This presentation is from a talk given by a former Netflix VP of Product during #ProductCon Online on May 27, 2020.

1. JM Coaching & Training © 2020
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Hacking Your Product Career by
former Netflix VP of Product

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5. Gibson Biddle
Product School
gibsonbiddle.com

6. The most important
product
@gibsonbiddle

7. YOU
@gibsonbiddle

8. @gibsonbiddle

9. Hypotheses
ExperimentsResults
Hacking
Your
Career
@gibsonbiddle

10. Speaker, Adviser (2015-Present)
CPO, Chegg (2010)
VP Product, Netflix (2005)
SVP, Creative Wonders,The Learning
Company, Mattel (1995)
Director, Product, Electronic Arts (1991)
Gibson Biddle
@gibsonbiddle

11. Agenda
@gibsonbiddle
Hacking Your
Product Career
Positioning: Skills & progression
Experiment: Via Career Hacking
Results and feedback: Board of Directors
@gibsonbiddle

12. Positioning yourself:
Skills & progression
@gibsonbiddle

13. What is it?
What are the benefits?
What is its personality?
@gibsonbiddle@gibsonbiddle
Positioning model

14. @gibsonbiddle
Positioning model
Gibson Biddle is a product leader exec who
Helps startups with a proof of concept to scale
Through strong strategic thinking, management &
leadership skills
In a genuine, quirky way.

15. How do you
position yourself?
@gibsonbiddle

16. @gibsonbiddle
What are the skills?

17. @gibsonbiddle
What are the skills of a product leader?

18. Product
Skills
@gibsonbiddle
&
Leadership
Skills

19. Technical
Management
Creative
Business
Marketing
Design
Consumer science
Work effectively with engineers
Light process to deliver results, comm.
Generate ideas that matter
Deliver shareholder value
Package & position ideas
Work well with design; value simplicity
Insight via qual, survey, data & A/B tests
Product skills
Photo: Jim Watson / Getty Images
@gibsonbiddleAparna Chennapragada, Google

20. Leadership skills
Leadership
Management
Strategic thinking
Results-oriented
Culture
Business maturity
Domain expertise
Inspired communication of a vision
Hiring, building & developing teams
Delight customers in H-2-C-$ ways
Proactive, do what it takes
Good fit; foundation for light process
Judgement: people, product & business
Experience with category and/or stage
@gibsonbiddleJonny Ive, Apple

21. April Underwood
Technical
Management
Creative
Business
Marketing
Design
Consumer science
Leadership
Management
Strategy
Results-oriented
Culture
Business maturity
Domain expertise
Leadership skillsProduct skills
@gibsonbiddle
April Underwood, Slack

22. Technical
Management
Creative
Business
Marketing
Design
Consumer science
Leadership
Management
Strategy
Results-oriented
Culture
Business maturity
Domain expertise
Product skills Leadership skills
@gibsonbiddle

23. What are Your Superpowers?
@gibsonbiddle

24. Technical
Management
Creative
Business
Marketing
Design
Consumer science
Leadership
Management
Strategy
Results-oriented
Culture
Business maturity
Domain expertise
Product skills Leadership skills
@gibsonbiddle

25. @gibsonbiddle
Technical
Management
Creative
Business
Marketing
Design
Consumer science
What Are Your Top 2-3 Product Skills?

26. @gibsonbiddle

27. @gibsonbiddle
What Are Your Top 2-3 Leadership Skills?
Leadership
Management
Strategy
Results-oriented
Culture
Business maturity
Domain expertise

28. @gibsonbiddle

29. @gibsonbiddle

30. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

31. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

32. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

33. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

34. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

35. Leadership stages
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

36. Leadership stages
Organization
Hit
Something
Company
Industry
Leadership, strategy, hiring, culture
Marketing & consumer insight
Basic design & management
X-functional leadership, company strategy
Long-term strategy & partnerships
@gibsonbiddle

37. What stage are you engaged in today?
Build an industry
Build a company
Build an organization
Build a hit
Build something
@gibsonbiddle

38. @gibsonbiddle

39. Experiment via
Career Hacking
@gibsonbiddle

40. @gibsonbiddle

41. @gibsonbiddle

42. @gibsonbiddle

43. My career hypotheses
Marketing v. Product
Starter v. Builder
Consumer v. Enterprise
Entertainment v. Education
@gibsonbiddle

44. @gibsonbiddle

45. @gibsonbiddle

46. @gibsonbiddle

47. @gibsonbiddle

48. @gibsonbiddle

49. @gibsonbiddle

50. @gibsonbiddle

51. @gibsonbiddle
@gibsonbiddle

52. @gibsonbiddle

53. @gibsonbiddle

54. @gibsonbiddle

55. @gibsonbiddle

56. @gibsonbiddle

57. @gibsonbiddle

58. @gibsonbiddle

59. Marketing v. Product
Starter v. Builder
Consumer v. Enterprise
Entertainment v. Education.
Career Hypotheses
@gibsonbiddle

60. Your career
hypotheses?
@gibsonbiddle

61. What are your:
Forks in the road?
Areas of interest or passion?
Potential new function or roles?
(Think long-term.)
@gibsonbiddle

62. The right metric?
@gibsonbiddle

63. @gibsonbiddle
What metrics help you
evaluate career success?

64. @gibsonbiddle
What metrics would you use to evaluate career success?

65. Income?
@gibsonbiddle

66. Job satisfaction?
@gibsonbiddle

67. Good for the world?
@gibsonbiddle

68. Make it an 8
@gibsonbiddle

69. @gibsonbiddle
What is your
job satisfaction?

70. @gibsonbiddle

71. Career hacking
Be bold
Hypotheses>>experiments
2 AM test
Side projects
Passion>>Curiosity>>Grit.
@gibsonbiddle

72. Risk enablers
Education
Small successes
Simple life
Job & career-hunting skills.
@gibsonbiddle

73. Feedback:
Your Board of Directors
@gibsonbiddle

74. @gibsonbiddle

75. Build your
community of
peers.”
Greg Bestick
@gibsonbiddle

76. Can I tell you something
you may not like?
@gibsonbiddle@gibsonbiddle
Irv Grossbeck
Amherst College, ‘57

77. Can I tell you something
you may not like?
You’re too nice to be a
startup CEO.”
@gibsonbiddle@gibsonbiddle
Irv Grossbeck
Amherst College, ‘57

78. Just tell people
what you want.”
Patty McCord
@gibsonbiddle

79. For you, it’s all
about creative
pursuit.”
Kristen Hege
@gibsonbiddle

80. @gibsonbiddle
Your board
Invest in good times
Listen carefully
Refresh often
Every month/quarter/year.

81. @gibsonbiddle
Peers
Past colleagues
Similar function, stage & company
Mutual support.

82. @gibsonbiddle
Mentors
Extraordinary judgment
Broad skills and network
Candid + caring.

83. @gibsonbiddle
Finding mentors
Don’t ask them!
Strengthen weak link
Personality fit
Pass their tests
Create value.

84. gibsonbiddle.com
Product Leadership Talks & Workshops
Home Watch Talks Workshops Articles Speaker Materials Read Reviews
@gibsonbiddle

85. Conclusions
@gibsonbiddle

86. What would you do
if you weren't afraid?
@gibsonbiddle

87. Take Action
@gibsonbiddle

88. 2) Form hypotheses,
Experiment via side
projects.
3) Get feedback via
your Personal Board
of Directors.
Hack
Your
Product
Leader
Career
1.) Position yourself via
Product & Leadership skills &
Career progression ladder.
@gibsonbiddle

89. Make it an 8
@gibsonbiddle

90. Thank You
@gibsonbiddle

91. @gibsonbiddle

92. @gibsonbiddle

93. @gibsonbiddle

94. gibsonbiddle.com
Complete Net Promoter Score survey
Download PDF of presentation
“Hacking Your Career” article on Medium
“How to Find a Great Job” essay.
@gibsonbiddle

95. Thanks!
@gibsonbiddle

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