As a product leader, there’s no shortage of great advice on how to approach your job. But still product management is hard – you’ve got to balance strategy, execution, vision, tactics, leadership, and management. How do you know what to do when? This is where a coach can help.
A TCGen product leadership executive coach empowers clients to excel in their roles by providing tailored guidance and strategic insights. We help clients master the art of balancing vision with execution, ensuring that product development aligns with market needs and business goals. Through personalized sessions, we enhance our clients’ skills in areas such as product strategy, stakeholder management, and team leadership. By offering actionable feedback and fostering a growth mindset, we enable clients to make informed decisions, overcome challenges, and drive product success. Whether navigating complex product roadmaps or refining go-to-market strategies, clients gain the confidence and expertise needed to lead their teams and products to new heights.
How Coaching Works
We work with company and product leaders – typically a startup CEO, CPO or Head of Product in a growth stage company, or Director of Product in a company operating at scale. We engage in scheduled 1:1 coaching sessions either weekly or bi-weekly. You prepare by articulating your current challenges and what you want from them; this hones your thinking. I bring in the context of the big-picture goals you set up front. We also talk ad-hoc as often as you need, allowing us to move quickly and deep-dive when necessary.
Our focus is on product, though we use the context of the personal and company to think through challenges and opportunities. We bring stories and benchmarks from outside readings, podcasts, and experiences to guide our thinking. We engage deeply with your work and are there by your side. We create a safe space to work through things before sharing with your investors, manager, peers, or team members.
Through this, you make better decisions. By having an experienced collaborator you refine your judgment, and anticipate concerns, and share your insights more clearly.
You make those decisions faster. You speak with authenticity as a leader. You have the clarity that comes from having worked through it. You raise the right questions and objections in advance. You enroll others in the work.
How To Engage
The coaching / client relationship is an intimate one. You can only discover through conversation whether it’s the right fit. So we recommend you contact us to learn more.
That said, the SVPG Good Product Coach / Bad Product Coach article offers fantastic insights on what to look for in a coach, and here are some suggestions for questions to help guide your personal journey:
- What are your personal or product growth goals and in what ways can a coach help you achieve them?
- What would constitute a good coaching fit for your development style? What flags would illustrate that someone is not a good fit for you?
- What are 2-3 questions without obvious “right” answers that you can ask that will help you determine if this works well?
About Nolan
Nolan is a principal at TCGen and our lead Executive Coach. A note from him…
Hello! I’ve been working in Silicon Valley for two decades with some of the most talented people in the business. I’ve shipped products that became the foundational revenue for my companies and that have helped transform the productivity of large enterprises. I’ve led product, customer success, partnerships, operations. As a CEO startup I worked closely to apply the all-remote culture of GitLab to building a visionary platform for new city developers to run cities in developing economies more efficiently. (That didn’t work, for reasons unsurprising in hindsight.) I’ve worked with companies large and small, with users all over the world, and seen what it takes to build great products through many lenses.
My greatest rewards have been seeing the growth of the teams around me. The ways that the culture of my team can drive that of the organization. How a compelling vision, discovery of insights, compelling communication, and focus on outcomes can build a team and product and company, and ultimately to delight customers. I want to help others experience this joy.
As a coach, I help you refine your vision, hone your processes, express your ideas, and build great products. I know that there’s no shortage of advice and best practices out there; I help you sort through them and find those that are authentic to you and fit well with what your company is and can become.
Other FAQs
- How much does it cost and who pays? Typically your company pays the direct costs. We charge based on a schedule that factors in company revenue and growth stage, level of leadership responsibilities, and (if applicable) the growth potential of equity. Reach out to learn more.
- What commitment does it take? We ask that you commit to three months up front, though we don’t require advance payment. It takes a while to develop a relationship with a coach and to start to witness how your thinking and behaviors evolve.