Clarion Coughlan, Jayne Paterson O’Connell, Justin Blass & Simon Watson
Clarion has come to love the world of product operations and values its ability to amplify results. It brings product, engineering, and business teams together, encouraging the use of qualitative and quantitative insights and best product practices. It's really satisfying to see everyone on the same page, working towards a common goal. The feeling of accomplishment when you witness a successful product in action is unbeatable! By the way, Jenny Wanger is one of Clarion's favorite thought leaders in this field. You should check out her posts on Mind the Product.
Justin has been helping a team work through some interpersonal conflict. The situation was a good reminder that one of the best ways to prepare for unhealthy conflict is to reduce the chance of it occurring. He ran a psychological safety workshop to help others see the value in fostering an "environment that rewards vulnerability." Defining what a concept is and isn't is helpful to overcome the free-association game that follows buzzwords. He found this blog and diagram valuable to clarify what psychological safety isn't.
Simon is exploring customer-side enterprise product management. He is asking such lofty questions as — What is product and what are services? How should agreements be formed regarding funding features and owning IP? How do you manage product effectively within the customer-vendor relationship? Alongside this, he continues is exploration down the rabbit hole of personal productivity, knowledge management and building a second brain.
We also said goodbye to Jayne, who's heading from Aotearoa to Ireland next week. But don't worry, Jayne will still be collaborating with us remotely. So now, Team THEIA is going fully remote!