By Melissa Perri · melissaperri.com · @lissijean on X · LinkedIn
The article argues that remote work during the pandemic has, paradoxically, created room for product managers and leaders to invest in professional development. Without commutes and in-person meetings eating their days, several people interviewed describe taking courses on strategy, storytelling, and presenting. The piece also points readers to a list of virtual conferences, workshops, meetups, and self-paced programs for the fall, and encourages them to use or advocate for training budgets. It is written from the perspective of Produx Labs, which promotes several of the offerings it lists.
01Key takeaways
- Reclaim time saved by remote work and point it toward deliberate skill-building.
- Ask leadership for development time or budget, especially while teams are stretched by remote work.
- Build presenting and storytelling skills to strengthen influence at conferences and with stakeholders.
- Consider self-paced programs that fit short windows of 10-15 minutes a day.
- Use structured, self-guided curricula to deepen team learning beyond ad hoc sessions.
- Check vendor-sponsored events for free sessions before committing budget.
02Key sections
- Remote work frees up time
- Product people once squeezed development around commutes and in-person rituals, but remote work has opened pockets of time. The author frames this as a silver lining during a stressful period.
- Leaders investing in their teams
- Executives have asked for development opportunities for their product teams, giving PMs a break from remote-work strain. Some teams joined workshops or booked tailored sessions.
- Product leaders building their own skills
- Interviewed directors describe using saved commute time to take courses on defining outcomes and storytelling for influence, and plan to enroll direct reports or associate PMs.
- Fall learning opportunities
- The article lists virtual conferences, workshops, communication courses, local meetups, and a self-paced online school for product managers.
- Use your PD budget
- Readers are urged to tap existing professional development budgets or make the case for funding now, while virtual offerings are plentiful.
03From the post
“For me, it always felt like there was never enough time in the day to focus beyond work, family, friends, etc. before the pandemic. Any window of potential free time was filled with commuting, face to face lunches, IRL standups and sprint planning. But now, many product managers are finding a silver lining in the days of Covid- there’s actually…”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.