In this conversation, Tanja Lau interviews Justin Groep about his journey from working as a barista in South Africa to securing a product management role in a challenging job market. Justin shares insights on the importance of networking, strategic job hunting, the value of feedback, and the resilience required to navigate the job application process. He emphasizes the significance of community support and mentorship in overcoming obstacles and encourages others to pay it forward by sharing their knowledge and experiences. Don’t forget to check out all the valuable links and resources he offered as part of the shownotes below - including the templates he created to keep track of his job hunt!

OUR GUESTJustin Groep (PM at Neho)

Justin’s product journey began as a barista in South Africa—daydreaming about tech and yearning for something more. Over the next four years, he dabbled in building websites and photography, which landed him a role at a digital agency Soda Studios, gradually paving his way into product. He broke into product as a PM of the mobile app at Urban Connect. In this fast-moving Swiss corporate mobility startup, Justin had his first real opportunity to dive into product management. Today, he is thrilled to have found an amazing product role, shaping the future of real estate at Swiss Prop tech, Neho Real Estate. On the side, he runs Kaffiabo, a passion project that keeps his love for coffee alive and connects him back to his roots.

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Notion about me page: Justin Groep (shareable profile)

• Justin’s template for tracking my job applications: Notion job tracker template - “The Job Hunt 🦾”

Youtube:

• Diego Grendaos -https://www.youtube.com/c/pmdiegogranados 

• Exponent -https://www.youtube.com/@tryexponent

Newsletters:

• Lenny’s Newsletter -https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/ 

• Itamar Gilad -https://itamargilad.com/newsletter/ 

• Pawel Huryn -https://www.productcompass.pm/ 

Podcasts: 

• Lenny’s Podcast -https://open.spotify.com/show/2dR1MUZEHCOnz1LVfNac0j 

• How I built this with Guy Raz (Founder stories) -https://open.spotify.com/show/6E709HRH7XaiZrMfgtNCun 

• Product Thinking with Melissa Perri -https://open.spotify.com/show/3TV1jXZqlSFCzZ3xqvcG96 

  
  

Books:

Product Specific:

• Escaping the Build Trap – highly practical and applicable.  

• Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen - intersection of UX and finding product market fit

• Inspired – Didn’t resonate at first but gave Justin a good product vocab (when re-reading it after a year in product, it all made a lot more sense)

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries– helped Justin understand experimentation and iterative product development.  

• The mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick –  taught him how to conduct user interviews 

  
  

On a personal level

• Peak by Anders Ericcson and Robert Pool - Understanding deliberate practice and how to grow in a skill

• Grit by Angela Duckworth - While struggling to persevere after a reaching a plateau this was an interesting take of what justin need to do to keep going

• Drive by Daniel Pink - Pretty much research on the science of motivation. To help my reframe my growth and development journey.

• Deep work by Cal Newport - In order for me to develop and cross the “casm” into product. I need to work and go about my daily work differently and change my relationship towards things like Social Media.

  
  

  
  

RECIPE

As always, we serve this episode with a recipe you can cook while listening to the conversation. Justin’s tip: 

Mixed leaf salad with mozzarella, mint, peach & prosciutto: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/mixed-leaf-salad-with-mozzarella-mint-peach-prosciutto/

Some slightly roasted pine nuts are a nice little addition to this recipe.

SUMMARY

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Alexander Hipp discuss the challenges of balancing long-term and short-term goals in product management. 

They analyze the complexity of finding a balance and identify three practical steps on how to handle conflicting goals. The conversation emphasizes the necessity of hard conversations and the role of communication in navigating the complexities of product management.

CHAPTERS

00:43 Navigating the Tension Between Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

12:00 Understanding Organizational Dynamics in Product Management

20:04 Practical Strategies for Balancing Priorities

24:54 The Importance of Communication and Visualization

OUR GUEST

Alexander Hipp, Founder of Beyond

With more than 15 years in digital product development, Alex helps teams succeed by breaking down complexity and focusing on what matters most. His background as a product manager, founder, and fractional product leader at companies like N26 and XING taught him that great products come from clear decision-making, strong priorities, and aligned teams. Now, as the founder of Beyond, he enables product teams to make confident, impact-driven choices through strategic mapping and decision trees.

COOK WHILE LISTENING

Alex’s favorite roasted cauliflower: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yotam-ottolenghis-roasted-cauliflower-recipe

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Vanaja Sriskandarajah discuss the challenges and changes that come with balancing parenthood and a career in product leadership. They explore how becoming a parent shifts one's perspective on work, the importance of time management, and the necessity of setting boundaries. Both share their experiences of returning to work after parental leave, the adjustments they made to their schedule, and the importance of communication in fostering a supportive workplace culture. 

OUR GUEST

Vanaja is a lifelong fintech enthusiast and currently the Director of Product at Raisin, a leading savings and investment marketplace that empowers people with greater choice and control over their finances. Previously, she led product teams at Billie, driving innovation in B2B financing, and at N26, where she played a key role in scaling the subscription plan offering.

Her fintech journey began in Australia, where she co-founded an investment app—a transformative experience that sparked her passion for startups and building impactful financial products.

USEFUL LINKS

https://hbr.org/2019/08/how-to-return-to-work-after-taking-parental-leave

https://www.mindtheproduct.com/going-part-time-made-better-product-manager/

https://www.swisspreneur.org/podcast/ep-67-qa-on-raising-kids-and-growing-a-startup

RECIPE

We serve each episode with a recipe you can cook while listening to the conversation. This is one of Vanaja’s favorite pasta recipes - ready in 15 minutes:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/blender_beetroot_pasta_96501

In this conversation, Radhika Dutt and Francesca Cortesi discuss the challenges of implementing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) in organizations, emphasizing the pitfalls organizations encounter when they only steer with OKRs, not considering vision and strategy.

Radhika introduces the concept of 'vision debt' and advocates for a shift towards a hypothesis-driven approach to product management, encouraging collaborative learning and genuine experimentation. The discussion highlights the importance of creating a supportive environment where teams can thrive without being steered blindly by metrics.

CHAPTERS

00:43 Understanding the Challenges of OKRs

11:23 The Duct Tape Analogy: Vision vs. Goals

21:20 Transitioning from OKRs to a Hypothesis-Driven Approach

28:18 Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

1. Radical Product Thinking book: https://a.co/d/flYm3o8

2. Link to Radical Product Thinking Certification: https://www.radicalproduct.com/certification/

Radhika is currently working on her second book. It is about OKRs and rethinking goal-settings. If you'd like to be featured in a case study in the book and you want to transition from an OKR model to the approach I advocate for (Objectives Hypotheses and Learnings), reach out to Radhika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/

OUR GUEST

Radhika Dutt, Author of Radical Product Thinking

Radhika Dutt is the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter which has been translated into languages including Chinese and Japanese. She is an entrepreneur and product leader who has participated in five acquisitions, two of which were companies that she founded. She is currently Advisor on Product Thinking to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and does consulting and training for organizations ranging from high-tech startups to multinationals on building radical products that create a fundamental change. Radhika has built products in a wide range of industries including broadcast, media and entertainment, telecom, advertising technology, government, consumer apps, robotics, and even wine. She graduated from MIT with an SB and M.Eng in Electrical Engineering, and speaks nine languages. 

COOK WHILE LISTENING

Radhika’s favorite tiramisù receipt

In a baking dish, spread a layer of cream, soak the ladyfingers in coffee, turning them on both sides and then line them on the top of the cream. Pour a second layer of cream onto the ladyfingers and then arrange more ladyfingers oakedd in coffee. Top with another layer of cream, spreading it evenly with a spatula.

Using a sieve, sprinkle the powdered cocoa generously over the cream.

Put into the refrigerator for at least two hours. The Tiramisu' is at its best if you prepare it one day in advance

IngredientsPreparation

SUMMARY

In this special episode, Francesca Cortesi and Tanja Lau share their main takeaways from season 1 of Tough Stuff.

CHAPTERS

00:50 Francesca’s Takeaways

04:10 Tanja’s takeaways

QUOTED EPISODES

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In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Sebastian explore the concept of an entrepreneurial mindset, discussing its definition, key traits, and how it can be cultivated in individuals and organizations. They delve into the importance of accountability, risk management, and decision-making processes, emphasizing the role of leadership in fostering an entrepreneurial environment. The discussion also touches on the challenges of teaching this mindset, the significance of resilience, and practical strategies for identifying entrepreneurial traits during hiring processes.

OUR GUEST

Sebastian Schuon is a German entrepreneur and technologist known for co-founding several successful companies. He earned a Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford University and a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich where he was part of the CDTM.

In 2008, Schuon co-founded Stylight, a fashion platform, where he served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) until 2016.  After Stylight was acquired by ProSiebenSat.1 in 2016, he took a brief hiatus before launching Alasco in 2018 as co-founder and CEO. Alasco is a software company that digitizes financial management for construction projects, aiming to streamline processes in the real estate and construction industries.

Sebastian also serves as Chairman at Luminovo, a company specializing in artificial intelligence solutions and is Business Angel for several companies. 

He recently co-founded Schub with Space & Labs, an incubator in Munich. 

CHAPTERS 

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00:00 Defining the Entrepreneurial Mindset

06:54 Creating an Entrepreneurial Environment

15:59 Teaching the Entrepreneurial Mindset

23:55 The Role of Resilience in Entrepreneurship

SHOWNOTES

RECIPE

We serve every episode with a recipe you can prepare while listening to the conversation. This time you get to try one of Basti’s favorite dishes: Kaiserschmarrn. 

https://swissfamilyfun.com/kaiserschmarrn/

Enjoy!

In this conversation, Francesca Cortesi and Erik Almenberg discuss how to align a product strategy, emphasizing the importance of shared insights and alignment across teams. They discuss the economic drivers of product strategy, the significance of collaborative opportunity solution trees, and the value of engaging with customers to gain insights. The conversation also touches on overcoming internal pushback and the frameworks for investing in product strategy, highlighting the need for a balanced approach that considers reach, retention, and pace over time.

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Is your boss a micro-manager? Or do you wish for more guidance and clarity about the product strategy?

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Petra Wille discuss the concept of 'managing up'—the practice of individual contributors actively shaping their relationships with their bosses to foster better communication and feedback. They explore the dynamics of feedback, the expectations employees can have from their leaders, and the importance of creating a safe environment for giving and receiving feedback. The discussion also delves into the challenges of micromanagement, the art of delivering feedback effectively, and the need for leaders to establish clear principles for their teams. Ultimately, the conversation emphasizes the mutual benefits of open communication and feedback in the workplace.

OUR GUEST

Petra Wille is an independent product leadership coach and the author of STRONG Product People and the recently released STRONG Product Communities. She's been helping product teams boost their skill sets and product leaders develop their teams (and themselves) since 2013. Alongside her freelance work, Petra co-organizes Product at Heart in Hamburg, Germany.

USEFUL RESOURCES

RECIPE

We serve each episode with a recipe you can prepare while listening to the conversation. This week on the menu: 

Vegetarian Quesadilla

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quesadilla_84511

Enjoy!

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