Coaching Product Leadership with Shreyas Doshi | Building Trust, Managing Insecurity, and Leading with Courage
Christian sits down with product leader Shreyas Doshi to dig into a perspective-shifting idea: Most product problems are actually product leadership problems. They unpack how new leaders unintentionally erode trust, why saying “I don’t know” is treated like a crime in many companies, and how judgment, courage, and listening shape outcomes more than any framework.–Today’s episode will discuss:Why so many “product problems” are really leadership problems in disguiseHow new leaders unintentionally erode trustHealthier ways to handle situations where you don’t have all the answersHow great leaders use judgment, courage, and deep listening to change outcomesWhat “framework theater” is – and why it failsThe unexpected way AI is changing product leadership–References:Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/Google Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/Marty Cagan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/Stripe: https://stripe.com/–SVPG on product leadership:Articles: https://www.svpg.com/insights/product-leadership-articles/–Where to find Shreyas Doshi:“World Class Product Sense” Maven course: https://maven.com/shreyas-doshi/product-sense“World-class Product Strategy for Founders & Executives” Maven course: https://maven.com/shreyas-doshi/product-strategy-with-shreyasShreyas’ Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ShreyasDoshiVideos–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos-Timestamps:(00:44) How product leaders build trust(01:25) When new leaders erode trust(07:54) The true cost of saying “I don’t know”(10:45) How insincerity manifests in the workplace(16:12) The need for modeling great leadership(18:30) How to accurately diagnose problems(27:22) The insurgence of “framework theater”(32:03) How AI has radically changed leadership(35:20) AI isn’t going anywhere(41:35) The critical skills any leader must learn-Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/-Production:Production by supermix.io
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Coaching Roadmaps
Christian sits down with Lea to demystify roadmaps, stripping them down to their job-to-be-done: connect strategy to execution without pretending ideas are certainties. They dig into how to craft outcome-based roadmaps that ladder to business results, when timeframes beat dates, and how to use high-integrity commitments without turning your plan into a promise trap, or feature factory.Today’s episode will discuss:Why executives love roadmaps yet teams resent themThe two types of roadmaps destined to failHow to frame outcomes in a roadmapWhy timeframes trump datesWhen to use high-integrity commitments (HICs)Coaching leaders to swap false control of features for real control of contextThe four common roadmap anti-patternsWho really owns the roadmapHow to ensure roadmaps and OKRs get along nicelyEarning trust with evidence and measuring impact, not output-References:Apple (iPhone): https://www.apple.com/iphone/Atlassian Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jiraHigh-Integrity Commitments: https://www.svpg.com/managing-commitments-in-an-agile-team/Slack: https://slack.com/-More from SVPG on roadmaps:SVPG on product roadmaps: https://www.svpg.com/product-roadmaps/SVPG on outcomes: https://www.svpg.com/outcomes-are-hard/-Where to find Lea Hickman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahickman/-Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/-Where to find SVPG:Books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/-Timestamps:(1:06) What is a roadmap?(02:18) Why roadmaps are often hated(04:18) The problem with top-down roadmaps(05:32) You need outcome-based roadmaps(10:02) Why roadmaps shouldn’t have dates(12:38) How to give teams greater roadmap autonomy(16:08) The four most common roadmap traps(20:04) Who should own a roadmap?(21:47) Focus on outcomes, not features(25:24) Can roadmaps and OKRs co-exist?(30:06) High-integrity commitments in roadmaps(32:33) How to navigate the politics of roadmaps-Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/-Production:Production by supermix.io
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38:21
Coaching How to Coach
Gabi Bufrem is a product and leadership coach who partners with executives and teams worldwide to unlock performance with a rare blend of curiosity, empathy, and candor. In this conversation with Christian, Gabi breaks down what great coaching looks like, how to build trust quickly, and why the best leaders measure their success through the growth of others.Today’s episode will discuss:The difference between mentorship, management, and coachingWhy everyone not only should have a coach but deserves a coachThe three steps to building trust quicklyWhy vulnerability is a crucial unlockBusting limiting beliefs and “leaving space for magic” in career arcsHow to give tough, constructive feedback as a coachThe core difference between coaching leaders and coaching ICsHow to measure coaching impact through tangible wins-References:Marty Cagan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/Stephen Curry: https://x.com/StephenCurry30Usain Bolt: https://x.com/usainbolt-More from SVPG on product coaching:Articles on coaching: https://www.svpg.com/the-coaching-series/-Where to find Gabi Bufrem:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellebufrem/https://www.gabriellebufrem.com/-Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/-Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos-Timestamps:(01:08) What does a product coach do?(06:18) Gabi’s journey into coaching(10:01) Coaches see what you can’t(15:05) How to encourage healthy dialogue(18:36) The power of vulnerability(20:26) Designing discovery sessions(24:55) Revealing clients’ blind spots(27:10) How to give constructive feedback(32:44) “My job is to teach you how to fish”(37:04) A mindset for improving communication(40:25) Coaching leaders vs. coaching ICs(42:28) Measuring success as a coach-Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/-Production:Production by supermix.io
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Coaching Team Objectives
Christian sits down with Jon Moore to unpack one of the most important — and most misapplied — practices in modern product teams: team objectives. They break down why OKRs often fail, how to make objectives meaningful for empowered teams, and why focus, trust, and problem-solving are at the heart of real product outcomes.-Today’s discussion unpacks:What team objectives really are (and aren’t)Why most companies get OKRs wrongHow to shift from outputs to outcomesThe role of leadership in creating focus and contextHow to set clear, problem-based objectivesThe difference between team, business, and individual objectivesWhy functional goals kill cross-functional teams- References:Empowered (book): https://www.svpg.com/books/empowered/Google OKRs: https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/set-goals-with-okrsMarty Cagan on Empowered Teams: https://www.svpg.com/empowered-product-teams/-SVPG series on team objectives:Accountability: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-accountability/Action: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-action/ Ambition: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-ambition/Collaboration: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-collaboration/Commitments: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-commitments/Empowerment: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-empowerment/Management: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-management/ Overview: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-overview/Summary: https://www.svpg.com/team-objectives-summary/Where to find Jon Moore:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonmoore/-Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/-Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos-Timestamps:(00:56) What are company objectives?(02:39) Why teams get OKRs wrong(05:10) The true purpose of a team objective(07:48) OKRs only work with the right team culture(09:04) Leaders often want success shortcuts(09:58) The mechanics of a great team objective(13:28) Who should set team objectives?(18:23) The optimal cadence for revising objectives(20:11) Why environment shapes key results(22:41) You should lead with context(25:14) The high-integrity commitment(27:50) Can many teams share one objective?(28:59) A common objective pitfall(30:29) How to reinforce accountability-Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/-Production:Production by supermix.io
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33:06
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33:06
Coaching Product Strategy
Christian sits down with Marty to demystify one of the most talked-about, yet misunderstood topics in product: product strategy. They draw sharp lines between business strategy, go-to-market, vision, and product strategy; dig into why lack of focus masquerades as a “prioritization problem”; and unpack how strong product strategy drives alignment and results.-Today’s discussion unpacks:A clear definition of product strategyHow product strategy differs from business strategyWhat “we have a prioritization problem” really meansEarning stakeholder trustMoving from feature roadmaps to outcome-based roadmapsHow to pick focus areasHow to increase the odds of successWhen and how AI belongs in your product strategy-References:AMD: https://www.amd.comAmazon: https://www.amazon.comApple: https://www.apple.comBoeing: https://www.boeing.comCoaching Transformation: Inside Datasite’s Radical Transformation to a Product Model Powerhouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8qnxHlfXwUDatasite: https://www.datasite.comEmpowered (book): https://www.svpg.com/books/empowered/Google DeepMind: https://deepmind.googleNetflix: https://www.netflix.comNvidia: https://www.nvidia.comOpenAI: https://www.openai.comSpaceX: https://www.spacex.comTechCrunch: https://techcrunch.comTSMC: https://www.tsmc.com-More from SVPG on product strategy:Articles on product strategy: https://www.svpg.com/insights/product-strategy-articles/-Where to find Marty Cagan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/-Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/-Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos-Timestamps:(01:34) Defining product strategy(05:43) Product strategy vs. business strategy(13:51) Do you need a product vision?(16:03) What characterizes a good strategy?(23:25) How to coach executives on focus(30:49) Earning stakeholder trust(36:09) Who should solve and who should strategize?(38:11) Annual planning vs. real strategy(41:25) The two components of a product strategy(45:14) Where product strategies fail(48:41) How does AI impact product strategy?(52:43) Strategic pivots: making the strategy a living artifact-Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/-Production:Production by supermix.io
Christian Idiodi goes behind the craft of great product work, to the topics that usually aren’t talked about. He discusses behavioral, mindset, and cultural issues with fellow SVPG partners.
New Zealand