Lessons in Product Management - Working & Communicating with EngineersGuest: Paul LunowHost: John DoeEpisode Duration: ~28 min[00:00 - 01:37] Introduction<ul><li><li>John welcomes Paul Lunow to the podcast.</li></li><li><li>Paul previously hosted <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/46SkfuVtFUO4Mj5SvSCwI4?si=x-TTl0FuS8W67LGbUc799A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">John on Product and Cake</a>.</li></li></ul><li><ul><li>Background on Paul’s 20-year career in tech.</li></ul>[01:37 - 04:05] Paul’s Background in Product & Engineering</li><li><ul><li>Started in Berlin as a web developer, grew an agency to 30 people.</li></ul></li><ul><li>Founded Nepos, a startup building a tablet for elderly users.</li><li>Moved to eBay to experience corporate innovation.</li></ul><li><ul><li>Now Head of Innovation & Technology at XU Group, building a B2B learning platform.</li></ul>[04:05 - 06:45] The Role of AI in Learning Platforms</li><li><ul><li>Discusses AI’s role in education.</li></ul></li><li><ul><li>AI is a tool for augmentation, not a replacement for learning.</li></ul>[06:45 - 10:38] How Product Managers Can Work Better with Engineers</li><ul><li>The importance of psychological safety in teams.</li><li>Engineers need a space to fail, ask questions, and collaborate.</li></ul><li><ul><li>Great product managers create environments of trust.</li></ul>[10:38 - 14:46] How Much Tech Knowledge Should a PM Have?</li><ul><li>PMs don’t need to code but must deeply understand the product.</li><li>The worst thing: a PM who pretends to know coding but doesn’t use the product.</li></ul><li><ul><li>PMs should be the first to log in daily and experience the product firsthand.</li></ul>[14:46 - 18:08] Anti-Patterns: What Drives Engineers Crazy</li><ul><li>Overworked and stressed PMs create pressure and disconnection.</li><li>Avoid last-minute changes and unclear expectations.</li></ul><li><ul><li>Balance deep work vs. reactive work—don’t just respond to messages all day.</li></ul>[18:08 - 22:26] Managing Workload as a PM</li><ul><li>Split work into offense (strategic work) and defense (reactive tasks).</li><li>Prioritize one key task per day instead of juggling everything at once.</li></ul><li><ul><li>Time-box meetings and avoid unnecessary stakeholder discussions.</li></ul>[22:26 - 24:59] How PMs Can Earn Engineers’ Trust</li><ul><li>Be a sparring partner, not just a requirement-pusher.</li><li>Never throw engineers under the bus—own decisions as a team.</li></ul><li><ul><li>A PM should always support and defend shipped features.</li></ul>[24:59 - 27:36] Final Thoughts & Paul’s Work</li><ul><li>Mistakes happen—focus on developing strong personal values as a PM.</li><li>Paul’s new <a href="https://www.amazon.de/Riaru-Willkommen-modernsten-Unternehmen-Welt/dp/3959962983/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=1G7VJ9LLW1FCN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YEX1BWiYn8W6rFMTSUY26i48NDzI1R9xnQkdWQ_cH81rSix5NsVq7fk13GjLOREfFi3x5CV6y9kjQ7awentOhLPrGKDikJTo5AS9UUWRj0LZ3lVXuokgub2zngAzHNXGtOv4hRcVn03ArBkI-j-5NBQ6LmIGCaHdFzfpgF7Uk3y7fMNRuRbZBK-qfrjoPw25LfXw48qQEvP9R8cmfstXqzjxuxlJ_ANojKGK5iE3gZBr6B_k6bg6echpsZc7c9QxvjtWApoLM5ZzNmXDc8WpwIQU4lnFmLE16UXTGW70KYa7J85iXWf0M5r7nF95dKQ2GYV8jWeXH9Cc2yX3pbCuNcVP8lk5u4i0Br3HTIFsLaU9NUebiZCPetJkorqw4DJ_Z4k2k_yCgnKZsf78I8CLLKEOlJS1_qWaUahX2SmnS8tz2SONNJInFmb8Kf5tWFja.LS2qbRfajPL2qUpaJtm11x2DyxhD9G3Vy7qZFnhqrjo&dib_tag=se&keywords=riaru&qid=1741964384&sprefix=dell+monitor+vesa+adapter%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">novel about an engineer in Big Tech</a> (available in German).</li></ul><li><ul><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lunow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Paul on LinkedIn.</a></li></ul>[27:36 - 28:00] Closing Remarks</li><ul><li>Subscribe to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GWmx7OdEn04inrQjp3Bif?si=9fed87ae0a9948de" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Product and Cake</a> & Lessons in Product Management.</li><li>See you next week!</li></ul>

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