PM Coach Skill

Help product managers develop their skills, advance their careers, and improve their craft.

When This Skill Activates

• "How do I grow as a PM?"
• "What PM skills should I develop?"
• "How do I give better feedback?"
• "I want to improve my product sense"
• "How do I run better product reviews?"
• "What level PM am I?"
• "How do I become more high agency?"
• "Career advice for PMs"

Framework Selection Guide

Framework 1: PM Competencies (12 Skills)

Source: Ravi Mehta - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: The same 12 competencies apply from APM to CPO—only the scope changes.

The 12 Competencies in 4 Areas

Product Execution (Building Product)

1. Functional Specification - Writing clear PRDs and specs
2. Product Delivery - Working with eng/design to ship
3. Product Quality - Ensuring high quality output

Customer Insight (Understanding Users)

1. Fluency with Data - Using data to make decisions
2. Voice of the Customer - Customer conversations, research
3. User Experience Design - Thinking about UX in detail

Product Strategy (Setting Direction)

1. Business Outcome Ownership - Connecting features to metrics
2. Product Vision & Roadmapping - Creating coherent vision
3. Strategic Impact - Moving strategy forward

Influencing People (Leading Without Authority)

1. Stakeholder Inclusion - Working cross-functionally
2. Team Leadership - Managing and developing others
3. Managing Up - Winning leadership support

Self-Assessment Process

Step 1: Rate Yourself (0-2 scale)

• Needs Focus (0-0.5)
• On Track (1.0)
• Outperforming (1.5-2.0)

Step 2: Get Manager Assessment

• Ask manager to rate same competencies
• Compare ratings
• Discuss differences

Step 3: Identify Patterns Common PM archetypes:

Step 4: Create Development Plan Focus on 1-2 competencies per quarter.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Treating all competencies equally (role matters)
• Only focusing on weaknesses
• Skipping external perspective
• Ignoring scope changes by level

Framework 2: Product Sense Development

Source: Julie Zhuo - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: Product sense is pattern recognition built through deliberate practice, not innate talent.

What is Product Sense?

The ability to:

• Predict what users want before they know it
• Identify good solutions to user problems
• Recognize patterns across products and domains
• Make sound product judgments quickly

Development Methods

Method 1: Product Teardowns

1. Pick a successful product
2. Ask: Why does this work?
3. Identify key decisions and their effects
4. Compare to alternatives

Method 2: Prediction Practice

1. Before seeing data, predict outcomes
2. Compare predictions to reality
3. Analyze why you were right/wrong
4. Adjust mental models

Method 3: Cross-Domain Learning

1. Study products outside your domain
2. Extract transferable patterns
3. Apply to your context

Method 4: User Observation

1. Watch users interact with products
2. Note surprises and confirmations
3. Build intuition through exposure

Building Blocks of Product Sense

• User empathy (understanding needs)
• Domain expertise (knowing the space)
• Pattern recognition (seeing what works)
• First principles thinking (why things work)

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Thinking product sense is innate
• Not practicing deliberately
• Only studying your own domain
• Ignoring disconfirming evidence

Framework 3: Three Levels of Product Work

Source: Shreyas Doshi - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: Most PMs focus on Execution when they should focus on Impact.

The Three Levels

Level 1: Impact Work (Highest leverage)

• Choosing WHAT to work on
• Setting direction and priorities
• Defining success criteria
• Strategic decisions

Level 2: Execution Work (Where most PMs live)

• HOW to build what was decided
• Project management
• Shipping features
• Day-to-day coordination

Level 3: Optics Work (Necessary but dangerous)

• How work is PERCEIVED
• Status updates and reporting
• Stakeholder management
• Internal communication

The Problem

Most PMs spend:

• 60% on Execution
• 30% on Optics
• 10% on Impact

Should spend:

• 40% on Impact
• 40% on Execution
• 20% on Optics

How to Shift to Impact Work

Step 1: Audit Your Calendar

• Categorize each meeting/task by level
• Calculate current distribution

Step 2: Identify Impact Opportunities

• What strategic questions are unanswered?
• What prioritization decisions need making?
• Where is direction unclear?

Step 3: Delegate or Eliminate

• Delegate Execution work where possible
• Eliminate low-value Optics work
• Protect time for Impact work

Step 4: Make Impact Work Visible

• Impact work is invisible by default
• Document and share strategic thinking
• Help leadership see your Impact work

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Confusing busyness with impact
• Neglecting Optics entirely (you need some)
• Waiting for permission to do Impact work
• Doing Impact work but not communicating it

Framework 4: High Agency Development

Source: Shreyas Doshi - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: High agency people find a way to get things done regardless of obstacles.

What is High Agency?

• Finding a way when there's no obvious path
• Taking ownership beyond job description
• Creative problem-solving around obstacles
• Bias toward action over waiting

Three Dimensions of High Agency

1. Ownership

• Treating the problem as fully yours
• Not waiting for permission
• Filling gaps others ignore
• "If not me, who?"

2. Creative Execution

• Finding unconventional solutions
• Working around blockers
• Leveraging resources creatively
• Not accepting "can't be done"

3. Resilience

• Persisting through setbacks
• Learning from failures
• Maintaining momentum
• Not letting obstacles stop you

Developing High Agency

Practice 1: Expand Your Circle of Influence

• Start with what you CAN control
• Gradually expand what you take ownership of
• Don't wait to be asked

Practice 2: Reframe Obstacles

• "I can't because X" → "How might I despite X?"
• "They won't let me" → "How do I build the case?"
• "It's not my job" → "What if I made it my job?"

Practice 3: Build a Bias for Action

• When in doubt, try something
• Small experiments beat long debates
• Learn by doing, not just analyzing

Practice 4: Seek Feedback on Agency

• Ask: "Where did I wait when I could have acted?"
• Ask: "Where did I accept an obstacle too easily?"

High Agency vs. Low Agency Responses

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Confusing high agency with ignoring rules
• Burning bridges in pursuit of outcomes
• Not knowing when to escalate vs. solve
• Burnout from taking on too much

Framework 5: Design Feedback Framework

Source: Julie Zhuo - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: Good feedback climbs the ladder from Reaction to Solution to Problem.

The Feedback Ladder

Level 1: Reaction (Lowest value)

• "I don't like it"
• "This feels off"
• "I'm not sure about this"

Level 2: Solution (Medium value)

• "What if we made the button blue?"
• "Can we move this to the top?"
• "Add a confirmation dialog"

Level 3: Problem (Highest value)

• "I'm worried users won't notice this"
• "This seems to add friction to checkout"
• "The hierarchy feels unclear"

Giving Better Feedback

Step 1: Notice Your Reaction

• Pay attention to your gut response
• Don't immediately voice it

Step 2: Identify the Problem

• What's causing your reaction?
• What user need isn't being met?
• What principle is being violated?

Step 3: Share the Problem, Not Solution

Instead of: "Make the button bigger"
Say: "I'm worried users might miss this CTA—it seems lost
in the page hierarchy"

Step 4: If Offering Solutions, Offer Multiple

• Provide 2-3 possible solutions
• Makes it clear it's a suggestion, not a mandate
• Enables better alternatives to emerge

Receiving Feedback

Step 1: Listen Fully

• Don't interrupt or defend
• Take notes

Step 2: Clarify the Problem

• "What's the concern behind that suggestion?"
• "Help me understand what's not working"

Step 3: Acknowledge, Then Respond

• "I hear your concern about X"
• Then explain your thinking or agree to iterate

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Giving solution-level feedback (too prescriptive)
• Reacting defensively to feedback
• Not clarifying the underlying problem
• Ignoring feedback because delivery was poor

Framework 6: Product Review Best Practices

Source: Ami Vora - Lenny's Podcast Key Insight: Leaders give "dinosaur brain" feedback when they haven't experienced the problem first.

The Dinosaur Brain Problem

• Leaders react instinctively without context
• Project personal preferences onto users
• Miss the underlying problem being solved
• Create whiplash for teams

The Right Review Structure

Part 1: Problem Immersion (5-10 min) Make the reviewer FEEL the problem:

• User quote compilations
• Live demo of pain points
• Data visualization of the problem
• Video clips of users struggling

Part 2: Approach Discussion (10-15 min) Align on HOW you're solving before showing WHAT:

• Problem statement (verified in Part 1)
• Solution principles
• Alternatives considered
• Why this approach

Part 3: Solution Review (10-15 min) Now show the solution:

• Walk through the design
• Highlight key decisions with rationale
• Show what you chose NOT to do
• Present success metrics

Part 4: Feedback (10-15 min) Guide better feedback:

• "Does this approach match the problem?"
• "What risks haven't we addressed?"
• "Where do you disagree with tradeoffs?"

The "Fascinating" Technique

When you get feedback you disagree with:

1. Say (internally): "Fascinating"
2. Ask: "Tell me more about why you think that"
3. Seek the underlying concern
4. Then respond constructively

Redirecting Dinosaur Brain Feedback

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Skipping problem immersion
• Showing solution before approach alignment
• Treating all feedback as equal
• Getting defensive

How to Apply This Skill

1. Listen for the development area

- Career planning → PM Competencies - Building intuition → Product Sense - Time management → Three Levels - Ownership → High Agency - Design collaboration → Feedback Framework - Stakeholder reviews → Product Reviews

1. Walk through the selected framework with actionable steps

1. Help them create a concrete development plan

1. Offer to combine frameworks when appropriate

Related Skills

• /leadership-coach - For management and team development
• /strategy-advisor - For strategic thinking development
• /decision-maker - For decision-making skills

Full SOPs (Deep Dives)

Core PM Skills

• [PM Competencies](../../../sops/product-management/skills/pm-competencies-framework-001.md)
• [Product Sense](../../../sops/product-management/skills/product-sense-development-001.md)
• [Three Levels of Work](../../../sops/product-management/skills/three-levels-product-work-001.md)
• [High Agency](../../../sops/product-management/skills/high-agency-development-001.md)
• [Design Feedback](../../../sops/product-management/skills/design-feedback-framework-001.md)
• [Product Reviews](../../../sops/product-management/skills/product-review-best-practices-001.md)
• [PM Storytelling](../../../sops/product-management/skills/pm-storytelling-synthesis-001.md)
• [Ownership of Why](../../../sops/product-management/skills/pm-ownership-of-why-001.md)
• [Consumer Product Intuition](../../../sops/product-management/skills/consumer-product-intuition-development-001.md)
• [Decision Prioritization](../../../sops/product-management/skills/decision-prioritization-framework-001.md)
• [Writing for Influence](../../../sops/product-management/skills/writing-for-product-influence-001.md)
• [Platform PM Principles](../../../sops/product-management/skills/platform-pm-principles-001.md)
• [PM Career Acceleration](../../../sops/product-management/skills/pm-career-acceleration-001.md)
• [Golden Gut Development](../../../sops/product-management/skills/golden-gut-development-001.md)
• [First Mile Experience](../../../sops/product-management/skills/first-mile-product-experience-001.md)
• [Perceived Simplicity](../../../sops/product-management/skills/perceived-simplicity-design-001.md)
• [Product Quality Dogfooding](../../../sops/product-management/skills/product-quality-through-dogfooding-001.md)
• [Proximity to Customers](../../../sops/product-management/skills/proximity-to-customers-framework-001.md)

AI Product Development

• [AI Era Product Development](../../../sops/product-management/skills/ai-era-product-development-001.md)
• [AI Differentiation Strategy](../../../sops/product-management/strategy/ai-product-differentiation-strategy-001.md)

Discovery & Validation

• [Empowered Teams](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/empowered-product-team-transformation-001.md)
• [Opportunity Solution Tree](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/opportunity-solution-tree-framework-001.md)
• [Lean MVP](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/lean-startup-mvp-development-001.md)
• [Build-Measure-Learn](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/build-measure-learn-loop-001.md)
• [PMF Measurement](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/product-market-fit-measurement-001.md)
• [Design Sprint](../../../sops/product-management/discovery/five-day-design-sprint-framework-001.md)

Behavioral Design

• [Three Bs Behavioral Design](../../../sops/product-management/design/three-bs-behavioral-design-framework-001.md)
• [Friction Audit](../../../sops/product-management/design/behavioral-diagnosis-friction-audit-001.md)
• [Default Optimization](../../../sops/product-management/design/default-optimization-behavior-change-001.md)

Delivery Methodology

• [Shape Up Overview](../../../sops/product-management/delivery/shape-up-methodology-overview-001.md)
• [Six-Week Cycles](../../../sops/product-management/delivery/six-week-cycles-framework-001.md)
• [Hill Charts](../../../sops/product-management/delivery/hill-charts-progress-tracking-001.md)

Roadmapping

• [Now-Next-Later](../../../sops/product-management/roadmapping/now-next-later-roadmap-framework-001.md)
• [Stakeholder Alignment](../../../sops/product-management/roadmapping/stakeholder-alignment-roadmaps-001.md)
• [Feature Request Management](../../../sops/product-management/roadmapping/feature-request-management-001.md)