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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

To become a top 1% product manager, always think big and seek to have a larger impact with your work.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Building trust with your team is essential for product managers, especially as you grow into leadership roles.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

The most important skills for new product managers to develop are communication, prioritization, and execution.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Effective communication is crucial for product managers; it's a skill that needs continuous improvement throughout your career.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Prioritization is the key tool for product managers; it involves deciding which projects to focus on and how to manage your time effectively.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Execution means delivering a compact package of what you want to build that has the highest impact possible.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

To improve communication, always answer questions directly before providing additional context; this helps avoid rambling.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

As a senior product manager, focus on thinking big, building trust, and driving impact to advance your career.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Thinking big involves looking beyond your immediate responsibilities and considering the broader impact of your work.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Trust is built by consistently meeting expectations and being a good steward of resources; it's crucial for gaining more resources in the future.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Forget about politics and promotions; focus on having the biggest impact you can in your role.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

As a product manager, prioritize making an impact over seeking promotions; this mindset will guide your daily actions.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Always strive to have the biggest impact in your role, as this will naturally lead to promotions and career growth.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

I didn't recognize the importance of earning trust early in my career, but I've come to understand its significance over the last couple of years.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Earning trust involves understanding the goals of others and aligning with them, rather than just pushing forward with your own ideas.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

When I was at Airbnb, I focused too much on my own approach and didn't partner enough with the customer support leadership team, which hindered building true support for our initiatives.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

The working backwards process at Amazon emphasizes starting with the problem and obsessing over it, rather than jumping straight to solutions.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

A common mistake teams make when trying to implement the working backwards process is that they start with a solution instead of a customer problem, which leads to retrofitting the problem to fit the solution.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

The working backwards review is a meeting with leadership to review the concept, press release, and fact, which can serve as a gate to approving a project.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

I learned from Jeff Bezos that a successful idea must be a big idea, something Amazon should be doing, and have a legitimate plan to succeed.

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Ian McAllister

11/20/22

@ Lenny's Podcast

Gibson Biddle is a tremendous thought leader in product management, known for sharing his extensive experience and being a great communicator.

What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)

Takeaways