SVPG · Marty CaganNov 22, 2020
Nov 22, 2020 · 10 min
Marty Cagan profiles eight strong product leaders featured in his new book EMPOWERED, spanning product management, design, engineering, and company leadership. Drawing on years of working alongside them, he sketches how…
Lenny’s Podcast111 min
Adam Ward, Head of Talent at Cursor · Aug 9, 2026
Key learnings- Stop hiring from a wide funnel where the remainder is whoever survives each stage; instead start from a confident list of the top…
- Scope roles rigorously before sourcing: stack-rank the skills and experiences you need so that sourcing, pitching, and assessment…
- Ask targeted questions to trusted people, such as who is most collaborative with designers, rather than asking who the best…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresOct 25, 2023
Oct 25, 2023 · 12 min
“Stepping into your first product leadership role is a major change. As an individual contributor, you’re focusing on your own projects and progress, but as a leader you are now responsible for the team (or teams) that report up to you. You may find yourself less involved in the”
Product Talk · Teresa TorresMay 10, 2017
May 10, 2017 · 10 min
Teresa Torres argues that managing product teams by outcomes rather than outputs is necessary for real autonomy, but it is hard because leaders struggle to trust teams and teams struggle to communicate progress on…
SVPG · Marty CaganNov 19, 2020
Nov 19, 2020 · 9 min
Marty Cagan argues that empowered product teams depend not on less leadership but on better leadership, and that moving to empowerment is far harder for product leaders than most expect. He splits the role into…
Lenny’s Podcast117 min
Peter Sellis · Sep 20, 2026
Key learnings- Collaboration carries hidden coordination costs that slow teams down to the pace of the slowest node; a clear ideology plus clear…
- Give product leaders explicit, repeatable phrases that shortcut the company strategy, and tie them to both a mission and concrete…
- Growth often comes from deepening engagement with your core users (higher daily or weekly use) rather than chasing new monthly…
Lenny’s Podcast114 min
Jonathan Lowenhar · Dec 5, 2024
Key learnings- Being a founder is a state of being, while being a CEO is a craft; founders should deliberately develop CEO skills like planning…
- Calibrate between founder mode and manager mode depending on what the moment needs; great CEOs know when to dive into details and…
- Start planning by working backwards from your next major milestone (exit, fundraise, profitability, or wind-down) and define what…
Lenny’s Podcast95 min
Jeffrey Pfeffer · Jun 13, 2024
Key learnings- Political skill is linked to higher pay, promotions, job satisfaction and lower stress, so treating influence as a learnable…
- Get out of your own way: stop pre-emptory apologizing, stop doubting you deserve your role, and avoid leaking disrespect or…
- Prioritize competence and respect over being liked; you were hired to get a job done, so doing the needed work matters more than…
Lenny’s Podcast155 min
Hilary Gridley · Jun 15, 2025
Key learnings- When you feel criticized, skip litigating what others think and instead take one small action that demonstrates the opposite of…
- Use behavioral activation: act first on a small, concrete step, since action tends to lift mood and break negative spirals rather…
- Speak up in meetings with valuable input; fear of saying the wrong thing is the main blocker, and building the skill to take a…
SVPG · Marty CaganSep 4, 2007
Sep 4, 2007 · 6 min
Marty Cagan argues that the head of product management, typically a Director or VP, is one of the most consequential roles in a high-tech company, because a great product can redefine a business and a few failed…
SVPG · Marty CaganApr 24, 2019
Apr 24, 2019 · 4 min
Marty Cagan notices that several of the strongest product companies, including Apple, Google and Amazon, have very different cultures yet share a hidden common thread: their founders were coached by Bill Campbell, the…
SVPG · Marty CaganSep 9, 2024
Sep 9, 2024 · 11 min
Marty Cagan argues that when companies grow, boards often push founders to hand over leadership to professional managers, but the stronger path is to coach founders into strong product leaders. He contrasts two failure…
SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 13, 2024
Feb 13, 2024
Marty Cagan follows up his article on product management theater by arguing that where PM theater exists, product leadership theater usually exists too. Product leaders often blame senior executives, such as non-product…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 252
Oct 15, 2024 · 22 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyCoach Natalie Rothfels argues that stuck, overwhelmed product leaders are usually facing inner conflict between competing 'parts' of themselves, which external productivity tactics can't fix. She walks through the…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 26
Jul 21, 2020 · 9 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny Rachitsky addresses the tension managers face between incorporating team input and making firm decisions themselves. He argues that managers must often overrule their teams, and offers five strategies to balance…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 384
Nov 19, 2024 · 17 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyHilary Gridley, a WHOOP product director, argues that AI can help managers become "supermanagers" by scaling their coaching and feedback. She shares five practical strategies, from building custom GPTs that replicate…
Lenny’s Podcast120 min
Christian Idiodi · Dec 21, 2023
Key learnings- Earn trust as a PM by becoming the most knowledgeable person on customers, data and the business, and by asking experts to teach…
- Frame PM success as earning a 'certificate of appreciation' from customers: revenue, engagement, loyalty, or referrals.
- Recognize that value is the hardest and most overlooked risk; test whether customers will actually buy, choose, and use the…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 17, 2011
Mar 17, 2011 · 6 min
Marty Cagan argues that product leaders must actively develop their product managers, since strong teams are essential and people leave managers rather than companies. He presents a gap-analysis tool for ongoing skills…
SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 8, 2019
Feb 8, 2019 · 10 min
Marty Cagan argues that the weekly one-on-one is the foundation of coaching product managers, and that most managers either never run it well or treat it as optional. The 1:1 exists primarily to build a PM's competence…
Lenny’s Podcast93 min
Ken Norton · Jul 24, 2022
Key learnings- Executive coaching is a partnership where the client defines success; the coach brings listening, curiosity, and challenge rather…
- Advice often delivers a short-lived boost, like cotton candy; lasting growth usually requires confronting the underlying problem…
- Leadership shifts are largely internal: reframing your operating system matters as much as learning new frameworks once you reach…
SVPG · Marty CaganApr 8, 2019
Apr 8, 2019 · 8 min
Marty Cagan argues that managers of product managers must actively develop their people, since talented PMs will leave for other companies if they lack growth. He presents a gap-analysis skills assessment as the…
SVPG · Marty CaganJan 16, 2020
Jan 16, 2020 · 6 min
Marty Cagan argues that a manager has a large effect on whether a product manager is happy, and that good managers should check in weekly on whether the PM finds her work meaningful, is growing in her career, and has…
SVPG · Marty CaganOct 16, 2005
Oct 16, 2005
Marty Cagan argues that employees join a company but leave a manager, so a manager's behavior strongly shapes job satisfaction and team effectiveness. He offers a list of characteristics of great product leaders, aimed…
SVPG · Marty CaganSep 14, 2021
Sep 14, 2021 · 7 min
Cagan and Moore argue that moving to an empowered product-team model is a major cultural shift that must start with senior leaders, who still have legitimate needs to run the business. Their answer is not to simply step…