In this conversation, Julia & Tanja discuss the challenges of over-customization in B2B, particularly in the SaaS industry. How do you find a good trade-off between short- and long-term strategy? What does cash flow have to do with customization? And how do you co-create instead of customize? Julia explains why there is no such thing as a small customization request and which strategies she developed at Alasco to not fall into the over-customization trap.

OUR GUEST

Julia has been the VP of Product at Alasco, a fast-scaling prop tech startup in Munich. She has built up the product & engineering department from 10 to 60 people over five years. Throughout this time she has experienced how to make a product market fit for two different products, drive financing rounds from the product side and build up a product organisation throughout the different phases of a startup. Now she is leading research and innovation projects at Alasco with a focus on Generative AI to discover future opportunities for the company but also to enable the product and engineering team to apply new technologies.

USEFUL LINKS

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH JULIA

www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bastian 

https://juliabastian.medium.com/

RECIPE

We serve every episode with a dish you can prepare while listening to this conversation. On the menu today: 

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/

Enjoy - and don’t forget to rate and review the podcast! 

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Dominique Jost discuss the topic of burnout and its impact on careers. They explore the importance of owning one's narrative and turning a negative experience into a positive one.

You'll learn more about Dominique's view on how to seek help and the potential career implications of talking about burnout openly.

If you detect signs of burnout in yourself, please seek professional assistance and take good care of yourself!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Experiences with Burnout

03:00 Factors to Consider When Speaking Up About Burnout

07:15 Preparing for a Conversation About Burnout

10:21 The Career Implications of Talking About Burnout

13:54 Leaving a Toxic Environment

21:08 Reflections on Burnout and Prioritizing Health

OUR GUEST

Dominique is the Head of Product at Doist, the makers of Todoist and Twist, where he is building a world-class, remote, and async-first product organization. Prior to that, he was the CPO at Scout24 (now Swiss Marketplace Group), Switzerland's largest network of classifieds.

He started his career writing code for web applications but quickly gravitated toward the art and science of shaping and shipping great products. This interest in all things product, and his appetite for sharing and learning new ways of working, inspired him to take on various leadership roles throughout his 20-year career in engineering and product.

His ultimate goal is to create empowering environments where teams can create value for customers and the business — all while having fun and staying sane.

SHOWNOTES

Stress & Burnout

Therapy

Leadership

OUR GUEST

Chiedza Muguti, Consultant Business Analyst at World Health Organisation (WHO)

Chiedza is an experienced product strategist with a customer-centric approach and a proven track record in driving growth across diverse organisational landscapes,

SUMMARY

In this conversation, Tanja Lau and Chiedza Muguti discuss what makes a senior product manager (PM) senior. They explore the challenges of assessing one's own seniority and identify cautionary signs that someone is not yet senior. They also discuss the key areas to assess seniority, including communication, conflict resolution, collaboration, and holistic thinking. You’ll also learn whether Chiedza and Tanja believe that the number of years in a position actually contribute to a PM’s seniority.

CHAPTERS

00:00  Introduction and Overview

00:56   Cautionary Signs of Lack of Seniority

03:16    Self-Awareness and Impact on Others

07:25 Communication and Listening Skills

08:19 Being Easy to Give Feedback to and Open

15:26 Seniority Beyond Years: Repetitions and

19:02 Contextual and Nuanced Criteria for

21:59    Conclusion and Next Steps

USEFUL RESOURCES

https://www.petra-wille.com/blog/my-highly-opinionated-guide-to-product-maturity-assessment

https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Mind-the-Product-Skills-Assessment-PDF.pdf