Product Leader Growth Program
Rounding Template Competency Matrix
Info

Scope: Product VP's and AVP's

Overview

This growth program is a living document that will continually be updated going forward. In includes an "article cannon" that is helpful references to our own unique Product Operating Model (POM). Each article has a TLDR document, which includes 1) Cody's elitist and condescending perspective 2) an AI summary and 3) the content dump from the article itself.

This POM article cannon needs to be referenced in order to be helpful. There will likely be a GPT you can use to make this easier, but I highly suggest reading the articles at least once too. It is IMPORTANT for a Product leader to identify if they are external / market facing or if they are internal / stakeholder facing. Leveraging Product practices will look different for these groups (heavier for true external customer development). Our P&T orgs largely fall into these identities:

For shared continued growth, there is also a rounding template that will be used quarterly between Cody and the Product leader, which includes specific homework and expectations done ahead of our meeting.

Lastly, you will find a product job family matrix (PO -> APM -> PM -> Sr PM -> Dir of Prod -> AVP/VP of Prod) as a reference of expectations on the continuum of product.

I. Product Operating Model: Article Canon

Each resource serves as a foundational pillar for the department’s collective mental model. Especially at a leadership level, while the tactics, artifacts, and processes are important, the overall art of thinking of product management and the mental model is most important. Getting lost in the academics or technicalities is a way to miss the mark entirely.

1. Talent Development and Culture (Meta-TLDR)

How are you continuously learning and growing yourself? If you have a team, how are you purposefully growing them? Are you creating a culture where people want to stay because they are growing?

2. Delivery and Execution (Meta-TLDR)

How do you know if you are producing value consistently and frequently as efficiently and lean as possible?

3. Product Discovery (Meta-TLDR)

How do you know if you are quickly and cheaply failing on the bad ideas in order to get validation and product-market fit (or stakeholder alignment if internal-only) ahead of development?

4. Product Leadership and Operating Model (Meta-TLDR)

If you are responsible for a team, how are you running your organization and practicing product principles in a diligent and accountable manner? Are you external-facing (heavier) or are you internal-facing (can be more lean)

5. Product Strategy (Meta-TLDR)

How do you know if you have appropriately created a robust strategy and evangelized it enough?

6. Stakeholder Communication and Influence (Meta-TLDR)

How do you know that you are staying aligned with stakeholders and keeping them fed? Do they feel heard or dismissed? Do they feel valued and are a meaningful contributor? Do they feel current and informed? Do they trust you? With that trust, do they consider you a partner and they value your counsel?

7. Product Knowledge and Domain SME (Meta-TLDR)

How do you know if you know your problem space enough? Have you become the defacto source for questions and strategy debate?

II. Competency Matrix

The product job family from Product Owner to VP or Product. A diagnostic rubric to help leaders better understand what is expected of their staff in a specific role.

Competency Matrix

If online copy is unaccessible: Product Role Matrix (backup)

III. Rounding and Coaching

Rounding Template: Structured 1:1 and departmental "rounding" template here. This document moves conversations away from status updates and toward strategic alignment and accountability.

Protocol: Rounding is conducted individually on a quarterly basis, keeping the other 1:2 or 1:1 meetings focused on tactical execution.

Homework: Leaders must complete the Product Leader Rounding Template asynchronously ahead of the session.

IV. AI Support as a GPT

Product Coach GPT: An agentic AI trained on the Article Canon and personal leadership principles. It provides just-in-time coaching and feedback for roadmaps, emails, personal growth, team growth, and product strategy development.

Product Coach GPT

V. Bonus References: Contextual Frameworks