Welcome to the first episode of a new podcast for product managers, developers, and innovators! The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers.

I’m Chad, the host, and I shared five topics to introduce the  podcast:

1. How I became fascinated with product management, development, and innovation and why I teach the topics now

2. Why I am conducting valuable interviews, including how I started interviewing during a 1-year RV trip

3. Highlights of some innovation lessons from past interviews

4. What to expect in the upcoming weekly interviews with professionals that can help product managers, developers, and innovators

5. A free gift for listening

About the Host

I was a boy who loved to take apart things to see what was inside – what made something work. Not too much of a stretch that I found a love for electrical engineering during college. After graduating, I worked with teams in In small, large, and global companies, including four start-ups, developing products. Sometimes the products made customers into raving fans and sometimes it was left to me to pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong. In pursuit of best practices and proven methodologies, I found great value in earning certifications from several credible professional organizations, including PMI, PDMA, and AIPMM, as well a PhD in business (focusing on requirement issues in product development). Today, with 25+ years in hands-on product development, I provide training and education.

 

Highlights from the Episode Include:

• What product managers, developers, and innovators do.
• Chad’s path to product innovation
• Why taking a year-long RV trip was a great way to create family experiences and learn from business owners, entrepreneurs, and product professionals
• Highlights from three interviews during the RV trip:
• • The importance of market trends from an interview the Bob Tiffin (Tiffin Motorhomes)
  • How the 3 P’s of culture (personal, powerful, and persuasive) create a compelling story and competitive advantage from an interview with Dan Rattigan (French Broad Chocolate Factory)
  • Even when opportunities for product development and innovation are highly constrained, innovating the customer experience creates high value and differentiation from an interview with Mike Yontz (McDonalds Owner/Operator)
• Each week, come back here to hear what product managers, developers, and innovators, along with other knowledgeable experts, have learned from their failures and successes to help you be more successful in your career
• How to receive the free gift for listening to this episode

Innovation Quotes

I love innovation quotes. I ask many of my guests to share a quote and why it is important to them. I have too many favorites to list here, but one that encompasses a basic truth for innovators is a Japanese proverb:

“Fall down seven times, get up eight.”

While this applies to life in generally, product innovators must have resilience. We face failures frequently, but each is valuable in the lessons we learn and what we discover about customers and products in the process. So, don’t sweat the falling down because getting up is the important part!

 

 

Listen Now to the Interview

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Raw Transcript

tei_001_chad_mcallister

 

Thanks for Listening!

Thank you for joining me for the first episode of the podcast! I love discussing product management and learning from the successes and failures of product innovators. Please help out a fellow product innovation professional by sharing this post using the social media buttons you see below.