner, not just a requirement-pusher.

    • Never throw engineers under the bus—own decisions as a team.

    • A PM should always support and defend shipped features.


    [24:59 - 27:36] Final Thoughts & Paul’s Work

    • Mistakes happen—focus on developing strong personal values as a PM.

    • Paul’s new novel about an engineer in Big Tech (available in German).

    • Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.


    [27:36 - 28:00] Closing Remarks

    • Subscribe to Product and Cake & Lessons in Product Management.

    • See you next week!


    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Lessons In Product ManagementBy Path2Product

    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    26 ratings


    More shows like Lessons In Product Management

    View all
    WSJ Tech News Briefing by The Wall Street Journal

    WSJ Tech News Briefing

    1,630 Listeners

    Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    77,232 Listeners

    Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

    Freakonomics Radio

    32,081 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,259 Listeners

    The Bill Simmons Podcast by The Ringer

    The Bill Simmons Podcast

    30,033 Listeners

    Lage der Nation - der Politik-Podcast aus Berlin by Philip Banse & Ulf Buermeyer

    Lage der Nation - der Politik-Podcast aus Berlin

    266 Listeners

    Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

    Cold Call

    193 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    111,501 Listeners

    The Product Podcast by Product School

    The Product Podcast

    166 Listeners

    Darknet Diaries by Jack Rhysider

    Darknet Diaries

    7,843 Listeners

    The Product Experience by Mind the Product

    The Product Experience

    35 Listeners

    Product Thinking by Melissa Perri

    Product Thinking

    143 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics

    3,404 Listeners

    This Day in AI Podcast by Michael Sharkey, Chris Sharkey

    This Day in AI Podcast

    190 Listeners

    Product Therapy by SVPG

    Product Therapy

    10 Listeners