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Earlier this summer I read Marty Cagan’s newest book “Empowered,” the companion piece to “Inspired.” Marty Cagan is a partner at the Silicon Valley Product Group and a former product leader at eBay, Netscape and HP (truly gold standard product credentials). Fun fact: I linked to one of Cagan’s articles “Behind Every Great Product” in my March 2021 blog post “What Did I Read This Week? Chipotle Makeup, Billionaires, Tik Tok & Killing Brands.” Since then, I’ve read dozens of posts on the SVPG (Silicon Valley Product Group) blog - stay tuned for a potential blog post about the SVPG blog!

I’m no stranger to Udemy, I’ve previously used the site to take a Google Analytics certification course, refine my copywriting skills and learn a bit of HTML and CSS coding. I was struggling with cabin fever during Toronto’s recurring lockdowns and decided to sharpen my product management skills. Over the last few months I’ve been taking the Become a Product Manager | Learn the Skills & Get the Job Udemy course.

Famously, Steve Jobs once called the Segway the next big thing after the PC. So, what happened to the imagined future of flying cars and people riding Segways to work? Let’s see … do you own a Segway? Does your family own a Segway? Does anyone you know (even tangentially) own a Segway? The answer is most likely no. More importantly, the answer to the next question is probably also no.

I remember coming to the realization as a child that it was impossible to ever know everything. When you’re young enough that your parents still always have the answers, it seems an achievable goal to know everything. Then it hit me. I will die knowing a fraction, a tiny tiny infinitesimal percentage of the world’s knowledge. (I also remember the first time I fully realized we all die one day in preschool but that’s a more macabre story for another day...) The idea that I will die before reading all the books I want to read, traveling all the places I want to go (so on and so forth) haunts me to this day. There is absolutely nothing scarier to me than wasted potential.

A synopsis for those who will inevitably eschew watching the video. Basically, Matthew Encina from The Futur challenges the viewer to improve their writing by copying the work of their favourite writer. This practice, known as ‘copywork,’ has been used for centuries by writers and artists to improve their craft. Encina choose to copy 365 entries in Seth Godin’s blog and see how much he could complete within a week.

With the second full lockdown in Toronto underway, I have what feels like more free time than ever. And as someone living in a cold climate, there’s only so much aimless wandering outside you can do before indoor heating calls your name. For this week’s blog post I’ve decided to compile a list of what I’ve been reading this week. #continuous-improvement

Lately I’ve been delving into researching the product management function. As part of my learning I’ve been collecting a list of product management terms, slang, and jargon. Sharing is caring so I’ve made my list (and the source for each definition) publicly available in a digital flashcard set on Cram.

The key to any successful product is a strong positioning foundation. “Obviously Awesome” by April Dunford is a short, snappy crash course on product positioning: What is it? Why does it matter? And how to do it? My manager recommended this book as I transition into a product role and I want to share the love for this great resource.