Meaghan Swain

PSA: Being a PM is hard. But it would be a whole, whole lot harder without having a great designer by your side. I think too often we take for granted (or just plain don’t have the luxury of access to) this amazing role. Product Management and Product Design are so alike in many ways. Both require a deep understanding of problems, customers, outcomes, technical implementations, tradeoffs, and so much more. We specialize in different things, sure, and we apply our skills in different ways - but the similarities are way more common than the differences. When you’ve got a great PM/Design relationship, you often think as one mind. You can speak for each other (to an extent), seeing things through each others’ eyes. And the trust that builds lets you answer questions for each other, make (some) decisions for each other, and really amplify each others impact. Lean on your designers to help you with user research, with problem discovery, with solution refinement, and even with maintaining day to day alignment with your teams. They’re great at all of this stuff, filled to the brim with empathy, and *so much more* than just making stuff in Figma. Though I do really appreciate that last part because I’m f**king hopeless at it. I’ve got no real point here, other than to say that I really appreciate all the amazing designers I’ve worked with and encourage anyone in my Product sphere that doesn’t feel comfortable texting a picture of their dinner (or drink, more often in my experience) to their Design counterpart to go find a way to build that relationship. And, of course, big shout out to a few standouts in my mind Taylor Jordan Roary T. Soraya Nukunkit Roxanne Mustafa Annie Chen Bethany Morrow Sterling Koch Dmitry Nekrasovski Peter Shepherd Jenna Bilotta Olya Wiegel and I’m sure a whole bunch more.

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Y'all, I've been thinking about this a lot lately: exceptional product leaders aren't defined by how many features they ship – but by how many they deliberately choose not to build. Here's what saying strategic "nos" has taught me: 1. Every "yes" comes with an opportunity cost. When you say yes to one feature, you're implicitly saying no to dozens of others. Make it count. 2. The hardest nos are to good ideas. Bad ideas are easy to reject. The real challenge? Saying no to solid proposals that simply don't serve your core strategy. 3. The way you say no matters more than the no itself: - "No, because..." builds trust - "No, but here's what we can do..." shows partnership - "No for now, and here's when we'll revisit..." keeps doors open Product management isn't about making everyone happy – it's about making the right people successful. How do you handle saying no to stakeholders while maintaining strong relationships? #ProductManagement #Leadership #Strategy #ProductDecisions #StakeholderManagement

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I’m wrapping up a year of fractional Product work, as I prepare to jump back into a full-time role (more on this soon!). I had never heard of fractional execs a couple years ago, and surely never imagined myself as someone who’d take a leap into such an amorphous career chapter. But after consulting with a half-dozen companies in the past year, I found a lot to love about the fractional model. Here were three unexpected learnings from my year as a fractional product exec 1️⃣ Fractional work was deeply fulfilling and rewarding. I was able to raise my hand to support leaders I admired, help friends launch new startups, and explore mission-driven companies adjacent to my own passions. Even though the roles were temporary, my role and impact were unexpectedly meaningful because I was selective about where to invest my time.  2️⃣ I was able to do some of my best work because of the sustained focus. This was an energizing luxury. I had not experienced this level of focus since I was much earlier in my career. But, as a fractional exec, I’d be tossed 1-2 projects by clients every couple weeks. Ten whole dedicated days to wrangle a roadmap, build a hiring plan, or lead customer discovery meant that I could be more thoughtful and intentional, without the drain of distractions. I learned to say no to meetings that wouldn’t push my work forward and would be wasteful hours for clients. 3️⃣ I precisely calibrated my capacity to show up better at work and home. In the wild world of startups, I was always ON. Through my experiment with fractional work, I learned my boundaries with unique clarity–the exact threshold when our family life would feel excessively hard or when my broader values and aspirations would feel back-burnered for too long. Fractional work allowed me to scale my work incrementally over controlled periods, enabling me to discover what interval / hours / locations work best for me. I have many more learnings I’ll share from my exploration into fractional work. Most importantly, through this period of discovery, I found a need and opportunity too compelling to only support fractionally and decided to take on a bigger, committed role. I’ll share where I’ll be extending full-time roots soon.

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Question to product ops people (I'm looking at you May Wong Graham Reed ) Something I rarely see spoken about as a responsibility of product ops is hiring PMs. I feel like your product ops people understand what makes a good PM, especially in the specific context of your company, as well if not better than anyone. If the role of product ops is to make your product org a slick well oiled machine then adding the right people feels like it should fit squarely within that wheelhouse and is one of the highest leverage activities that can be done. I'm not suggesting that they should own the whole process end to end but it feels to me as though it's a place where they could add a lot of value.

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When launching a new product I see alot of product managers wait until they're asked "how it's going", before thinking about what their metrics of success are. This is something that I learned as a new product manager when trying to get funding for my first product. Think about the metrics that are important both your company, as well as what is going delight the customer to the point that they're publicly championing your products and organization. #productmanagement #GTM #productlaunch #launchstrategy

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Mid-day Advice: Ok, so we are all excited—well, those who have PTO or vacation time in our current roles! For those who do, we need to talk about how we, as product teams, can truly enjoy this holiday day off. How can we disconnect, decompress, and spend time doing things we love without worrying if we forgot to update, send, or address something back at the 'office'? Having worked in project management, product management, and Agile for a while now, the one thing these roles have in common is foresight—seeing the future or at least predicting what is to come next. This skill is critical when long holiday weeks are upon us. We want to be successful at disconnecting and recharging, so here are my top 3 tips for setting up the 'railways' to do just that: 1. Plan Ahead: Before your holiday, ensure all critical tasks are completed or delegated. Set up auto-responses for your emails and inform your team about your time off. This proactive approach reduces the chances of urgent issues cropping up while you're away. 2. Communicate Clearly: Inform stakeholders and team members of your planned absence well in advance. Provide clear instructions on whom to contact in your absence and outline any key tasks that need attention. Clear communication ensures everyone is on the same page. 3. Trust Your Team: Empower your team to make decisions and handle tasks independently. Trusting your team not only helps them grow but also gives you peace of mind that things will run smoothly without your constant oversight. By following these tips, you can confidently disconnect, recharge, and enjoy your holiday to the fullest. Wishing everyone a happy holiday and a well-deserved break! #HolidayTips #ProjectManagement #PTO #VacationMode #WorkLifeBalance #Agile #Teamwork #Productivity #HappyHolidays

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5 reasons why you should apply for the UX/UI Designer role at Jackrabbit Technologies on the Jackrabbit Class Product team: 1. People 👥 —This company has some of the best people you'll ever meet or work with. 2. Culture & Values ✨ —We live, breathe, and commit to the values that drive our strong culture. 3. Product 🐰 —Our product has been in the market for 20 years! Its impact on youth activity centers is fascinating. I bet you know someone who's used our parent portal ;) 4. Opportunity 🗞️ —our product team allows you to be curious, grow, and find opportunities professionally and personally through our users, peers, and the industries we serve. 5. Impact 🚀 —Our team thrives on the outcomes our product achieves daily for our users and clients.

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I'm loving this debate between John Cutler and Ed Biden - both are thinkers and leaders I deeply admire. Zero-interest PMs were hired by zero-interest Product Leaders, who were probably hired by zero-interest CEOs. It's turtling all the way up 🐢 Are they all incompetent? Nah, they are just a product of the environment. It would've been foolish to not take advantage of the zero-interest capital. The key question is whether these people - at all levels from the CEO to the PMs - are capable of adapting to the current environment where profit margin and sustainability are key. Everyone needs to 'sober up' after years of being drunk and high with cash. Zero-interest leaders focus on acquisition at all costs. Sober leaders focus on bringing solid value that leads to retention and sustainable growth. Zero-interest leaders double, triple, even quadruple the size of their team. Sober leaders realize that team size != productivity, that spending hours in alignment meetings for a small feature isn't any fun. Running lean is the way forward. Zero-interest leaders build or even acquire aggressively, trying to capture as much market as possible. Sober leaders are thoughtful in choosing just 1 or 2 things to do. Zero-interest leaders care about framework and rules "This is the only correct way to do product." Sober leaders care about results, knowing that those frameworks and rules are merely vehicles to achieve results. Ultimately, sober leaders are accountable for business performance, not just acting like consultants in suits talking big words and making pretty slides. It's not easy to sober up - but it's adapt or die.

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As a Product Manager, one always struggles to find opportunities for deep work. I find a lot of my day is spent in meetings or putting out fires. I've recently made an effort to get in a little early or stay for a little late to find time outside of my busy schedule for some deep and meaningful work whether that's evaluating our product strategy or coming up with ways to solve a lingering user problem. I think all PMs should try and find time for deep work amidst the hussle and bussle that comes with the job. #productmanagement #deepwork #work #product #strategy

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Fresh off the plane from my parents' 40th Anniversary Party, so my thoughts may be a little muddled LOL. I kept getting the same question from my family all weekend: What does a Product Manager do? If you've ever wondered what a Product Manager actually does, let me break it down for you: We're basically the jugglers 🤹‍♀️ of the tech world. We balance user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility, all while dodging the occasional fire 🧯 (metaphorically speaking, of course). But here's the real kicker: We save companies 💰 and ⏳. How? -We're the voice of the customer 🗣️, ensuring we build products people actually want. (Translation: No more fancy features nobody uses!) -We prioritize ruthlessly 쳐, focusing on what moves the needle. (Because let's face it, we all have limited resources. Hello, Budget!) -We collaborate across teams 🤝, preventing miscommunications and costly rework. (Think of us as the glue that holds everything together.) So, next time you see a Product Manager, give them a high-five 👋. We might be slightly stressed, but we're definitely making a difference!

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I've taken two classes from Rod Claar, CSM, CSPO, CSP, CSD, CST and he's truly excellent. If you need a trainer on anything agile/scrum related, I highly recommend him. #scrum #agile #softwaredevelopment #productmanagement

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Ever wonder what it’s like to be a Product Manager? Here’s a sneak peek... Spoiler: Your calendar’s the real MVP, and by MVP I mean Most Victimized Planner. Meetings about meetings, syncs about syncs because clearly, there’s no such thing as too many catch-ups. #ProductManagerLife #PMStruggles #MeetingOverload #WorkLifeBalance #DailyGrind #TechLife #CalendarChaos #StartupLife #BehindTheScenes #Productivity

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I often get asked how I went from philosophy to product management Hot take: Philosophy is the best major for product managers. Philosophy is often looked at as an archaic field that has little relevance to the “real world” – especially in tech. But to my own surprise, I’ve relied heavily on the skills I sharpened as a philosopher, for example: 1️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬  Philosophers excel at breaking down beliefs into assumptions and logic. Great PMs recognize and call out assumptions, which are sprinkled throughout every roadmap, feature, and business case. Identifying and challenging these assumptions early allows product teams to pivot quickly as situations change. 2️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐝 Philosophers hold strong opinions but readily let go of their beliefs when assumptions or logic are proven wrong. Great PMs do the same, treating their beliefs as assumptions and logic. As humans, it’s easier for us to admit having assumptions than to being outright wrong. 3️⃣ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 Philosophers challenge norms by deconstructing even the most popular ideas to their foundational truths – thinking from first principles. While studying philosophy, every week, I was compelled to challenge the works of the most renowned philosophers. Great PMs don’t accept but challenge the status quo. They let data and logic speak for themselves. 4️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Philosophers are trained to think and communicate in many levels of abstraction. Great PMs often switch between articulating the big picture to executives and customers at 30,000 ft and diving into the details with engineers and designers at ground level. 5️⃣ 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Philosophers are trained to speak and write ideas clearly and concisely with examples and analogies. Great PMs back their beliefs with data and examples. They communicate with examples and analogies to make complex ideas digestible for their audience. Who else is a philosopher-turned-PM?

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Collaborating with (pretty much all) departments as a founding PMM is a critical piece of the role. Specifically - staying close to the Product team for release updates is a challenge I'm sure every PMM has faced at some point! I've learned that the real gold - the Product updates that can make or break a GTM strategy - almost never come in a scheduled meeting or product brief. They pop up in places that aren't so "official" - during Product stand-ups, end of week team meetings, Slack threads. 🤔 That's why, for me, it's key to stay tuned in, ask questions, and connect directly with engineers and PMs regularly (if not daily). This ensures that I stay in the loop, even when the info isn't neatly packaged in a meeting invite. 🔄 How do you stay close to your Product team? 🗯

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I've been seeing a lot of angst about user research online these days. - User researchers went through a massive amount of layoffs, as companies are asking - do we really need dedicated researchers? - There's still debates over who should be doing user research - is it a dedicated role? Do Product Managers participate? - How do we do user research well in a remote world? What does good look like as our landscape changes? Customer research has changed a lot in the last eleven years, and it's important that we as product, ux, and user research professionals are changing with it. That's why I was excited to talk to Steve Portigal about his revamped version of 'Interviewing Users'. We dive into how the shift to remote research has transformed the way we gather user insights. Steve pointed out that while remote interviews have expanded geographical diversity, they also introduce new challenges with technology. He also highlighted the importance of preparing interviewees with pre-work to stimulate their thinking before the interview, which can lead to more meaningful conversations. We also talk about the role of user researchers, and who should be doing research on the team. But I also want to hear from you! What have you noticed about the changes in user research, whether it's the practice or the people conducting it? Let me know in the comments. #userresearch #productmanagement #productdevelopment #research

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"What is the best way to network to help advance my career in product management?" Networking is a foundational skill every PM needs for long-term success. Today, I share some of my thoughts around the subject. If you have a question about product management, shoot me a DM. ✉️ I'm here to help! #productmanagement #productmanagers #careeradvice #askaquestion #askmeanything

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Product people in social impact: Listen to your customers 📢 How do you do this? ✔ Understand who you are building for to give them what they need ✔ Ask the right questions ✔ Talk less Base conversations on... ✔ Concrete facts ✔ Their life (not ideas) like problems, constraints, cares, goals ✔ The actions they are already taking I've been learning all about the art of talking to customers. I've been totally inspired by Rob Fitzpatrick's The Mom Test and Teresa Torres's Product Discovery course (via email) - specifically Customer Interviews. They both agree that people describe themselves as who they want to be, not who they actually are. You want facts and commitments, not compliments. Opinions are worthless. Give yourself grace when having conversations with customers or users because this takes practice and lots of awareness for course correction. My rule of thumb is to speak to customers at least once a week. Get started with a manageable goal and do what works best for you. Keep building products that *truly* help solve real problems in this world. I'm here to support and cheer you on. Happy talking! :)

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💡 Product Management Tip of the Day: Prioritize User Feedback 💡 I’ve learned that prioritizing user feedback is crucial. Here’s why: 1. Understanding User Needs 👥 Engaging directly with users helps you understand their needs and pain points. This insight is invaluable in shaping a product that truly resonates with them. 2. Building Trust 🤝 When users see that their feedback leads to real changes, it builds trust and loyalty. They feel heard and valued, which enhances their overall experience. 3. Continuous Improvement 🔄 Feedback isn’t a one-time event. Continuously gathering and acting on feedback ensures your product evolves and improves, keeping it relevant and competitive. 💬 Your Turn! How do you incorporate user feedback into your product development process? What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them? Share your thoughts and experiences below! 👉 Comment below with your insights! 👈 #ProductManagement #UserFeedback #Innovation #CustomerExperience #ContinuousImprovement

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🔥Hot Take for PMs: Please don't hand me a solution to a problem. Instead, focus on detailing the problem and help me understand the why. We will ideate and find a solution together. Next week, in our first episode of ⚫️Bounce, Claire and I continue to unpack the PD + PM working relationship. Buckle up. Subscribe today - links in comments 👇

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