By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan argues that most product coaches and trainers are steeped in the feature-team model, which is the opposite of what companies need when moving to a true product operating model. He frames a good coach through a behavioral job-description format, contrasting good and bad traits. The core point is that a coach must have hands-on experience doing product well, since without it no other strength compensates. This matters for companies hiring coaches for transformations, and for coaches trying to become genuinely useful to them.
01Key takeaways
- Hire or become a product coach only with real experience doing product well in a strong product organization.
- Recognize the limits of your expertise and bring in others when a situation falls outside your depth.
- Teach people to do the work themselves instead of doing it for them, which separates coaching from consulting.
- Give honest, specific feedback grounded in trust, even when it is uncomfortable to deliver.
- Choose the technique that fits the circumstances, and judge success by the outcomes your clients achieve.
02Key sections
- The shortage of strong coaches
- Cagan notes that most product coaches and trainers worldwide are oriented toward the feature-team model, which clients usually expect. Companies moving to the product model therefore struggle to find credible coaches to recommend.
- Relevant experience as the foundation
- A good coach has actually seen and done product well, whether in delivery, discovery, product management, leadership, or executive transformation. Without this, other strengths are unlikely to compensate.
- Coaching behaviors: listening, developing, and feedback
- Good coaches listen intently, teach others to fish rather than doing the work themselves, and give honest feedback built on trust. Bad coaches lecture, consult in place of coaching, or tell clients what they want to hear.
- Judgment: business savvy, principles, and fit
- Good coaches speak the language of finance, choose techniques suited to the situation, and prioritize principles over artifacts or process. Bad coaches force a favorite framework and fixate on deliverables.
- Defining and sharing success
- Good coaches measure their success by the outcomes their clients achieve and give credit to those they coach. Bad coaches measure success by completing their own set of activities.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.