What is product coaching?
The Product folk who stand out from others are those that consistently focus on developing and refining their skills to stay ahead of the game. Product coaching can support you through its personalised approach to professional development. This post explores what product coaching is, who it’s for, and the benefits you can get from working with a product coach.
What is Product Coaching?
Generally, coaching as a practice is about supporting you to make changes and achieve results by unlocking your latent potential. When applied to Product, it becomes a transformative process designed to enable product managers, product leaders and founders to build great products.
Marty Cagan has written about three different types of product coaching:
Discovery coaching - which is focused on the process of learning what customers need and testing small iterations of product (the “discovery” phase of product development);
Product leadership coaching - supporting Heads / Directors / VPs / CPOs with developing their leadership style and ‘hard’ skills like crafting a product vision and strategy;
Transformation coaching - being the catalyst for companies to move from traditional approaches to the product-led approach, supporting them to implement sustainable and lasting changes in their organisations.
At its core, product coaching provides a confidential and safe space for you to explore your strengths and weaknesses, clarify your vision, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles. A product coach works closely with you to identify areas for improvement, leverage your existing skills, and build new capabilities. They act as your trusted advisors, offering valuable insights, feedback, and guidance throughout the journey.
Who is Product Coaching for?
Product coaching is highly beneficial for three primary groups: product managers, product leaders, and founders of startups.
Product managers: As the backbone of product development, you face many challenges, such as aligning cross-functional teams around a prioritised roadmap, and securing buy-in from stakeholders across the business. Product coaching empowers you by enhancing your confidence, influence and decisiveness, amongst other skills.
Product leaders: You play a pivotal role in shaping the overall product strategy and driving innovation, as you are responsible for aligning teams across the organisation around a product vision. Product coaching supports you to develop your unique leadership style, cultivate a culture of experimentation, and nurture high-performing teams.
Founders of startups: Startups operate in a fast-paced and uncertain environment, where you wear multiple hats and face constant pressure to deliver a viable product. Product coaching can provide you with invaluable support, helping you clarify your product vision, refine your go-to-market strategies, and build scalable product organisations.
Benefits of Product Coaching
Product coaching offers a range of benefits for product managers, leaders, and startup founders alike:
Enhanced Decision Making: Through product coaching, you gain clarity and confidence in your decision-making processes. Coaches help you analyse complex situations, consider multiple perspectives, and evaluate the potential impact of your choices. This leads to more informed decisions, reducing risks and increasing the likelihood of success.
Improved Communication and Collaboration: Effective communication and collaboration are crucial for product success. By fostering empathy and active listening, product coaching enables you to have more influence, improves collaboration across teams, and encourages a culture of trust and transparency.
Personal and Professional Growth: Product coaching nurtures continuous growth and development. Coaches work with you to identify your strengths and areas for improvement, tailoring strategies to your unique needs. By setting challenging goals and holding you accountable, coaching promotes self-awareness, builds confidence, and unlocks untapped potential.
In the ever-evolving landscape of product management, product coaching serves as a powerful tool for unlocking your potential.
This article was drafted with input from ChatGPT.
