Some people fall into product management, but other people have to work their way into it. Diana Nolting, VP of Product at SkuVault, joins us for this episode to share what she’s learned from fighting her way into product management.
Diana began her career in journalism, giving her a unique perspective on the world of product. Throughout our conversation, she emphasizes the importance of asking good questions, getting to the “story behind the story,” and building relationships with the people you’re serving. She shares her tips for successful user interviews, her go-to tool in product management.
We also talk about the importance of bringing everyone together to solve problems cross-functionally. Diana shares an analogy that she uses with her team: we’re all rowing together. Continuous conversations and remembering that your team is working toward a unified goal are critical for success in product.
We wrap up with advice from Diana and our co-host, Dave Mathew, for people interested in moving into product management. Dave shares why he believes asking good questions is the key skill for people in product. Diana advises people interested in product to ask questions and be willing to be wrong.
Diana is hardwired to be a curious learner with an insatiable appetite for information. She believes maintaining an ongoing conversation with the market is imperative to both company and product success. She’s developed product management expertise, specifically in SaaS working to transform business operations.
As a former Software Producer at SEP, Dave created custom software experiences that addressed complex problems in diverse business domains. Dave is passionate about problem solving, human-centered design, and mentoring others. Dave pairs his technical background with his expertise in product management and experience design to ensure we solve the right problems with our clients while building solutions to address them in the proper context.
In our Behind the Product podcast, we put the spotlight on the practices that guide decision makers in solving some of society's toughest challenges.
Looking to advance your career? Explore what it's like to work on awesome things with curious, confident people.
