Product Agility

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In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, Ben welcomes product coach and consultant Christoph Steinlehner to discuss a universal pain point: unproductive meetings. If your calendar is flooded with time-sucking, pointless meetings, you're not alone. Christoph dives into the root cause of this meeting epidemic and offers practical tools to reclaim your time, energy, and focus.

Key Takeaways:

• Multiplying Meetings: Why they lead to more and when to intervene.
  Vampire Meetings: Use the “wooden stake” of visual mapping to end life-sucking gatherings.
  Power of Visual Mapping: Even rough sketches bring clarity, alignment, and actionable outcomes.
  Keep it Scrappy: Stay humble and simple to encourage collaboration and avoid over-preparation.
  Avoiding Tangents: Use visual tools to spot and address off-track discussions.
  Psychological Safety: Create a safe space for collaboration and better decision-making.

Practical Tools & Methods:

• Customer Journey Mapping, Impact Maps, and more: Christoph shares some of the key methods that product teams can use to map out their meetings, systems, and processes visually.
• Mapping doesn’t need to be complex: You don’t need fancy software! Sticky notes on a wall or a whiteboard can work wonders for getting on the same page.
• Tools of the trade: Learn about some digital tools for remote mapping, including Miro, Mural, and Figma, and how to get started with them.

Quotable Moments:

• “Meetings are like vampires, sucking the life out of us. But mapping is the wooden stake we need to slay them.”
• “Start visualising! You don’t need expensive tools. Just a few sticky notes and arrows can transform how your team collaborates.”
• “When people can see what’s in your head, they can point out what’s wrong. That’s when real collaboration happens.”

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Christoph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/csteinlehner/  
• Want to learn more about visual mapping and how it can help your team? Reach out to Christoph on LinkedIn for his free guide to the Mapper Method.
• Loved this episode? Leave us a review on iTunes and help us reach more listeners!

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

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Ben Maynard

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Kim Faura, former CCO of Giffgaff and Checkatrade, joins the Product Agility Podcast to share his journey of driving massive growth in two iconic companies. Kim played a pivotal role in scaling Giffgaff from startup to £500m+ in revenue and doubled Checkatrade’s growth, transforming both companies into industry leaders.

In this episode, Kim explains how a relentless focus on customer experience, platform liquidity, and data-driven decision-making was key to scaling these businesses. He also offers leadership insights on how to balance personal care with direct challenges, drawing on his experience leading high-performing teams and optimising product and marketing strategies.

Key Takeaways:

• Scaling Strategies: How Kim doubled traffic, leads, and revenue at Checkatrade and Giffgaff.
• Customer-Centric Growth: The impact of putting customer experience at the heart of product development.
• Platform Liquidity: Balancing supply and demand for marketplace success.
• Leadership Lessons: How radical candour and data-driven decisions can transform teams and businesses.

Whether you're a product manager, agile coach, or business leader, this episode is full of actionable strategies to help scale your business and improve customer satisfaction.

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Kim Faura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimfaura/ 

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

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Ben Maynard

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What does it take to build products that scale to millions of users? Gojko Adzic, renowned author and creator of multiple industry-shaping tools, shares his journey from coding enthusiast to full-stack product legend. Gojko has written some of the most influential books in product management and agile practices, including Specification by Example, Impact Mapping, and his latest, Lizard Optimization. His tools like MindMup and Narrakit have garnered millions of users, and in this episode, Gojko opens up about the strategies and lessons that fueled this growth.

Gojko discusses how he built Narrakit from scratch, overcoming product management challenges and optimizing user experience at every stage. He introduces the concept of "Lizard Optimization," revealing how unconventional user behaviour can lead to breakthrough innovations in product development. Whether you're a product manager, developer, or agile enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Scaling to Millions: Discover the strategies Gojko used to grow Narrakit to over 9 million active users.
• Product Optimization for All: Learn how Gojko designed his tools to be accessible to both technical and non-technical users alike.
• Lizard Optimization: Gojko introduces his unique framework for identifying opportunities from unexpected user behaviours.
• Turning Feedback into Growth: Hear how Gojko translates customer feedback into valuable product enhancements.

Perfect for product managers, agile coaches, and anyone looking to take their products to the next level, this episode will leave you inspired to think differently about user feedback and product growth.

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Gojko Adzic on LinkedIn: Gojko Adzic
• Learn more about Gojko’s work: narrakit.com
• Get a discount on Gojko's newest book: https://leanpub.com/lizardoptimization/c/XoTxTJtAXZb3

Tune in now to gain deep insights from one of the most influential voices in product management and agile practices!

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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How can product teams truly maximise their impact on business-critical goals? Matt LeMay, a seasoned product leader, consultant, and author, shares his experience and insights on transforming product management into a key driver of meaningful business outcomes. With a career that includes guiding teams through acquisitions by Google and Intuit, advising giants like Spotify, and building product teams for startups now valued in the hundreds of millions, Matt offers a wealth of knowledge.

Matt discusses how an "impact-first" approach shifts the traditional role of product management from simply facilitating ideas to actively contributing to significant business success. He highlights the importance of aligning team efforts with the core objectives of the business, ensuring that every action taken is purposeful and drives real results.

Key Takeaways:

• Defining Success: Strategies for aligning product teams with the business’s critical goals to ensure substantial impact.
• Facilitation vs. Leadership: Why effective product management is about empowering teams rather than leading them with a top-down vision.
• Managing Dependencies: Approaches to handling dependencies without isolating them from the team, fostering a more integrated problem-solving process.
• Ethical Considerations: Balancing business outcomes with ethical decision-making in the face of market pressures.

Perfect for product managers, team leaders, and anyone involved in directing a product team's efforts, this episode offers practical guidance on how to lead your team to make a tangible impact on your business.

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Matt LeMay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlemay/
• Visit Matt’s website for more insights and resources: mattlemay.com
• Matt's books: https://amzn.to/3AXlUiq 

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, we explore the world of strategic agile coaching with Elaine Tittanegro Correa, a seasoned Business Agility and Transformation leader with over 13 years of experience. Elaine has successfully navigated the complex intersection of agile practices and business needs, earning her a senior position at Tesco.

Elaine shares her unique journey, starting as a typical Scrum Master and evolving into a strategic agile coach focused on delivering business impact. She emphasises the importance of aligning agile practices with business objectives rather than rigidly adhering to agile dogma. Elaine’s approach is centred on helping companies succeed by integrating agile methodologies to support their specific goals, rather than pursuing agility as an end in itself.

Key Takeaways:

- The transition from traditional agile coaching to a strategic approach that aligns with business outcomes.

- How to maintain empathy and kindness while driving change in an organisation.

- The significance of connecting agile practices to business value, ensuring that coaching efforts contribute to tangible results.

Whether you’re an agile coach, product manager, or a business leader looking to enhance your organisation's agility, this episode offers valuable insights into how to leverage agile coaching for business success.

Tune in to learn from Elaine’s experience and discover how to strategically apply agile practices to meet your business objectives.

Links and Resources:

Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-tittanegro/ 

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, we sit down with Jeff Callan, a growth-focused product leader with over 25 years of experience and 50,000 hours dedicated to product management. Jeff has a proven track record of transforming innovative ideas into scalable products, having built and led successful strategies that have reached millions of customers and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in new value.

Jeff shares insights from his extensive career and his book, "What Makes Great Products Great," a 400-page product management boot camp filled with practical advice and "cheat codes" for product managers. The episode dives into some of the most critical aspects of product management, including the importance of feedback loops, aligning KPI's, and creating products that truly resonate with customers.

Key Takeaways:

- The significance of continuous customer feedback in product development

- Why aligning metrics across teams is crucial for effective product management

- Strategies for gathering actionable feedback and integrating it into your product roadmap

Whether you're a seasoned product manager, an agile coach, or someone interested in learning what it takes to build great products, this episode offers valuable lessons and actionable insights that can elevate your approach to product management.

Tune in to discover Jeff’s strategies for success and learn how to apply them to your own product development processes.

Links and Resources:

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcallan/

"What Makes Great Products Great" - https://amzn.to/4cwGpzP

Tyghtwyre Consulting - https://tyghtwyre.com/

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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Product Agility Podcast

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In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, we sit down with Jeff Anderson, founder of Agile by Design, and a veteran of the agile change space with over 20 years of experience. Jeff shares his unique journey, from navigating the complexities of large consultancies like Deloitte to founding his own agile consultancy that helps organisations thrive through teamwork and innovation.

Jeff’s candid story about "The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did in Agile" offers valuable lessons and insights. This episode highlights the challenges and rewards of working in environments that don’t always fit conventional molds, and how Jeff's experiences have shaped his approach to agile transformations.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of situational empathy in agile practices
• Why proximity between developers and users is crucial
• How adversity can fuel professional growth and innovation

Whether you're an agile coach, product manager, or someone interested in organisational change, this episode offers practical insights and real-world stories that can inspire you to embrace challenges and drive meaningful change in your own work.

Tune in to gain actionable advice from Jeff's extensive experience and learn how to navigate the often-turbulent waters of agile transformation with confidence.

Links and Resources:

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasjeffreyandersontwin/

Get Jeff's Book "Organizing Toward Agility" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fSDNyU

Check out Agile By Design success stories: https://www.agilebydesign.com/case-studies

Book a Free Change Canvas session with Jeff's Team: https://www.agilebydesign.com/free-change-canvas

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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Product Agility Podcast

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When you get Rani Al Hajji, you gain insights from a global executive with a wealth of experience in fast-moving consumer goods, converted into practical, actionable strategies. His journey: from key roles at L’Oreal and Colgate to leading innovation and commercial strategies across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Drawing from over 25 years of experience with iconic brands and leading markets, Rani authored numerous successful business turnarounds and innovative product launches. In this episode, we dive DEEP into the interplay between agility and innovation, and how to leverage both for market success.

Introduction and Background:

• Rani’s journey from a global executive in consumer goods to an advocate for agile and innovative practices.
• The realisation of the challenges and opportunities in traditional product management.

The Concept of Innovation in Agile:

• How agility can drive product innovation.
• The importance of creating a belief system and movement around agile methodologies.

Challenges of Traditional Product Management:

• The inefficiencies and costs associated with rigid management practices.
• How traditional practices can stifle innovation and productivity.

The Role of Leaders in Modern Organizations:

• Redefining leadership roles to support agile transformations.
• The importance of developing and empowering teams rather than micromanaging.

Cultural Change and Organisational Dynamics:

• Engaging leadership to support new agile and innovative philosophies.
• Practical steps for leaders to initiate and sustain change within their organisations.

Practical Tools and Techniques:

• Actionable advice from Rani’s extensive experience to help leaders and managers adopt agile principles.
• The significance of aligning product vision with agile methodologies to achieve sustainable success.

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Rani Alhaji on LinkedIn

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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Product Agility Podcast

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When you get Jack, you get complex management research converted into often humorous yet humbling management insights and practice. His journey: failed plumber becomes college professor, with stops along the way as the lead for Sapient’s Los Angeles office, a senior management sciences analyst at RAND Corporation, and a trained restaurant chef.

 Drawing from over a decade working with 200+ client organisations, Jack authored "Unmanaged: Master the Magic of Creating Empowered and Happy Organisations." In this episode, we went DEEP into the challenges and misconceptions surrounding management in the agile and product contexts.

1. Introduction and Background:
   • Jack’s journey from a software developer to becoming a manager.
   • The realisation of the inefficiencies and challenges in traditional management roles.
2. The Concept of Unmanaged:
   • Less managing can lead to more productive and empowered teams.
   • The importance of creating a belief system and movement around this concept.
3. Challenges of Traditional Management:
   • The inefficiencies and costs associated with over-management.
   • How traditional management practices can stifle innovation and productivity.
4. The Role of Managers:
   • Redefining the role of managers in modern organisations.
   • The importance of developing and empowering team members rather than micromanaging.
5. Cultural Change and Organisational Dynamics:
   • How to engage leadership and align them with new management philosophies.
   • Practical steps for managers and leaders to start making changes within their organisations.
6. Practical Tools and Techniques:
   • Practical advice and tools from Jack’s book to help managers adopt a less intrusive management style.
   • The significance of measuring managerial effectiveness by team growth and development.

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Jack Skeels on - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackaskeels/
• Visit the book’s website at unmanagedbook.com

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

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Product Agility Podcast

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Phil Hornby is a passionate product leadership coach. Helping product leaders to think clearly, make strong decisions, and take powerful action that drives high-impact outcomes.

In this episode Ben Maynard sits down with Phil, here is what the spoke about:

Key  Takeaways:

• Roadmaps as Communication Tools: Roadmaps should be seen as communication and alignment artifacts, not rigid plans. They help teams and stakeholders get on the same page about the direction of travel and the problems to be solved.
• Content Maturity in Roadmaps: Roadmaps evolve over time, moving from feature-focused to problem-focused to outcome-focused. The most mature roadmaps include a mix of content types.
• The Problem of "It Depends": Product decisions are always made in context, and the context matters. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, hence the title of Phil's book.
• Overcoming Agile Challenges with Roadmaps: Agile teams often struggle with roadmaps because they are seen as plans. A step-wise approach to introducing roadmaps can help, starting with adjusting the timing and then maturing the content.
• Outcome-Focused Roadmaps: Roadmaps should focus on the outcomes the team wants to achieve, not just the outputs they will deliver. This helps align the team and ensures they are working on the right things.
• The Decision-Making Process: Phil breaks down decision-making into three stages: getting to the decision, making the decision, and implementing the decision. 

Resources:

• Lean UX Training - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lean-ux-product-discovery-for-agile-teams-london-eng-tickets-934365370977
• It Depends Book: Phil's upcoming book on product decision-making -https://www.forproductpeople.com/content/books/it-depends 
• Sense and Respond: A book by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden recommended by Phil for its product mindset insights https://www.senseandrespondpress.com/

Where to Find Phil:

• LinkedIn: https://w

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

🔗 http://bitly.ws/GFwi

🐦 http://bitly.ws/GFwq

💻 http://bitly.ws/GFwz

Product Agility Podcast

🔗 http://bitly.ws/FdVJ

🐦 http://bitly.ws/FdVT

🤳 http://bitly.ws/FdW9

🎶 http://bitly.ws/FdWj

🎥 http://bitly.ws/FdWy

💻 http://bitly.ws/GFuS

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