# Lessons for Product Leaders - Shishir Mehrotra ![rw-book-cover](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/600ee75084e3fe0e5731624c/60a2c7f6bfbecb3636a7d62e_Product%20Leader%20shishir%20mehotra.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[theproductfolks.com]] - Full Title: Lessons for Product Leaders - Shishir Mehrotra - Category: #articles - Summary: Recently, Shishir Mehrotra (Co-Founder & CEO at Coda) shared some of his insights at a TPF webinar named: Lessons for Product Leaders. In this webinar, he covered various topics. However, I’ll talk in detail about two of the topics that he touched: 1. Measuring the performance of your product team. 2. Conducting meetings effectively. - URL: https://www.theproductfolks.com/blog/lessons-for-product-leaders-shishir-mehrotra ## Highlights - Shishir was asked to set up the new Calibration process. After looking at the current rubric, they concluded that the current metric is designed around an increase in scope, i.e. *Feature > Feature Group > Product Sub Area > Multiple Sub Area of a Product > Product > Product Line.* ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h7km1esgr5e6c4tjefs2r0g8)) - **Issues with promotion solely based on scope:** 1. **Unfair across teams of various sizes:** Some groups had only one product like Google Search, while others like Google Ads had 50 products. Because of the large number of projects in a single group, everyone wanted to work with Google Ads and not Google Search. 2. **The scope is an input, not an output:** It is unfair to evaluate a PM based on the scope which was handed over to them. They didn’t choose it. 3. **Devalued experimental projects:** Current rubric pushed people to work on larger existing projects instead of new smaller experimental projects. This resulted in some of their best PMs avoiding experimental projects, even though it could grow over time. While everyone agreed that scope is a useful dimension, Shishir suggested adding another dimension to the rubric. This new rubric was already being used at Youtube for a while. It was called ***PSHE* (Problem, Solution, How, and Execution).** Here’s how it works: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h7km26yg8k9b6gx8rxbtmrck)) - **Issues with promotion solely based on scope:** 1. **Unfair across teams of various sizes:** Some groups had only one product like Google Search, while others like Google Ads had 50 products. Because of the large number of projects in a single group, everyone wanted to work with Google Ads and not Google Search. 2. **The scope is an input, not an output:** It is unfair to evaluate a PM based on the scope which was handed over to them. They didn’t choose it. 3. **Devalued experimental projects:** Current rubric pushed people to work on larger existing projects instead of new smaller experimental projects. This resulted in some of their best PMs avoiding experimental projects, even though it could grow over time. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h7km2spzn6acybmvx97rm4d3)) - **Adding PSHE (Problem, Solution, How & Execution) as another dimension:** • **Given: SPSH / Manage Execution:** At an early stage of their career, a PM would be handed a *Problem* (what problem we are trying to solve), a *Solution* (What is the proposed solution) & a *How* (what meetings to attend, what documents to write, etc.). They were required to manage the *Execution* of the given project. • **Given: SPS / Manage How:** As they get more senior, they are given a *Problem* statement & a *Solution* too. They need to figure out the *How*: • How should I set up the milestones? • How should I set up the meetings? • What should the cadence be like? • Which writeups should we do/not do? • **Given: SP / Find Solution:** As they rise further in their careers, they are given a problem statement. They have to figure out a *Solution*: • What target market to go after? • What are the different possible solutions? • How to price it? • **Given: S / Discovering Problems:** Finally, you hand senior PMs a *Space*, and they come back with problems that need to be solved. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h7km31fgwxrrx8ctk5y2z7mc)) - Shishir named this region: *“Trough of Disillusionment.”* It's because this is often the area where product leaders get stuck as there is no way to see that they are growing. However, if they evaluate it from the new lens, it’ll become more evident that they are growing but on a different dimension (i.e., *PSHE*). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h7km4ftvg293fxnebyngck2j))