Are soft skills the secret weapon of great product managers? In this episode of The Product Porch, hosts Todd Blaquiere and Joe Ghali welcome special guest Claudia Saleh, Lead Product Manager at The Walt Disney Company, to break down the essential soft skills every PM needs—and why they matter. We explore real-world insights—including how soft skil…

Should Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers be separate roles or one? In this episode of The Product Porch, we break down their key differences, where they overlap, and how organizations define their responsibilities. We share real-world examples—including how Airbnb structures these roles—and tackle big questions like: Who owns the buyi…

Are you struggling to navigate the overlap between Product Management and User Experience roles? In this episode of The Product Porch, we dig into the common friction between PMs and UX Teams, starting with a question from a listener about role clarity. We explore where the two roles typically overlap—like discovery—and discuss how both contribute …

Are you worried about how AI might impact your career in product management? Don’t let uncertainty hold you back. Join us for this special episode of The Product Porch, where we welcome special guest Dean Peters and dive into the AI trends every product manager needs to know. We’ll explore how AI is transforming the role of product managers, from d…

Is your experience with annual performance reviews anxiety-inducing? Stop sweating, and join us for this episode of The Product Porch, where we discuss strategies product managers need to ace their annual performance reviews. From framing your accomplishments to overcoming common review pitfalls, we’ll show you how to turn your review into an oppor…

Is your product losing traction or failing to grow? You might be experiencing product-market drift—the silent killer of product success. In this episode, we are joined by David Nash, who helps us spot the warning signs and shows you how to realign with customer needs, market trends, and evolving technologies. Learn how to stay ahead of the drift wi…

Are you unsure how your Product Manager responsibilities fit into your team’s dynamics? Struggling to define your Product Manager job or wondering what it takes to thrive in your role? In this episode, we label different product team culture types, explore their anti-patterns, and discuss the types of people who perform best in each environment. Al…

1:42 - Meet Jeff and his big question for product managers: "How can we ensure we have the right understanding from our leaders?" 4:30 - Ryan emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes over outputs to clarify product manager responsibilities. 7:35 - Todd jokes about where their "outputs over outcomes" tattoo should go. 9:20 - Ryan urges prod…

Episode Description 1:00- Meet Nils Davis 2:47- Nils reminds us that Product Managers are really “Unicorns” in the workforce 7:00- Nils shares his favorite phrase as a Product Manager “Your obvious is your art” 8:47- Nils shares the pros/cons of understanding your “spike” 10:03- We discuss how it's difficult to share our superpower with the people …

2:15 What are the Product Management trends everyone is talking about 4:30- Todd asks the question: Are we focusing on the problem at the expense of the solution? 7:00- Joe explains why he believes we have over-indexed on some of the common PM themes 10:05- We are getting paid to deliver- reality check for all PMs 11:45- Ryan tells how this is a st…

1:22 The fellas discuss their favorite Ken phrase 1:44- Ken tells us what it means to be a product management truth teller 5:16- What can we do as product managers to become more valuable? 8:35- One of the first steps- What goal are you trying to achieve and how can I help you get there? 10:30- Ken tells us why you should spend 20 min a week interv…

1:22- Joe explains why the role of Product Player Coach role is a cop-out 2:51- Todd uses data to say how it can work and leverages his love of the NBA to demonstrates why 5:34- We discuss what success looks like for a Product Manager Player Coach 10:02- Ryan walks us through how we resolved the challenges associated with this hybrid role 13:32- To…

1:30 Ryan ponders what product failure means? 3:37 The true definition of failure is identified 6:33 Todd speaks to the categories of product failure 9:33 Todd assumes the role of therapist and tells Ryan and Joe they didn’t fail 12:13- We discuss how we turn failure into a learning opportunity 15:06- Joe discusses the most underrated product manag…

1:07 – Joe kicks off the discussion on useless product management terms. 1:49 – We start the PM Jargon Draft, with Todd winning the #1 pick. 3:04 – Todd and Ryan’s #1 pick: "CEO of the Product." 4:23 – Joe’s #1 pick: "Customer Centric" (he’s salty he couldn’t trade for the #1 pick). 6:07 – Todd discusses how every healthcare company is "patient-fir…

Ryan tells us how he leveraged PM principles recently for his mulch project ( 0:45) Joe shows us how Ryan applied the Jobs to Done framework to Ryan’s approach (3:00) We discuss how often we apply PM Principles creep into our life (5:00) Todd discusses how Problem Framing can be applied in real-world scenarios (12:00) Joe gives us a review of the B…

Product Champions: a new title for PMs (1:00) Airbnb gets rid of product manager title (3:45) Chief No Officer / Head of No / Innovation Sponge / Walking Roadblock / Killer of Dreams, (5:55) Superman, Smokey the Bear and Lil Smokies, and User Psychologists (12:15) Group Therapist, Anger Manager, and The Negotiator (15:20) Outcome Architect and Dire…

Ryan emphatically explains why you don’t need experience for a PM job (2:11) Joe shares why it isn’t a black/white answer (4:20) The danger in over-indexing to hiring for experience (8:30) The value of mentorships to overcome a lack of industry experience (18:00) Ryan walks us through the beginners mindset as a product leader (23:00) Find fit for t…

Ryan’s story - struggle with plastic bags - being environmentally responsible (:58) Jobs to be Done is a PM’s superpower (5:00) Using the empathy superpower for evil (6:00) Using the storytelling for evil (8:14) Navigating Righteous Path of Product Management (13:20) Using the planning superpower for evil (17:00) Avoiding stakeholders that get in y…

On The Product Porch, every topic is a product topic. Dive into casual conversations on product management and career growth, woven with pop culture and real-life insights. Each episode offers actionable takeaways as the hosts tackle pressing questions and challenges in the product field. Settle in with Joe Ghali, Ryan Cantwell, and Todd Blaquiere!…