View the recording here: https://www.catalystdigital.com/techseoboost/#on-demand-recordings Upasna Gautam, Product Manager, Platform & Commerce, CNN

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Cultivating a Product
Mindset for Success
Upasna Gautam
Product Manager,
Platform & Commerce,
CNN

2. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Cultivating a
Product Management
Mindset for Success

3. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
About Me
Product Manager,
Digital News & Platforms
at CNN
Speaker Coach at Shine Bootcamp
Mindfulness & Meditation Teacher
TEDx Talk: “Optimizing for the Next Billion”

4. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Objectives:
What is Product Management?
What is the Product Management mindset?
How can you embody the Product mindset to become the PM of your own domain?

5. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
What is Product Management?

6. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
What is Product Management?
UX Technology
Business

7. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
What is Product Management?
Discovery:
Validate the
concept
Definition:
Gather
requirements
Delivery:
Build the
MVP
Launch:
Assess
performance
and optimize
Iterate

8. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Product Managers are:
• Problem Solvers
• Team Captains
• Janitors
What is Product Management?

9. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Product management is a practice,
and its practitioners come from a wide
variety of industries.

10. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Product Managers swim upstream
on strategy, and downstream
on execution.

11. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
The Product Management Mindset

12. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Because product management is a
mindset, you have the ability to be the
product manager of your domain.
By developing and embodying some highly
desirable and effective qualities, you’ll also
get you a seat at the table of important
conversations.

13. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
The Product mindset is not reserved
exclusively for Product Managers.
Adopting this mindset allows you to
bring even more value to your
customers, while finding opportunity
for growth along the way.

14. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Curiosity
Critical
Thinking
Sense of
Ownership
The Product Mindset
Effective
Communication
Empathy

15. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Curiosity
The Product Mindset
• Willingness to get the absolute root cause of a
problem
• Relentless in understanding “why”
• Continually ask questions to zero in on the problem
• Not satisfied with face-value answers
• Always seeking opportunities to talk directly with
customers
• Desire to always be learning and understanding

16. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
The Product Mindset
• Influence without authority
• Own failure
• Grit
• Take responsibility
• Don’t wait for others to take a lead
• Firm on goals, flexible on the process
• Ruthless prioritization
Sense of
Ownership

17. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
The Product Mindset
• Dive deep into understanding why the
problem is a problem
• Thorough, analytical examination
• Comfortable with what they know and don’t
know to make sound decisions
• Facilitate conversations to get the answers
• Collaborate and understand reasoning from
all parties involved
Critical
Thinking

18. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Effective
Communication
The Product Mindset
• Listen to understand, not respond
• Move seamlessly through teams/people
• Delivery impactful messages
• Converse in the language of the listener
• Focus on goals and outcomes
• Smart repetition and overcommunication
• Teacher mindset

19. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
The Product Mindset
• High level of self-awareness
• Not afraid of vulnerability
• Keen observers
• Turn insights into action
• Shorten feedback loops
• Regularly talk to your customers
Empathy

20. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Put the Product Mindset into Practice
& Get a Seat at the Table

21. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Think in Outcomes, not Output
• Don’t provide laundry lists of perspective tasks
• Think deeply about and clearly communicate how you are
providing value and what problem you are solving
• Engage your teammates to bring the best ideas to life by
facilitating the necessary conversations that focus on solving the
same problem, while using resources effectively
• Be passionate about the problem, not the solutions
• What matters is whether your deliveries are impacting user
behavior, which in turn impacts product indicators, which in turn
should impact business indicators

22. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Validate your Recommendations
• EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.
• Don’t assume or expect people to know what you’re talking about
• Validate based off these 4 elements:
• Value: What problem are you solving? Rank priority of problems to be solved,
• Feasibility: What are the technical limitations? How can you build on it over time?
• Usability: What are the deal breakers and blockers? What minimum usability requirements do you
need to meet in order to provide enough value to justify the work?
• Business Viability: How is this profitable? How can you get the necessary partners on board to
make this profitable?

23. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Ruthless Prioritization
• If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority
• Stop getting distracted by lists – this only glorifies outputs
• Prioritize based on what will deliver the greatest outcomes
• Make “no” your favorite word
• Stay firm on goals, but flexible on process
• Use the RICE Model:
(Reach x Impact x Confidence)/Effort = RICE Score

24. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Deliver and Communicate Value
3 Part Formula:
• Observation
• The problem
• Insights
• The context
• Key Takeaways
• The next steps

25. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost
Repeat After Me:
If everything is a priority,
then nothing is a priority!

26. Upasna Gautam | @upasnagautam | #TechSEOBoost