Run the Business: Recent Episodes
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PLG is almost universally applied (or desired) by every B2B product company. And while there are a lot of PLG success stories written up, the nuances of actually implementing and operationalizing such a motion are best learned through deep conversations with folks who have lived the journey. Which is why I’m really excited to share my recent conversation with , who leads the Growth Pillar at Asana (and also writes the Reflections of a PM newsletter).
We covered quite a bit of ground in this session, including:
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the differences between moving upmarket vs downmarket utilizing PLG
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the need to think of PLG as a mindset shift requiring change management
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the market dynamics that make a PLG motion appealing…and necessary
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the importance of understanding your end user and buyer before PLG-ing
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audience questions on when, where, how, and why to apply PLG methods
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I found the discussion around user expectations of B2B software changing very telling - end users now expect to try out features beyond a basic demo, which is part of the broader consumerization of enterprise software. It’s a less cited but equally important part of the PLG push we’ve seen in the industry (most of the focus seems to be on the efficiency of product-led vs sales-led revenue). Building on that, Shahzad highlights how being product-led is a counter-balance to the feature factory mindset.
Shahzad also had great insights into why most PLG efforts start with acquisition or monetization rather than other aspects of the user / buyer journey; it fundamentally comes down to your depth of understanding of your motion, and where the low-hanging fruit is for PLG to have an impact. Given the culture and mindset shift required to execute PLG properly across product and GTM teams, having these types of prioritization and trade-off discussions is critical.
As readers of this newsletter know, I love delving into data and metrics - that is definitely a major dimension of change with PLG. In the clip below, we discuss how things shift with metrics forecasting, tracking, and reporting. The big takeaway is the breadth evolves and you have to rethink your operations and rituals.
Our conversation also veered into a discussion of “champions”, which are critical to not only landing but expanding in B2B. One benefit of PLG is it allows you to be much more surgical in identifying and serving champions - in the clip below we learn about the “champion experience” team at Asana and how it operates.
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
context
color
connectivity
cost
consequence
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with cascades - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
in this episode of Dare to Lead, Brene Brown mentions the 5 C’s
cascades are a critical tool for ensuring your strategy is both legible and synchronized (2 concepts I covered previously in Implementing Product Strategy)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
BHAG definition: big hairy audacious goal
BHAG purpose: think big, ship small
BHAG evaluation: does it bend the curve?
BHAG framing: what does outsized ROI look like?
BHAG value: connects the dots to overall vision
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with using BHAGs - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
this excerpt from the Jim Collins book Built to Last seems to be the original mention of the BHAG concept
readers of this newsletter will be familiar with the invisible asymptote mental model - the original Eugene Wei blog post explains how Amazon Prime was a BHAG to solve shipping costs / purchase friction
I’ve spoken before about the power of “thinking long, writing short”
BHAG thinking goes hand in hand with appropriately chunking / strategically sequencing work, something I highlighted via the power of layering choices and dove into in a previous episode of 5 Minute Fridays (strategy sophistication)
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
double click into extensibility platforms
marketplaces as a special case of extensibility
the key constructs in a successful marketplace
UFAs as an initial method to bootstrap supply
identifying potential UFAs worth pursuing
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with marketplace bootstrapping - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
an overview and deep-dive into underutilized fixed assets (UFAs) by Kevin Kwok
“fake it till you make it” is also a strategy for generating supply / demand
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
the business purpose of any platform play (reach)
the 3 platform ility’s (scalability, extensibility, composability)
how each ility enables a different type of reach (volume, workflow, market)
what the viability of each play depends on (automation, partners, innovation)
platform terminology and the ingredients of each ility play
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with platform plays - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
Steve Yegge’s Google / Amazon Platforms Rant is a great read on the mindset required for a successful platform play
the terms product, platform, marketplace, and ecosystem tend to be conflated, so I recommend reading Platform vs Linear Business Models and Platform Types
the CEO of Applico has some good writing and a Quora post that provides examples of different platform plays (tl;dr exchange vs builder platforms)
if you want to apply Platform Plays thinking to concrete examples, read through Skip Step SaaS and consider each of those products on these 3 ility axes
my previous Product Tree post has a good example of the difference between a feature, a solution, and a platform and how a company can operate at all altitudes
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
the importance of having a point of view (PoV)
the misnomer that a refined PoV is “instinct”
the mistake of over-indexing on the insight
user behavior as the foundation of insights
techniques for understanding user behavior
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with cross-functional accountability - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
how product sense develops has been a topic of interest for a while
selling your point of view on the market (vs pitching features) is the way to go
layering choices is a way to apply the power of compound interest to products
“natural” public speaking is a myth where we mistakenly see innate brilliance
products are workflows; clear once you see, but you have to train yourself to see
there’s no substitute for using your own product - best way to not be surprised
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
leadership accountability for outcomes
functional accountability for drivers
the fuzziness of product accountability
measuring the true impact of PMs
product empathy for other functions
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with cross-functional accountability - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
product market fit is one attempt to gauge whether a PM team is having impact, which is a concept I’ve had mixed feelings about in the past
the idea of PMs as cross-functional leads vs feature facilitiors is a recurring theme in this newsletter
if you enjoyed this of cross-functional fuzzines, you might like a previous 5 minute Friday about Functional Fluidity
another function that has similarly fuzzy accountability for “success” is CSM, a topic I wrote about just earlier this week (and our first co-authored post)
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
how leaders are ultimately defined
how the org’s pendulum works
how switching focus is costly
how the feeling differs by altitude
how to plan around the pendulum
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with the pendulum - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
to manage the pendulum swings, it’s critical to illuminate and implement strategy, otherwise you deal with issues of plan legibility and org synchronicity
pendulum swings contribute to several of the anti-patterns I’ve shared recently: new toolkit, old habits, collaboration vs competition, and metrics malfunction
the point about the pendulum shift sensation varying by altitude is because modes of operation in a company range between typing vs tapping
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition (but on a Sunday!)
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
strategy execution plays out via tactics / coherence / sequencing
there are 3 levels of conversation around strategy (WHAT / WHY / WHEN)
Level 1 is necessary, but only to generate artifacts
Level 2 is high-leverage, but should happen early and often
Level 3 is how to show your point of view on market / timing
I’d love to hear from listeners about their strategy tips - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
this week’s topic is a continuation of Quarterly Planning tips from last time
making it cheap to experiment broadly is something I’ve spoken about before (slides here)
also a big fan of direct customer experience (CX) loops
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition (but on a Saturday!)
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
storytelling is critical to aligning the org
a product team should think in bets
metrics can make or break your plan
dependencies are a fact of life
a poor planner blames staffing
I’d love to hear from listeners about their planning tips - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
reminder that storytelling is a critical PM skill, and all about pitching your PoV
and a great storytelling technique for product work is highlighting how prior releases combine with future bets to compound value for customers
obligatory reminder that there are more types of bets than just feature work
focusing on metrics can go sideways, so some thoughts on avoiding that
if you use OKRs as part of your planning / alignment process, review these myths
this episode of the Build podcast also highlight 7 Qs for better priortization
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
the Tweet that got me thinking about this
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
extreme levels of self accountability creating stress for all
tying up too much of one’s identity into creating impact
incorrect pattern matching that more hours will help
implicitly absorbing cultural norms that no longer serve
an output vs outcome mindset focused on delivery vs learning
I’d love to hear from listeners about the techniques they’ve used to foster PM collaboration - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
this old Signal v Noise blog post about being tired isn’t a badge or honor is a great reminder, and something the authors expand on in Rework and an accompanying podcast episode (workaholics aren’t heroes)
almost wrote this (and still might) as a satirical essay like Savior Syndrome and The Ineffecitve Executive
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
the point of a north star (clarity, progress, accountability)
managing your career (take ownership vs go with flow)
stages of sophistication (KPIs, OKRs, direct impact, indirect reach)
example personal metrics (income, impact, NPS, network strength)
I’d love to hear from listeners about their personal north star metrics - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
an overview of north star metrics from Amplitude
personal north stars can go sideways, so a reminder about south star metrics
a prior post on OKR myths (which are a good framework for personal goals too)
breaking through a north star plateau and identifying the next one is an idea I got from one of my favorite blog posts: Eugene Wei on invisible asymptotes
an interesting listen on building an intentional career
2 frameworks for professional planning: the ladders of wealth creation and 9 infinite games to play with your career
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
PMs care about learning rate and improving craft just like everyone
The default model for PMs tends to dis-incentivize collaboration
Leaders should set up the org design / operating cadence to counter
Examples of PMs fighting the dysfunction / searching for collaboration
Ideas for making collaboration easier and disincentivizing competition
I’d love to hear from listeners about the techniques they’ve used to foster PM collaboration - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
an interesting theory as to why PMs don’t improve as fast as designers
I’ve written previously about PM purists and tweeners
this line of thinking is also a continuation of Conway’s Conundrum
I would argue that PMs in competition is a side effect of feature factories
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
use the product as multiple personas
demo the product to different audiences
do a teardown for the product team
absorb the history of product decisions
get the market’s PoV on the product
reverse engineer the product strategy
I’d love to hear from listeners about the practices they’ve used to onboard new PMs - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
teardowns are a good learning exercise for PM teams beyond onboarding
I’ve written extensively about articulating and implementing product strategy before, and that clarity of thought (or lack thereof) is very obvious to new hires: pitching your PoV, legibility and synchronicity, garbage in / garbage out, and pressure testing
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
Conway’s Law defined (shipping your org chart)
signs that you may already be shipping this way
commons user experience flows to check
key customer experience touchpoints to watch
inverting the anti-pattern for customer benefit
I’d love to hear from listeners about their experiences with Conway’s law and counteracting it - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
Conway’s Law actually got traction as a concept via The Mythical Man Month
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
back with a “5 minute Friday” audio edition
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
introducing a new process / tool is change
org change has to overcome anti-patterns
a common hurdle is “new language, old thoughts”
some concepts that fail to stick: OKRs, Agile, etc
you have to to change habits along with tools
there is a repeatable recipe for org change
I’d love to hear from listeners about attempting change with a new toolkit / old mindset - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
the fireside chat was with author Jon Smart about his new book
my favorite “recipe for org change” comes from the book Buy-In
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
going to try to do a weekly “5 minute Friday” audio series going forward
key concepts I cover in this snippet:
functional fluidity (vs rigidity) is is a more accurate view of people
there are organizations that tend to enable (vs hinder) fluidity
legacy non-digital companies grow employees by encouraging a 360 view
tech companies have different strengths, but miss out on this angle
leaders ultimately have to lead cross-functionally at the highest levels
I’d love to hear from listeners about their observations on blurring functional boundaries - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
I’ve written about PMs that exhibit Functional Fluidity before here
the idea of an attribution graph is an attempt to model organizations in a way that would encourage and take advantage of inherent Functional Fluidity
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com
trying something new for the new year: audio!
5 concepts I cover in this 5 minute snippet:
leadership is accountable for culture
culture is your company’s habit loops
implicit shadow values can drive habits
loops can be constructed and cultivated
coherent culture requires legible loops
I’d love to hear from listeners about their attempts to curate culture - please chime in via comments👇. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing.
further reading / references
this episode of The Knowledge Project cites the idea of habit loops
Jim Collins mentions shadow values in this talk with Brene Brown
I’ve written about legibility and coherence wrt strategy before here
childish drawing / interpretation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit runthebusiness.substack.com