4 useful career advices about finding your direction (feat. Ben Laplanche)
By: Ivan Oung
Tags: Product Management, Careers, Personal Development, Career Advice, Personal Growth

Product management is like Hollywood: it looks hot and sexy from the outside, everyone knows about it, we love talking about it, people inside the field think they know what it is, people outside are dying to get in, and those who are inside are just too terrified to admit that they are lost.

I found myself guilty of feeling the same way. Till this day I still have recurring nightmares about my work.

Still feeling as lost as ever, while feeling defeated after losing my job twice in a year due to businesses ceased to operate, with a bit of sheer luck, I came across Ben’s introduction as an experienced product coach in Product School’s Slack group.

I’ve always been told that I’m natural at teaching, so coaching in the field of product management would mean the perfect marriage between what I love and what I’m good at. Ben’s background immediately drew my attention like a cat to catnip. I was curious about his journey in how he transitioned from being a manager to becoming a coach.

The next thing I know, we were in a Zoom call, talking about coaching and product management.

The conversation only lasted around 20 minutes, but it was the most insightful and helpful conversation I had about my career in the last 5 years. Here’s my impression of the conversation.

Conversation

Ivan: I felt lost in this field. I don’t know how to grow as a Product Manager. I feel like I know where to go, but I don’t know how to do so.

Ben: To be able to help you better, can you tell me a little about yourself?

Ivan: {{mini elevator interview pitch bla bla bla}}

Ben: (Chuckle) This is not an interview, you don’t have to introduce yourself like one. Nevertheless, it seems like you thrive in challenges.

Ben: That makes me wonder, what gets you out of bed every day?

Ivan: I love engaging in interesting challenges. It sounds vague I know. An example of “interesting challenges” would be, “the redesign of Japan’s underground railway system”.

Ben: What’s interesting about that to you?

Ivan: Good question. I’m not too sure.

Ivan: I think it’s a novel problem, you don’t get to see that kind of problem every day. Also, the result will benefit the public, not only for the sake of money. I don’t see myself as a humanitarian, but I’d like to bring a positive impact on humanity.

Ivan: Also, because how complex the problem appears to be, the range of expertise and knowledge is required to properly tackle this deadlock is as wide as the grand canyon; city planning, lobbying, government rules, public relationship, architecture, civil engineering, just to name a few.

Ben: That sounds like a challenge, and I’m sure you will have a lot of fun by the sound of it. Is there something supports your motivation? How does solving problems like this align with your purpose? Also, given that there are so many opportunities out there, how would you know whether you are solving a problem that excites you or not?

Ivan: That’s a great question. I don’t have an answer for that though.

Ben: That’s ok, that’s why I’m here. Before we catch up in a few weeks to check on your progress, here’s an assignment for you to help answer some of your questions.

Write down 3 questions that you would ask to see if a project aligns with your definition of “interesting challenges”, vice versa. Find 10 people to connect, to learn about the project that they are now working on. Be genuinely curious, keep job hunting or finding new opportunities out of the equation.

Ivan: Thank you so much! This is super helpful and insightful!

Ben: You are welcome. Before we end this call, what are you taking away from this conversation?

Ivan: ……

Aftermath

After the conversation, I sat down with my sketchbook, thought carefully about our conversation. While doing so, I came up with a few things I’ve learned.

Be specific at what you are looking for. The more specific you are, the sooner you will be able to act upon. Ask to summarise at the end of a conversation improve the quality of communication: it creates a window to clarify what’s not clear, and to consolidate the notion of thoughts into recallable and actable ideas. Sometimes, the most helpful insights lie within questions, not lengthy speeches. (Cliche I know, still) Want to go fast? go alone. Want to go big? go together.

Afterwords

The brief conversation gave me clarity on how I should move forward, and I appreciate Ben for being generous with his time and patience.

If you are interested in knowing him or just want to strike up a conversation with him, you can find him at the link down below.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlaplanche/

I hope this will help bring clarity to your career too!