On this episode of the Delta Huddle Podcast, Chris Rader and John S. Little from Centercode were joined by Joe Ghali and Ryan Cantwell, Principal Trainers and Consultants from the 280 Group.
Joe and Ryan have a combined 30 years of experience in the worlds of Product Management and Customer Success, helping teams in multiple sectors become more agile, vulnerable, and collaborative.
Both Joe and Ryan shared some valuable insights on how to properly integrate a well-run beta testing program into your workflow as a product manager. From listening to your customers and becoming more vulnerable and accepting to change, to transforming your users into brand evangelists, this episode is perfect for any product managers looking to launch with confidence.
Other topics include:
- Why soft skills are essential in product management
- Why curiosity and passion matter as a product manager
- Centercode’s journey to launching a free beta testing platform for all
- Why perfection can get in the way of progress
In this episode:
- (2:19) - Joe and Ryan’s start at the 280 Group
- (7:10) - Coaching the foundations of product management and doing more with less
- (16:07) - Curiosity, passion, and the importance of understanding your users
- (22:15) - Beta programs, answering questions, and why soft skills are essential
- (24:47) - How to prepare teams to launch with confidence and accept change
- (35:18) - Going with your gut, understanding the data, and how beta justifies the “why”
- (38:20) - The power of engagement and transforming users into evangelists
- (46:40) - Progress vs. perfection, outcome vs. output, and advice for new product managers
About Our Guests:
Joe Ghali is a Principal Consultant and Trainer at 280 Group. He has over 15 years of experience in Product Management working for Fortune 100 & 500 organizations. Joe’s experience includes working in a variety of industries including travel, publishing, financial services, manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods (primarily in digital).
His experience as both a Product Manager and Product Owner has given a strong conviction that the most successful products are the result of strong Product and Agile teams who are transparent, collaborative, and vulnerable. And the key to those high performing teams is strong Product Management leadership at the helm.
Ryan Cantwell is a Principal Consultant and Trainer at the 280 Group with more than 15 years of professional experience in product management, applications engineering, and customer success.
Before joining the 280 Group, Ryan served in senior product roles at Industrial Scientific Corp and Automated Packaging System. Through these roles he has extensive experience leading development teams and software as a service (SaaS) solutions in a B2B environment. In addition, he has a track record of success designing products that solve customer problems and introducing continuous improvement practices within the product teams he serves.
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Download the transcript here.
