TEAM LEADERS
Sustainably build your Product team by fully equipping your vetted internal talent
Hi, I’m Blair
And I’m saying the quiet part out loud.
Collectively, we’re not doing enough to build and sustain our people and products. As a Product Management Career Coach for the last 6 years, there’s a good chance I’ve helped a Product Manager join or depart your team. Let’s work together to fix the leak.
Having started a Product career in 2011, before it was insanely popular, I’ve had the opportunity to learn within various cultures and industries.
Having been a Product educator for over half of my Product career, I’ve continued to learn. I’ve connected with early-career PMs and know their strengths and imposter syndrome intimately. I’ve taught Product teams to be high-performing and am super familiar with the conundrums teams face. As a coach, I’ve helped (literally) hundreds of clients land Product jobs. As a Ph.D. candidate, I’ve exhausted scholarly literature in the Product Management domain.
In total, I’ve observed two niche and notable problems worth solving.
Solid team members are leaving your organization because, in part, they lack the opportunity to spread their Product wings. #retention
You’re familiar with the concept of a strong product-led culture, but it seems out of reach for you and your team. #chaos
IMPROVE RETENTION
Many are seeking guidance on pivoting into Product, often resulting in leaving their current roles. In the post-Great Resignation era, the assumption that talent will stay is risky. I’d encourage you to consider this: we are now in the Great Musical Chairs era. Your team is still dissatisfied, burned out, and holding out for the right opportunity to exit and pivot into Product. While you can’t control the music, you can shape the environment for success.
I create clear pathways into Product Management careers.
CALM CHAOS
There’s siloed behavior among the broader product team. The team doesn’t have the agency necessary to provide the insights and lighthouse for Engineering and Design teams. There’s a lack of role clarity among your Product teams, creating friction and inefficiencies. This diversion of attention to other issues only compounds the problem, which reveals itself in your product and culture.
I partner with Product Leadership to create confident and cohesive teams.
What I do
Retention as a cost-saving initiative. Give your team a reason to stay and thrive by investing in them.
Together, we create pathways across teams that drive clarity and development. You’ll gain an effective, empathetic solutionist poised to help you find how solving the issue that keeps you up at night is actually financially beneficial for you to do so.
Your Product team gains a mentor and a safe space to ask questions and obtain objective feedback on their work deliverables and approach.
INDIVIDUAL COACHING
Tailored sessions for team members, meeting them where they are
Identify and address individual challenges and growth opportunities
Foster a supportive space for personal and professional development
TEAM COACHING
Collaborate with your Product team to address collective challenges
Facilitate communication and collaboration across teams
Create, document, and deliver team training to ensure team development and cohesion
How I do it
I’VE COACHED 1K+ ASPIRING, NEW AND EXPERIENCED PRODUCT MANAGERS
Here are a few of the enterprise-level organizations that I’ve coached.
I’ve spent the last 12+ in Product Management with varying responsibilities in varying industries learning and executing a ton.
I’ve spent the last 6+ years as a Product Manager Educator with General Assembly working with hundreds of students looking to learn more about Product Management. I’ve also coached at the Enterprise level working with companies to upskill in Product Management.
To that end, I am equipped and pleased to help you manage your transition with wisdom, action, and accountability.
GUIDED CONVERSATIONS
Thoughtfully facilitate listening sessions that allow for the team's perspectives, needs, and goals to be heard, resulting in empathetic alignment.
LEVEL SETTING SESSIONS
An opportunity to synchronize best practices and expectations through coaching to support. Especially beneficial for newly formed teams with diverse practices seeking cohesion.
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP FIRESIDE CHATS
Available to support ERGs with perspective, direction, and encouragement related to career advancement, gender disparities, and adopting a Product mindset.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Targeted skill development for the comprehensive growth of early-career Product Managers. Skill topics range from stakeholder engagement to roadmap development.
ON-DEMAND SUPPORT
An opportunity to access professional support as needed. Includes a customizable assortment of one-on-one coaching calls, group training, and feedback.
GUEST SPEAKING AND PARTNERSHIPS
If you’d like to discuss an upcoming event, such as a conference or team all-hands, send me a quick note.
How we can work together
PRODUCT LEADERS
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS
PEOPLE STRATEGISTS