Hi!đź‘‹ I am Marcin, an ambitious Product Manager with 5+ years of experience in product management and leading cross-functional teams. I have shipped several products from 0 to 1 and led dev teams through all phases of product development; from discovering opportunities, through design-, development-, and up to launch & iteration. My superpower is promoting collaborative culture by facilitating engaging structures and keeping the team spirit upbeat. I'm a life-long learner and have completed multiple product courses, for example, Reforge Cohorts, PSPO certification, and Data Product Management Simulator. I'm open to long-term mentoring partnerships (one-offs are welcome too!). I mentor students by focusing on the core PM competencies outlined below. And I can also offer career advice and help with the job application process. Let me know what topic you would like to cover. Happy to help! Please message me about your availability if you can't find a suitable time. https://www.mentormarcin.com/
My Mentoring Topics
- Product Execution (Product Requirements & Specification, Product Delivery)
- Customer Insight (Fluency with Data, Voice of the Customer, UX Design)
- Product Strategy (OKRs, Product Vision & Roadmapping, Strategic Impact)
- Influencing people (Stakeholder Management, Team Leadership, Collaboration)
- Design Thinking
- Career Advice
- Interviewing
- Resume Upgrade
M.
12.June 2023I had a very productive session with Marcin where he shared valuable insights on feature prioritization and customer retention. He used Max-Diff Survey and TARS framework to provide practical examples. Furthermore, we delved into pricing strategies using Van Westendorp (PSM), which was very helpful approaches for product valuation.
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders
Dale Carnegie
Key Facts and Insights from the Book Understanding the fundamental importance of genuine interest in others. Recognizing the power of appreciation and praise. The need for empathy in communication and relationships. Importance of listening to understand, rather than listening to respond. Ways to make people feel important and valued. How to handle criticism constructively. Understanding the power of persuasive but non-argumentative conversation. Mastering the art of leadership through influencing people. Techniques to manage relationships both personally and professionally. Developing a positive attitude and outlook. The role of continuous learning and self-improvement. Detailed Analysis and Summary of the Book The book is a timeless guide to effective leadership and communication, written by Dale Carnegie, that has been updated to suit the needs and contexts of the next generation of leaders. The author provides practical advice and strategies for building and maintaining successful relationships with others, both in personal and professional contexts. One of the primary insights from the book is the fundamental importance of showing a genuine interest in others. Carnegie posits that people are more likely to be influenced by those who show authentic interest in them and their concerns. This principle is closely linked with the concept of emotional intelligence, which emphasizes the ability to understand and manage one's own and others' emotions. The author also emphasizes the power of appreciation and praise. He suggests that these are powerful motivators and that people are more likely to respond positively to requests or directions when they feel appreciated and valued. This aligns with the principles of positive psychology, which highlight the importance of focusing on strengths and positives in individuals and groups to motivate and inspire them. Carnegie discusses the importance of empathy in communication and relationships. He argues that understanding and sharing the feelings of others can build stronger relationships and enable more effective communication. This concept is central to many theories of communication and interpersonal relationships. The book underscores the importance of listening to understand, rather than listening to respond. Carnegie suggests that truly effective communication requires active listening and a genuine attempt to understand the other person's perspective. This aligns with the principles of active listening, a communication technique that requires the listener to fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said. Carnegie also discusses ways to make people feel important and valued. He suggests that people are more likely to be influenced and motivated when they feel valued and important. This concept is central to many theories of motivation, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which posits that individuals have a fundamental need for esteem and recognition. The author provides practical advice on how to handle criticism constructively. He suggests that criticism should be used as a tool for self-improvement rather than as a weapon to attack or defend. This principle aligns with many theories of conflict resolution and emotional intelligence, which emphasize the importance of managing emotions and reactions in difficult situations. Carnegie also discusses the power of persuasive but non-argumentative conversation. He suggests that influence and persuasion are more effective when they are based on understanding and respect, rather than on force or coercion. This is a core principle of many theories of negotiation and persuasion, which emphasize the importance of cooperation and mutual benefit. The book provides valuable insights into the art of leadership through influencing people. Carnegie posits that effective leadership is not about commanding or controlling, but about influencing and inspiring others. This aligns with the principles of transformational leadership, which emphasize the importance of inspiring and motivating followers to exceed their own individual performance goals. The author also provides techniques for managing relationships both personally and professionally. He suggests that effective relationship management requires a balance of understanding, respect, and communication. This aligns with many theories of relationship management, which emphasize the importance of managing and balancing various aspects of relationships, including trust, communication, and mutual respect. Carnegie emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and outlook. He suggests that positivity can influence one's own behavior as well as the behaviors of others. This aligns with the principles of positive psychology, which emphasizes the importance of positivity and optimism in promoting well-being and success. Finally, the author highlights the role of continuous learning and self-improvement. He argues that leaders must continuously seek to improve their skills and knowledge in order to remain effective. This principle is central to many theories of leadership and organizational behavior, which emphasize the importance of continuous learning and development for both individuals and organizations. In conclusion, "How to Win Friends and Influence People - Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders" provides timeless and practical advice for effective leadership and communication. The book's principles align with many theories and concepts in psychology, communication, leadership, and organizational behavior, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their influence and relationships.
ViewFifty Quick Ideas to Improve Your User Stories
Gojko Adzic, David Evans
Key Facts and Insights Value: The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on delivering value to customers rather than just completing tasks. Collaboration: The authors accentuate the significance of collaboration in creating user stories. They advise that all stakeholders should be included in the process, not just the developers and product owners. Incremental Development: The book promotes incremental development and iterative delivery, encouraging teams to deliver small, usable chunks of software regularly. INVEST Principle: The book reiterates the importance of the INVEST principle (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) for writing effective user stories. Verification: The authors underline the necessity of defining clear criteria to verify each user story's successful implementation. Splitting Stories: The book provides various techniques for splitting larger user stories into smaller, manageable chunks. Feedback: The book emphasizes the importance of rapid feedback cycles in iterative development and continual improvement. Story Maps: The book introduces the concept of story maps as a visual tool to understand the user journey and dependencies between user stories. Impact Mapping: The authors present impact mapping as a strategic planning tool to ensure that user stories align with business objectives. Non-functional Requirements: The book addresses the challenge of integrating non-functional requirements into user stories. Refactoring: The authors discuss the value of refactoring in maintaining the quality and readability of the code. In-Depth Analysis "Fifty Quick Ideas to Improve Your User Stories" by Gojko Adzic and David Evans is a valuable resource that provides practical tips and techniques to improve the practice of writing user stories. The book is founded on the idea that user stories should deliver value to the customer, which is a core principle of agile methodologies. The authors emphasize the importance of collaboration in creating user stories. Involving all stakeholders in the process ensures that different perspectives are considered, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the user's needs. This aligns with the principle of collective ownership in agile methodologies, where everyone is responsible for the quality of the product. The book promotes the practice of incremental development and iterative delivery. This concept resonates with the agile principle of delivering working software frequently, providing value to customers on a continuous basis. The importance of the INVEST principle is reiterated throughout the book. Each user story should be Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. This framework helps ensure that user stories are well-defined and manageable. The authors stress the need for clear verification criteria for each user story. This aligns with the concept of Definition of Done (DoD) in Scrum, providing a clear understanding of when a user story is considered complete. In addressing the challenge of large user stories, the book offers various techniques for splitting stories into smaller, manageable chunks. This practice enables teams to deliver value incrementally and facilitates better estimation and planning. The book also emphasizes the importance of feedback in the agile development process. Rapid feedback cycles enable teams to learn and adapt quickly, leading to continual improvement. The authors introduce the concept of story maps as a visual tool to understand the user journey and dependencies between user stories. This technique helps in prioritizing user stories and planning iterations. The book presents impact mapping as a strategic tool to align user stories with business objectives. It helps ensure that every user story contributes to the achievement of business goals. The authors address the often overlooked aspect of integrating non-functional requirements into user stories. They provide practical tips to incorporate these requirements, ensuring that the system not only delivers functional value but also meets quality expectations. Lastly, the value of refactoring is discussed in the context of maintaining the quality and readability of the code. This practice aligns with the agile principle of technical excellence and good design. In conclusion, "Fifty Quick Ideas to Improve Your User Stories" provides a wealth of practical tips and techniques grounded in agile principles and practices. It is a valuable resource for anyone involved in writing user stories, whether they are new to the practice or experienced practitioners seeking to improve their skills.
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The Lean Product Playbook
Dan Olsen
Key Insights from The Lean Product Playbook The Lean Product Playbook is about applying the principles of Lean Startup to product development, focusing on finding the product-market fit, and understanding customer needs. The book introduces the Product-Market Pyramid, a five-layered framework designed to guide the product development process from target market identification to feature prioritization. Dan Olsen emphasizes the importance of conducting problem interviews to understand the needs of the customers and validate the problem you're trying to solve. A key concept in the book is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which is used to validate assumptions and learn from customer feedback. The book advises on iterative product development, encouraging constant feedback loops with customers to improve the product. Olsen underlines the importance of actionable metrics over vanity metrics to measure true business value. It stresses on the value of a good UX design in product success and advocates for integrating UX principles into product design. The book also provides practical tools and templates for implementing Lean product development principles, like the Lean Product Process™ and the Kano model. Olsen explains the role of competitive analysis in identifying opportunities in the market and positioning your product. The Lean Product Playbook promotes a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, which is the core of Lean Startup methodology. The Lean Product Playbook: An In-depth Analysis The Lean Product Playbook, penned by Dan Olsen, serves as a comprehensive guide for product managers and innovators in the modern business landscape. Olsen, with his extensive experience as a product manager and consultant, presents actionable strategies for implementing the Lean Startup principles into product development to achieve a successful product-market fit. The book's main framework, the Product-Market Pyramid, is a five-layer model that provides a structured approach to product development. The bottom layer represents the target market, followed by the underserved needs, value proposition, feature set, and finally, the user experience at the top. This pyramid acts as a roadmap, guiding product teams from understanding their market to defining the specific features that would meet their customer needs. One of the key techniques Olsen proposes is conducting problem interviews. These interviews help identify and validate the problem a product aims to solve by directly understanding the pain points of the potential customers. This user-centric approach significantly reduces the risk of product failure, as it ensures the product is being developed with a clear understanding of the customer's needs. The concept of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is given significant importance in the book. An MVP, as per Olsen, is the smallest version of the product that can be released to gather valuable customer feedback. This feedback loop allows product teams to learn from their customers and iteratively improve their product, thus reducing waste and increasing efficiency in the development process. Actionable metrics are another vital aspect of Lean product development. Olsen warns against relying on vanity metrics, which might look good on paper but don't provide any actionable insights. Instead, he encourages focusing on the metrics that truly reflect the business value and help in making informed decisions. Emphasizing the importance of good UX design, Olsen advocates for integrating UX principles into product design. He asserts that a product's success is not just determined by its functionality but also by its usability and desirability, which are the hallmarks of a good UX design. The Lean Product Process™ and the Kano model are among the practical tools suggested by Olsen for implementing the principles of Lean product development. The Lean Product Process™ is a six-step process that guides teams on how to apply Lean principles to their product development process. On the other hand, the Kano model is a useful tool for prioritizing product features based on customer satisfaction. Competitive analysis is another significant process discussed in the book. It entails understanding the competitive landscape to identify market opportunities and differentiate your product. This analysis, combined with the insights from customer interviews, helps in positioning your product effectively in the market. The book strongly promotes a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, which is at the heart of the Lean Startup methodology. It emphasizes that learning from failures, iterating on feedback, and continuously improving the product are the keys to achieving a successful product-market fit. In conclusion, The Lean Product Playbook provides a detailed, actionable guide for applying Lean Startup principles to product development. Its emphasis on customer-centric design, iterative development, actionable metrics, and continuous learning makes it an invaluable resource for product managers and innovators striving to build successful products in today's rapidly changing business environment.
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D.
25.July 2023I had a very productive session. Marcin helped me improve my resume and devise a strategy for preparing for product management interviews. He was very attentive, and able to span from general examples to their underlying principles. He also gave me some negotiation tips!