Lane Shackleton

Guest: Lane Shackleton - Chief Product Officer at Coda. Lane has been with Coda for over eight years and previously worked at YouTube and Google, starting his career as an Alaskan mountain guide. He is known for his deep thinking and first principles approach to building product teams and culture. Key Takeaways: Seek Discomfort for Growth: Lane emphasizes the importance of seeking "oh shit" moments where you feel underqualified, as these are crucial for personal and professional growth. Systems Over Goals: Focus on creating systems that consistently drive outcomes rather than fixating on goals. For example, have a default system for customer interactions rather than sporadic goals. Cathedrals, Not Bricks: Ensure your team understands the bigger picture ("cathedral") rather than just focusing on individual tasks ("bricks"). Learn by Making, Not Talking: Instead of endless debates, quickly prototype and test ideas to gain insights and make informed decisions. Two-Way Writeups: Transition from one-way writeups to interactive, feedback-oriented documents to enhance decision-making and clarity. Topics Covered: Principles of great product managers, rituals of great teams, career growth, strategy and planning, customer focus, effective communication, product development processes.