How to Coach Product Managers with Ratehub VP of Product, Scott Affleck

In this episode with Scott Affleck, you will learn:

1. Why Product Managers need coaching and how is it different from other professions
2. How to coach Product Managers effectively and some antipatterns 
3. How to track progress in a coaching relationship

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

[1:55] Scott’s journey into Product

[6:01] Scott’s role at RateHub and how he went about building the Product practice there

[11:40] Scott’s approach for hiring PMs

[18:02] Why do PMs need coaching?

[21:06] What % of a Product Leader’s time should go to coaching PMs?

[22:58] How does coaching a PM differ from coaching other roles from your past experience before becoming a PM?

[25:44] What is the least understood about coaching PMs?

[30:03] What is your approach to coaching PMs? Do you use a framework you can share?

[34:57] Do you coach all PMs (junior and senior) the same way?

[36:37] How do you keep track of your PM’s progress? How do you know if it’s working? 

[39:10] What are some anti-patterns of coaching that you can share with us?

[42:05] What makes a coaching experience great?

[46:03] What would cause a coaching relationship to go south?

[52:23] What tools or resources do you recommend for our listeners to learn more about coaching their PMs?

ABOUT SCOTT AFFLECK

Scott Affleck is currently the VP of Product at Ratehub.ca, where he currently leads Product, Design and Analytics.  Prior to Scott’s arrival 3 years ago, none of these functions existed, so much of his past 3 years building the team and establishing processes to support a business that has grown 3x in that time.

Scott is an avid lover of high-growth B2C & marketplace startups, and has spent over a decade working in Product in fintech, travel, and social media.  Prior to his career in Product, Scott spent 6 years working in Corporate Strategy at Bain & Company and Bell Canada.  

Scott has a very strong belief in the value of mentorship, especially in fields like Product where much of the training still comes on the job rather than through formal education.  He loves helping team members identify their passions and goals, develop their own personal roadmap, and find opportunities to grow.  Scott takes great pride in building highly effective and motivated teams that love coming to work every day.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged as: Team Leadership.