94: Building High-Performing Teams and The Power of Culture

Get involved with The Product Management Center. Learn more at https://ipma.info.foster.uw.edu/   In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman welcomes Leslie Grandy (Modwell) and Eric Loh (The Product Management Center at UW) as they discuss building a high-performing team and the power of culture. Building a product team and understanding the culture are crucial for a PM because they directly impact the success of a product. A well-structured team ensures diverse skills and perspectives, enabling efficient execution and innovation. Moreover, a deep understanding of the organizational culture helps the PM navigate communication, decision-making processes, and stakeholder expectations, leading to smoother collaboration and more effective product development   Disclaimer: All opinions of the speakers are their own.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 06:04 Building a product team 09:08 Who’s involved in building a product team? 11:28 Scaling the hardware and software teams 14:26 Understanding the existing culture while building a team in another location 16:17 Onboarding process  21:25 Getting the willing people to onboard first 25:30 Ideal ratio of PMs to other roles on a product team 31:06 Changing people and rivalry in product 38:27 Bridging the gap in the culture between two organizations 43:57 Challenges coming up with the rubric for hiring  48:04 Building a team towards social purpose 51:17 Accepting what’s happening at the moment 54:55 Final Thoughts