Lessons in product leadership and AI strategy from Glean, Google, Amazon, and Slack | Tamar Yehoshua

Tamar’s background (0s)

• Tamar Yehoshua is currently the President of Product and Technology at Glean. (35s)
• Prior to Glean, she held the position of Chief Product Officer at Slack for four years, overseeing product design and research during a period of significant growth. (45s)
• Yehoshua also held leadership roles at Google and Amazon, focusing on search and engineering respectively. (58s)

Key advice for career success (2m9s)

• To be successful in a career, it is crucial to excel in one's current role, regardless of its perceived simplicity, and consistently strive for excellence. (2m48s)
• Essential skills for success, particularly in technology-related fields, include technical proficiency, staying abreast of the latest technologies, possessing a deep understanding of the product being worked on, and comprehending relevant metrics. (3m15s)
• Transitioning into leadership and executive positions necessitates a deep understanding of people, their motivations, and the ability to discern why individuals choose to use a product, join a team, or exert effort in their work. (6m10s)

Understanding people and motivations (6m54s)

• People can be better understood by observing their reactions to different situations and conversations. (7m41s)
• Product managers should not rely solely on metrics; intuition and understanding of customers are crucial for making good product decisions. (8m27s)
• New product features should not be given undue prominence; their placement should be earned based on user needs and priorities. (9m12s)

The importance of impact (9m33s)

• Achieving assigned tasks is not enough; building something genuinely useful is crucial. (10m7s)
• "Doing a great job" involves prioritizing the company's best interests, even if it means making unconventional decisions. (10m16s)
• True impact lies in enhancing the productivity of the entire organization. (10m24s)

Navigating company chaos (11m20s)

• Companies that are not well-run can still be successful, as evidenced by examples of companies with high executive turnover, employee dissatisfaction, and constant restructuring that are experiencing rapid growth. (11m57s)
• The most crucial factors for a company's success are achieving product-market fit, developing a high-quality product, establishing effective distribution channels, having a competent sales team, and securing sufficient funding. (13m16s)
• Hypergrowth companies often experience chaos due to the rapid influx of customers, expansion of the workforce, and strain on infrastructure and communication, making it challenging to maintain order and stability. (16m20s)

Career planning: a different perspective (18m40s)

• Career paths do not need to be planned, and it is acceptable to not have a five-year plan. (18m40s)
• When choosing a career path, prioritize working with and learning from the best people in their respective fields, even if it means not working at the most prestigious company. (20m22s)
• When considering a job offer, prioritize opportunities for growth and skill development over potential financial gains, as skills are permanent assets that can be applied to future endeavors. (26m9s)

Lessons from industry leaders (26m22s)

• Jeff Bezos always speaks last in meetings, even when it's with his executive team, to ensure everyone in the organization feels heard. (27m52s)
• Jeff Bezos believes in long-term product development, stating that it takes seven years to build a product and that short-term gains should not be prioritized. (29m56s)
• Stuart Butterfield believes in the power of prototyping and that mockups are not sufficient to understand how a product will feel. (31m23s)

Building stronger cross-functional relationships (37m59s)

• Building strong cross-functional relationships, especially with engineers, is crucial for product leaders to ensure their ideas are implemented effectively. (38m40s)
• Evaluating the engineering partner and ensuring alignment on roles, responsibilities, and priorities are essential for successful collaboration. (38m58s)
• Open communication, mutual respect, trust, and a willingness to address disagreements directly are vital for maintaining strong relationships and achieving shared goals. (41m42s)

Streamlining OKR reviews with async methods (42m0s)

• Teams would post a document and a short video summarizing their OKRs in a Slack channel to streamline the review process. (42m18s)
• A marathon review session was held where all the videos were watched, and follow-up questions were posted in the respective Slack channels. (42m32s)
• Meetings were held with teams if there were outstanding questions or if the project was high-priority, but the number of meetings was limited to reduce time commitment. (42m52s)

Why you shouldn’t worry so much about making users unhappy (45m26s)

• Product managers often overemphasize the concerns of users who will be unhappy with new product launches or changes. (45m43s)
• Products should be designed for the larger number of users who will benefit from them in the future, even if it means making changes that upset a smaller group of existing users. (46m47s)
• Transparency, respect, and authenticity are crucial when communicating changes to users, and it's important to listen to their feedback and give them time to adjust. (47m44s)

The power of listening in leadership (47m50s)

• A story is shared about an engineer who was upset about a change made at Google. The engineer was contacted by a person in charge of PR and Global policy who listened to his concerns and explained the reasoning behind the change. The engineer was impressed by the gesture and changed his opinion. (47m51s)
• AI is going to significantly change how people work, and those who learn to leverage it will be ahead of the curve. (51m6s)
• AI will blur the lines between product managers, engineers, and designers, enabling them to work faster and more efficiently. (51m32s)

How to leverage AI so you don’t fall behind (52m34s)

• Product managers should use AI products like ChatGPT, Glean, and Claude to understand their capabilities and limitations. (52m47s)
• AI tools can be used to automate tasks, such as summarizing articles, analyzing customer feedback, and generating reports, which can free up time for more strategic and creative work. (54m10s)
• Product managers should focus on developing their creativity and strategic thinking skills, as AI is not yet capable of replicating these human abilities. (1h0m1s)
• When building AI-powered products, it's important to educate users about the capabilities and limitations of the technology, providing guardrails and suggestions to help them understand what they can and cannot ask. (1h5m10s)
• Companies should focus on building products that leverage the strengths of AI while also developing unique differentiators that will remain valuable as AI technology continues to evolve. (1h5m59s)

Closing thoughts and lightning round (1h6m39s)

• The fast-paced nature of the tech industry requires adaptability and continuous learning to keep up with new tools and advancements. (1h6m56s)
• Staying updated in the field of AI can be achieved through various means, including AI-focused newsletters, podcasts like those by Lex Fridman and Sarah Guo, and utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT for summarizing articles and extracting key insights. (1h7m55s)
• Encouraging open communication and sharing personal experiences with children can foster a reciprocal environment where they feel comfortable sharing their own lives. (1h15m55s)