11. I joined Netflix in 2005 as VP Product, and in 2010 became CPO of Product at Chegg, a textbook rental and homework help company that went public in 2013. (Both did very well during the pandemic as everyone spent more time online.)
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12. In 2015 I continued "career hacking." I taught entrepreneurship at Stanford and took on three day/week “Head of Product” roles at Life360, NerdWallet, and Metromile– each for one year. All three startups have now gone public.
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13. Today, I largely teach outside the classroom. I did 80 talks, workshops, and exec events in 2021. That’s one-third less than the year before as anything more strains my voice. Here’s a good recording of me doing a big stage talk, pre-pandemic:
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14. And here’s a good example of a virtual talk. I work hard to create an engaging experience using Slido, chat & cold calls to keep folks on the edge of their seats. My NPS for virtual talks is the same as my in-person talks – typically in the 70’s.
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15. I’m largely known for my focus on product strategy because I published a 12-part essay, "How to Define Your Product Strategy” on Medium. The series has an NPS of 80 (400 responses). Read it here:
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16. I’m a feedback freak. I have collected more than 800 Net Promoter Scores for my talks and writing. Last year, my average NPS was 67. (70 is considered world-class.) I know some folks are wary about NPS but it’s the best proxy metric I have found for the work that I do.
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17. The first essay I ever wrote sounds inane: “How to Run a Product Strategy Meeting.” But it has 7,000 claps on Medium. Here it is:
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18. Because my early career, post mailroom, was in marketing, I wrote another essay, “Branding for Builders,” that helps product leaders understand why positioning and branding are so important. It has 11,000 claps:
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19. I wish everyone would read “Hacking Your Product Leader Career.” It helps folks to think of their career as a series of hypotheses & experiments– like building a product. Plus, you’ll learn how to build a Personal Board of Directors:
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20. This video has an NPS of 78 (5,000 responses) and is based on my "Branding for Builders" essay. It also exhibits my “goofy dad” brand. (I drive my daughters crazy as they wish I would spend more money on clothes and stop cutting my own hair.)
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21. My baby website is here. I said I would upgrade it last year, but didn’t. It’s unpolished. So am I. Some use the word “quirky” to describe me, which is fair:
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22. Also on my guilt list from 2021: I still haven’t written a product strategy book. But everything I learned is waiting for you on Medium in the same essay I noted earlier, but this link is for the TLDR/Cliff Notes/Spark Notes version:
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23. Last year, I started a free “Ask Gib” product newsletter on Substack. When I write, I pick up about 1,000 new subscribers/month. I currently have 8,600 subscribers. The “best” essay, as determined via NPS, shares, and other proxy metrics is this one:
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24. I lied. I just re-looked at the data and maybe this is my best “Ask Gib” essay:
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25. I love doing two, five, and eight-hour (virtual) product strategy workshops. You can learn more about how to host one of them here:
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26. My perfect day is doing a two-hour product strategy workshop in the morning, and skiing in the afternoon. If you’d like to host a two-hour Product Strategy Workshop at your organization, here are the details:
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27. If you are self-disciplined, you can take my self-paced Product Strategy course on Teachable. The first 2 modules are free & the course includes pre-recorded talks by me, along w/ pre-formatted Google Slides you can use to define your product strategy in a step-by-step way.
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28. This link gives you $200 off the $695 fee for my Teachable course:
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29. Half of the work I do is a labor of love, including the annual “Product Leader Summit." Last year, 1,000 product leaders applied for 120 spots. We help leaders to build their community of peers. The audience is 50/50 male/female & 20% black/latinx. productleadersummit.com
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30. Why do I continue to work?
-Keeps me from driving my wife crazy
-Provides a creative outlet
-I need a little structure to my life/days
-I’m trying to help other product leaders to “dent the universe” in leveraged ways.
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31. What does 'leveraged' mean? I’m now old enough that I truly understand the value of time. Talks, workshops, and writing all give me “one to many” leverage. Sadly, advising and one-on-one coaching clogs up my schedule too much. I value my time/flexibility a lot.
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32. What I want to do in 2022:
- Write a book
- Be more consistent/persistent about writing "Ask Gib" essays
- Develop a culture workshop for CEOs & Exec teams
- Build a new data talk/workshop
- Build a community around Ask Gib
- Keep making the Product Leader Summit better.
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33. If you enjoy my work and seek my attention, simply like and share my stuff. Also, provide survey feedback and sign your name at the end. I notice and appreciate this a lot.
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34. If you got to the end of this missive, give me a “Woot!” in the comments below so I know that you made it this far. Thanks a ton for being part of this journey. Gib
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